Zaatar Pizza Recipe

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We’re not sure what we love about this recipe the most. The no-knead, no-rise crust. The robust zaatar flavor. Or the fact that it’s PIZZA!

Za'atar

The number one thing that intimidates people about making their own pizza is the crust. The yeast, the rising, the punching, the waiting. We’ve alleviated that problem with the simplest pizza dough recipe ever. It takes about 5 minutes and requires no mixer and no special tools. Just a bowl, a wooden spoon, and your hands.

Flatbread With Lamb Sausage And Za'atar

Now that the hard part is out of the way, let’s talk about the toppings. A margherita pizza is a simple, thin-crusted pie adorned with the colors of the Italian flag; bright red tomato sauce, white mozzarella cheese, and green basil. Since we’re using canned tomatoes and not pizza sauce (which is loaded with added sugars and artificial ingredients) we need a punch of flavor and zaatar is just the right thing for the job!

You may be asking yourself what is zaatar? It's a Mediterranean spice mix with mainstay ingredients (if premium brand) of wild thyme (native to Middle East region), sumac, and sesame seeds. Za'atar is a great way to add a delicious Mediterranean flair to just about any dish, and it even offers health benefits. Read hear about zaatar benefits. If you’ve never tried cooking with zaatar before, this recipe is the perfect excuse to buy some! But just as you don’t want unnecessary ingredients in your pizza sauce, you don’t want that in your zaatar either, so it’s important to choose a reputable zaatar brand that is honest about its ingredients with no unknown fillings and substitutes.

*This recipe can easily be halved if you don’t need 2 pizzas. You can also prepare the dough and refrigerate half of it for use at another time. Try it with our recipe for manae’esh!

Man'oushé With Za'atar And With Spinach And Cheese

You will not be disappointed this is by far the best zaatar product on the market today. The quality and taste are evident the moment you try it. Do yourself a favor and get this. Phenomenal product that I wish I had found years ago.Za'atar Pizza puts a Middle Eastern spin on Italian pizza! It's flavorful and easy to make as an appetizer or turn into a main dish for a meal. Let's dig into this Mediterranean goodness!

The best part? It's delish and simple to make! Use pita or naan bread. Mix olive oil and za'atar together and spread on top of the bread. Bake in an oven at 400 degrees until the top turns golden and a bit crispy for a delicious and savory finger food.

The foundation of this recipe is za'atar, olive oil and naan. The olive oil and za'atar mixture is the sauce of the pizza. From there you can add whatever toppings you like. I decided to keep it simple with a few Mediterranean toppings!

A New Za'atar Flatbread Recipe To Love

Start with making your oil and za'atar blend. Then brush it over your naan or pita bread to make your za'atar flatbread. Step 1 done!

Next, add the sliced tomatoes and crumbled feta cheese. Bake for around 10 minutes or until golden and crispy on the edges. As the pizza cooks make the tahini sauce!

I've used this tahini sauce in my za'atar fries recipe, and it's one of my favorite sauces! In a blender, add ½ cup tahini, ¼ cup Greek yogurt, 1 clove minced garlic, 1 tablespoon lemon juice and ¼ teaspoon salt. Add water as necessary for desired consistency. Since this will be drizzled over the pizza, I added 6 tablespoons of water to make it thinner. But if you want more of a dipping sauce consistency then do 4 tablespoons water.

Lebanese Zaatar Man'oushe

Serve this Mediterranean flatbread as an appetizer or as the main course and pair it with Mediterranean Farro Salad and Mediterranean chicken.

If you love za'atar as much as I do, check out these other delicious za'atar recipes: za'atar fries, za'atar pizza and za'atar bagels for more yummy Mediterranean inspiration!

Za'atar pizza drizzled with tahini sauce is a Middle Eastern spin on Italian pizza! Try this vegetarian Mediterranean flatbread as an appetizer or main dish!

Zaatar Pita Pizzas (2)

Chicken

When I was a child, I couldn’t wait for the days when I got to enjoy zaatar manakish from the local Lebanese bakery, even better if a family made it from scratch. This Middle Eastern flatbread is soft and tender, and flavorsome, topped with a flavor-packed za’atar spice and olive oil mixture for a zaatar ‘pizza’ to die for.

As an adult, I’ve dipped my toes in the waters of making several traditional Lebanese recipes from my childhood – including spinach fatayer, Authentic pita (then fattoush with the leftover pita), and batata harra (among others). However, one thing I never bothered to learn for so long was the homemade Middle Easter Flatbread ‘Manakish’.

Make Your Own Manakish

Living in London, I had access to amazing freshly-baked zaatar manakish from a local bakery and several takeaway options (and at low prices too). It’s only having moved away from London last year that I lost my local fix and decided it was time to give it a go myself – and wow, why haven’t I been doing this all along?!

The recipe and method are super simple, and the smell of the baking fresh zaatar bread from the oven is one of my ultimate ‘cozy’ homey smells ever now. That alone is enough of a reason to bake this at home. Adding to that, the fact that the manakish dough is ridiculously versatile (and I’m talking like ‘all-purpose dough’ levels of versatile) – then this isn’t a recipe to be missed.

Zaatar is a Middle Eastern spice blend usually comprised of sumac, thyme, and sesame seeds. Optionally, you can also include oregano, cumin, and/or marjoram.

Mediterranean Breakfast Pizza With Za'atar And Eggs

Depending on where you buy it from, it will vary slightly. I use homemade za’atar for this zaatar bread – my blend combined sumac, oregano, sesame seeds, and optionally some thyme.

I use this simple Middle Eastern Dough. This recipe will require about an hour and a half (due to the hour-long proving time), so plan accordingly.

Abou

Once the dough is prepared, split it into 5 equal pieces for larger flatbread or to 8 for medium-sized ones. You can weigh it out for complete accuracy, but I just do this by eye.

Za'atar And Cheese Manakish Recipe

Use your fingers to dimple the top of the bread lightly. This will not only help keep the topping in place as the bread bakes, but it will also stop it from puffing up too much in the oven.

You can do this step before or after adding the topping. I did it after this particular time, as I forgot to do it before – whoops!

Place an inverted tray or a pizza stone in the oven and preheat it to the highest it can reach (mine is 500ºF/260ºC).

Manakish With Cheese And Za'atar

In a small bowl, combine the za’atar and olive oil and mix well into a paste similar to pesto rather than a thick paste.

Top each of the Middle Eastern flatbread with some of the za’atar oil blend, leaving about a 1/2-1 inch ‘crust’ at the edges.

Transfer the topped zaatar bread onto the pre-heated inverted oven tray (or pizza stone). Do this carefully, so you don’t burn yourself.

Za'atar Pan Pizza & Aioli Dipping Sauce

Remove the manakish za’atar from the oven and allow it to cool slightly. This will allow the topping to ‘dry’ to the flatbread. Then, enjoy – make sure to wrap/cover it with a kitchen towel to keep the bread soft.

Store: Store the baked zaatar bread in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. If you used oil in the dough in place of oil, you could store the bread at room temperature for 3-5 days (covered).

Freezer: Wrap the zaatar manakish tightly with plastic wrap and store it in the freezer for up to three months. Thaw in the refrigerator before enjoying or heat from frozen.

Za'atar Lamb Turkish Pizza

Reheat: You can reheat the bread from frozen in the oven at 250ºF/120ºC until warmed through (20-25 minutes usually). If heating from chilled or room temperature, then reduce the time in the oven.

You can serve this zaatar flatbread as part of a healthy breakfast spread alongside homemade labneh and fresh vegetables like tomatoes, olives, cucumber, mint, etc.

They also do well served as part of a mezze spread alongside dips and dishes like this creamy hummus, smoky baba ganoush, fresh tabouli, etc.

Zaatar Bread Recipe (zaatar Manakish)

If you try this Zaatar bread recipe, then let me know your thoughts