Manakish za'atar

Name: Manakish za'atar
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 16 min
Total time: 1 h 41 min
Ingredients: 400 g all-purpose flour; 1 dried yeast; 1 tsp sugar; 1 tsp salt; 240 ml water, lukewarm; 2 tbsp olive oil; 6 tbsp za'atar; 90 ml olive oil; 2 tomatoes, sliced (optional); 1 cucumber, sliced (optional); 10 g mint, leaves picked (optional); 150 g labneh (optional)

Vegetarian

مناقيش زعتر · manāqīsh za'tar

Soft flatbreads spread with a fragrant paste of za'atar and olive oil and baked until golden — the classic Lebanese breakfast from the corner bakery.

Manakish za'atar is a Lebanese bread from Lebanon, ready in about 1 hour 41 minutes and made with za'atar and olive oil. It serves 6 and is rated easy to cook.

Start cooking

Close-up of a freshly baked za'atar flatbread on colorful patterned paper. — Photo: Anthony Rahayel / Pexels · Pexels License

Prep: 25 min
Cook: 16 min
Rest: 1 h
Total: 1 h 41 min
Serves: 6
Level: Easy
Calories: 424

About this dish

Origin: Lebanon · Commonly attributedEaten throughout the Levant; especially emblematic of Lebanese breakfast.Also popular in Syria, Palestine, JordanMore food from Lebanon
Dish: Breakfast · Brunch · Snack · Breads & flatbreads · Street food
Cooking method: Oven-baked
Taste: herby, tangy, nutty, mild
Diet: Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · No nut ingredients
All labels
Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · DASH-style
Without the optional extras: Vegan, Plant-based, Ovo-vegetarian, Dairy-freeWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for: Street food · Everyday · Budget-friendly
Cook more with: Za'atar · All-purpose flour · Dried yeast · Sugar
Techniques: Baking · Kneading · Fermentation

Allergens

Contains, can be adapted: Milkfrom labneh
Contains: Wheatfrom all-purpose flour
Contains: Glutenfrom all-purpose flour
Contains: Sesamefrom za'atar

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

424 kcal per serving

Estimated

1 serving ≈ 133 g · recipe makes 6

Where the energy comes from

Protein 7%
Carbohydrate 52%
Fat 41%

Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
Nutrient	Per serving	Per 100 g*
Energy	424 kcal	319 kcal
Protein	7.8 g	5.9 g
Carbohydrate	55.4 g	41.7 g
Net carbohydrate	51.3 g	38.6 g
Sugars	1 g	0.7 g
Added sugars	0.7 g	0.5 g
Fibre	4 g	3 g
Fat	19.3 g	14.5 g
Saturated fat	2.8 g	2.1 g
Trans fat	—	—
Cholesterol	0 mg	0 mg
Sodium	394 mg	297 mg
Salt equivalent	1 g	0.7 g

Vitamins & minerals per serving

Potassium: 125 mg
Calcium: 113 mg
Iron: 9.6 mg
Magnesium: 27 mg
Vitamin A (RAE): 10 µg
Vitamin C: 3 mg
Vitamin D: 0 µg
Vitamin B12: 0 µg
Folate (DFE): 235 µg

How these numbers were made

Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
*Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
Optional ingredients are not included: tomato, cucumber, mint, labneh.
Za'atar: Dried thyme (FDC 170938) used as a stand-in for the herb portion of za'atar; the sesame in the blend is listed in allergens.
“—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

Make the za'atar paste loose enough to spread easily; it should glisten with oil.

Common mistakes

Too little oil leaves the za'atar dry and bitter after baking.

Serve with

With sweet black tea for breakfast.

Storage

Best warm; freeze cooled manakish for up to a month.

Reheating

Reheat in a hot oven or dry pan for 2–3 minutes.

Variations

Manakish jibneh: Topped with a mild white melting cheese such as akkawi, sometimes half and half with za'atar.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added 26 Oct 2026 · Updated 8 Nov 2026

Sauces, chutneys & dips for this dish

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Compare with

Built from the recipe’s own sections. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

Structure

Dough

All-purpose flour400 g
Dried yeast1 piece · 7 g
Sugar1 tsp · 4.2 g
Salt1 tsp · 6 g
Water, lukewarm240 ml · 240 g
Olive oil2 tbsp · 27 g

Used in steps 1, 2

Masalas in this recipe

Make the masala first, then come back to finish the dish.

Dry spice blend
Za'atar
This recipe uses 6 tbsp (31 g for 6 flatbreads).
Make Za'atar

Baker’s notes

Customise in Bread & Bakery

Timeline and readiness cues

Mix and knead · about 25 min
Weigh everything. Knead until smooth and elastic: a small piece stretches thin enough to see light through (the windowpane test).
First rise (bulk) · about 1 h
About doubled, domed, jiggly, with bubbles on the sides. A floured finger poked in leaves a dent that fills slowly.
Bake · about 16 min at 240 °C
Deep golden; bread sounds hollow when tapped underneath, or reads 93–96 °C inside (enriched breads 88–90 °C).
Start to finish: about 1 h 41 min. Times are a guide — warmth changes everything; follow the cues.

The dough

The dough in baker's percentages. Flour = 100%.
Ingredient	Role	Weight	Baker’s %
All-purpose flour	Flour	400 g	100%
Water	Water	240 g	60%
Olive oil	Fat	27 g	6.7%
Dried yeast	Yeast	7 g	1.8%
Salt	Salt	6 g	1.5%
Sugar	Sugar	4 g	1.1%

Total flour: 400 g
Hydration: 60%
With milk, eggs…: 60%
Wholegrain: 0%

Hydration = water ÷ flour × 100. Milk is about 87% water and eggs about 75%, so they’re shown separately as “with milk, eggs…”.

Medium dough (55–65%) — soft and easy to knead; sandwich loaves and rolls.
Salt 1.5% — normal for bread.

If something goes wrong

Dense, heavy loaf
Likely causes
- Under-kneaded (weak gluten)
- Under-proofed
- Old or dead yeast/starter
- Too much wholegrain flour without extra water
What to do
- Knead to the windowpane stage
- Proof by the poke test, not the clock
- Test yeast in warm water with sugar; feed the starter and use it at its peak
- Add 5–10% more water for wholegrain flours and give them a rest
Pale crust
Likely causes
- Oven too cool
- Too little sugar or no milk/egg for browning
- Over-fermented (yeast ate the sugars)
What to do
- Check the oven with a thermometer
- Brush with egg wash or milk
- Shorten the fermentation
Burnt bottom
Likely causes
- Tray too close to the heat
- Dark tray absorbs more heat
- Too much sugar in the dough
What to do
- Bake on the middle shelf
- Double up trays or use a light-coloured one
- Lower the temperature 10–15 °C and bake a little longer
Dough didn't rise
Likely causes
- Dead yeast (expired or killed by hot liquid)
- Kitchen too cold
- Salt in direct contact with fresh yeast
- Starter not active
What to do
- Liquid should be lukewarm (no hotter than 40 °C)
- Proof somewhere warm (an oven with just the light on)
- Mix the salt into the flour, not onto the yeast
- Feed the starter until it doubles in 4–8 hours
Tough or chewy flatbread
Likely causes
- Dough too stiff
- Not rested
- Cooked too slowly on too cool a pan
What to do
- Add water until the dough is soft and slightly tacky
- Rest 20–30 minutes covered so the gluten relaxes
- Cook on a very hot tawa or pan — quickly

Reviews & corrections

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Manakish za'atar

Ingredients

Dough

Topping

To serve

Equipment

Method

About this dish

Allergens

Nutrition

Good to know