Homemade Manakish with Cheese and Za’atar

Manakish is a classic Lebanese flatbread topped with za’atar, cheese, or both—perfect for breakfast or a light snack with tea. This easy manakish recipe features a foolproof homemade dough that’s soft, fluffy, and crisp on the bottom. Whether you love classic za’atar manakish or gooey cheese with nigella and sesame seeds, this recipe has you covered.

Sunday breakfast at our house always involved soft, warm manakish (or manaeesh) with all sorts of toppings with a hot cup of tea. My mom also often topped some of them with homemade labneh, sujuk, or a ground beef topping similar to that of lahm bi ajeen.

If you have some za’atar in your pantry, this is the most classic way to use it. This and also using it to marinate za’atar chicken (well worth doing!). Now I used to be intimidated with making homemade dough.

But after testing this recipe many times, I finally nailed bakery-style manakish that come out so soft, and when baked on a pizza steel, with a crispy bottom. It starts off as my “10 minute dough recipe” which went viral when I used it for my honeycomb bread, but we let this dough rise a bit longer.

If you’re feeling particularly lazy though (let’s face it, we all do sometimes), you can easily just make the toppings and spread them on store bought naan or pita bread, and you’ll still have mouth-watering manakish. Just the easy way.

Step by Step Instructions

Grab your ingredients!

For the cheese topping, Akawi cheese is traditionally used. However, if you can’t find it, you can use a mixture of Feta and Mozzarella, which is actually my preference over Akawi. The nigella and sesame seeds on top are a non-negotiable for me.

First, Make the Dough:

Mix the yeast with warm water and set it aside for 3-4 minutes. In a bowl, mix together 1 cup of the flour, the yeast and water mixture, and the sugar. Mix well with a spoon, cover with plastic and set aside for 10 minutes.

After 10 minutes, add the remaining flour, the olive oil, and salt and mix well with a spoon until a shaggy dough forms. Then knead with your hand for 3-4 minutes until the dough comes together, or simply do this in a stand mixer.

Cover and let it rise for 30 minutes. Once its risen, divide into medium sized balls. This recipe makes approximately 10. At this point, preheat your oven to 375F.

Second, Make the Toppings:

For the Za’atar topping, mix with olive oil and set it aside. I love using this brand of Za’atar. High quality olive oil and za’atar will go a long way for excellent flavour.

For the cheese, mix the crumbled feta and grated mozarella.

Finally, Shape and Bake:

Using a floured rolling pin and a floured surface, roll out the dough into medium sized flatbreads. Roll to a thin consistency because they will rise slightly in the oven. Then transfer the dough to a floured baking sheet and add the toppings.

For the cheese, don’t forget to sprinkle them with some nigella and/or sesame seeds. Bake them in the oven for 12-15 minutes or until the bottom is lightly golden.

The cheese can be broiled for a few minutes to brown, but keep an eye on them so they don’t burn!. Once baked, keep them covered with a towel so they don’t dry – this is an important step.

You can also pre-heat a pizza steel and bake the manakish on the steel if you prefer a crispy bottom. I have also tried doing this on a cast iron skillet, and it works wonderfully.

Manakish Are Perfect For Your Freezer!

Whenever I make them, I always double the recipe so I can have some in my freezer. Perfect for school lunches, too. You can place them in between parchment paper and place in an airtight container or a freezer bag and freeze them for up to 3 months. Thaw them in the oven and enjoy.

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