Quick And Easy Maneesh (Lebanese Flatbread)

Chefs in every area of the world combine flour and water to create their own version one of the most common food staples — bread. You have baguettes in France, Italy brings ciabatta, you'll see naan in India, and the common bread in Lebanon is maneesh. maneesh is soft and chewy and has a delicious crispy crust that's coated with olive oil and za'atar, an earthy and savory spice blend that's used frequently in the Middle East. You can serve this versatile bread with a meal or top it with something simple for a snack.

Wellness coach and recipe developer Miriam Hahn brings us this recipe and says, "My favorite thing about this recipe is there are only six ingredients that I always have on hand, making it something I can whip up at a moment's notice. Additionally, there is minimal kneading and no stand mixer required." Here, learn how to add another cultural bread recipe to your repertoire.

To make this recipe, you'll need some baking basics — all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, salt, and instant yeast. We're using instant yeast here to omit the step of dissolving the active dry yeast in warm water before combining it with the other ingredients. Then, you'll need olive oil and za'atar. If you don't have za'atar on hand, you can easily make this spice blend at home.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, salt, and instant yeast.

Make a small well in the middle of the dry mixture and pour in 1 cup warm water and 2 tablespoons olive oil. Stir to combine.

Place the dough on a floured board and knead for 5 minutes.

Put the dough in a bowl that has been oiled or sprayed with cooking spray.

Cover the bowl with a damp tea towel and let sit in a warm spot for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 450 F and place a baking sheet into the oven to heat up.

Mix the remaining oil with the za'atar to form a paste.

Divide the dough into 4 equal portions.

Roll each portion into a flat oval or circle about ¼-inch thick

Spread the paste onto the dough pieces, working on parchment paper to make the transfer to the hot baking sheet easy.

Remove the baking sheet from the oven and transfer the parchment paper and flatbreads onto the hot baking sheet. Bake for 7–10 minutes, until the flatbreads are golden.

Serve alone or with optional toppings, such as Kalamata olives, feta cheese, olive oil, or fresh dill or mint.

If you haven't worked with maneesh dough, here are some helpful tips to give you the best outcome. When measuring out the flour for the recipe, use a spoon to fill the measurement cup so that it's light and fluffy and not too packed in. Use the back of a knife to level off the flour and get an accurate measurement.

You'll be adding warm water to the dry ingredients bowl with the active dry yeast. It's important that the water is not too hot. To be sure it's the right temperature, you can use a food thermometer and wait until it reaches 110 degrees. Another way to do this is stick a finger into the water — if you can comfortably leave it in, the temperature is a perfect match for the yeast.

If the mixture is too dry and you are not able form it easily into a ball, add a little more warm water, starting with 1 tablespoon at a time. When rolling out the dough, use flour sparingly on your work surface so that the dough doesn't get too dry.

Maneesh bread is versatile and can be incorporated into your daily meals in many ways. To start, it makes a wonderful snack on its own either at room temperature or slightly warmed in the oven or microwave. You can pair it with any type of dip. Try a classic hummus, muhammara, baba ghanoush, a simple ranch dip, or a more elaborate, protein-packed ranch dip.

Serve maneesh flatbread as a side to dip into soups or sit alongside salads or grilled vegetables. You can flavor vegetables like red peppers, onion, potatoes and asparagus with olive oil and plenty of za'atar seasoning before roasting to mimic the flavors of the bread.

You can offer the maneesh bread with feta cheese, tomatoes, cucumber slices, olive, and fresh herbs, such as mint or parsley. To take that a step further, you can use the bread as a base for sandwiches and fill them with falafel or marinated, seared tofu for a complete meal.