Mana’eesh was something I always wanted to try and make on my own. After trying it in college thanks to my amazing friend I could not get enough! Unfortunately, it’s not something we normally make at home or even buy so I thought why not try making it? What could be better than fresh, homemade Mana’eesh? The answer is not many things, hahaha. This soft dough topped with tangy, aromatic za’atar and gooey, savory cheese is as delicious as it sounds. It came out so good and let me tell you, I will be making it again. With a few ingredients it’s so simple to make, anyone could make it! I found a great recipe on Simply Lebanese which I really liked. Definitely check it out and some of her other recipes! I’m excited to share with you how my experience went making it. Now, let’s get started with the recipe, shall we?
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Ingredients:
For Dough:
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoon Fleischmann’s Active Dry Yeast
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 cup warm water
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
For Toppings:
- 6 tablespoons Za’atar Seasoning
- 6 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 cup Bulgarian Sheep’s Milk Feta Cheese (traditionally Akawi Cheese)
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
Directions:
One of my favorite parts of Manaeesh has to be its soft, supple dough. Its just so fluffy and delicious and I could honestly eat it on it’s own without any of the toppings (but, I mean, the toppings certainly add to its deliciousness). To make the dough start by adding the Fleischmann’s Active Dry Yeast to 1/2 cup of the warm water and sugar. Mix it together and let it activate for 10 minutes. Once the yeast is activated and foaming up add in remaining water, flour, and salt.
The original recipe recommends using a stand mixer with a dough hook on a low speed to mix. I don’t have one so I did it by hand (and it worked out great) but if you do you should totally use it! While mixing the dough I slowly added in the oil a little at a time. Once all the oil had been added I gave the dough a few folds to make sure everything had been well combined. Flour the bowl and then place the dough in. Cover with your mandatory “happy pumpkin spice season” kitchen towel and let it rise in a warm area for 1 hour.
Once the dough has doubled in size using a Dough Cutter (or even a knife) cut into 12 equal pieces. Roll each of those pieces into balls between your palms and lay on a parchment lined baking tray. Cover and let them rise one more time for 30-45 minutes. I know, all this waiting is so hard, but don’t worry its totally worth it!
While the dough rises for the second time you can go ahead and prep the toppings! Yay! They’re both super simple to make and absolutely delicious. For the za’atar one simple mix the Za’atar Seasoning with equal parts olive oil. For the cheese I used a Bulgarian Sheep’s Milk Feta because I just happened to have it, but you can use whatever feta you can get your hands on. Simply crumble up the feta (or akawi) cheese and mix with shredded mozzarella. Yup, it’s as simple as that. (I also may have added a tiny bit of shredded cheddar for some of them (oop) I just wanted to try it out, but it’s definitely not a necessity.)
A little before the time is up for the second dough rise, preheat the oven to 425F. Once the dough balls have risen you can start putting everything together! On a smooth, floured surface flatten a dough ball and then roll out thinly to about 6in diameter with a rolling pin. Place the rolled out dough on the parchment paper-lined baking tray. If you have 2 baking trays it will definitely make things go faster. Once you have the dough on the tray you can add on the toppings!
Leaving a bit of a border start adding about a tablespoon of topping. With everything you should get 6 za’atar ones and 6 cheese ones! Bake for 10-12 minutes, until the bottom is golden brown. And, oh my goodness they smell so good while they bake!! You’ll be so excited for them to come out of the oven. The cheese comes out gooey and bubbling and the aromatic za’atar is deliciously tangy, nutty, and floral.
I loved making this and I loved eating it even more, of course. It honestly was really simple and with just a little bit of patience it came out beautifully delicious. With an addictive, soft, fluffy dough and aromatic, savory toppings I highly recommend you all make it!
Za’atar and Cheese Mana’eesh
Equipment
- Dough Cutter
- Stand Mixer (optional)
Ingredients
For Dough:
- 1½ teaspoons Fleischmann's Active Dry Yeast
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- 1 cup warm water
- 1 teaspoon 1 teaspoon salt
- ⅓ cup vegetable oil
For Toppings:
- 6 tablespoons Za'atar Seasoning
- 6 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 cup Bulgarian Sheep's Milk Feta Cheese (traditionally Akawi Cheese)
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl add in ½ cup warm water, sugar, and active dry yeast. Set it aside for 10 minutes until yeast is foaming and activated.
- Once yeast is activated add in flour, salt, and remaining water. In a stand mixer with dough hooks on low speed OR by hand using a spoon/spatula start mixing dough. Slowly add in oil until fully combined into dough. Once oil is mixed in fold by hand a few times to ensure everything is mixed well. In a floured bowl place dough and cover with kitchen towel. Allow to rise in a warm area for 1 hour.
- Once dough has doubled in size, divide into 12 equals pieces using a Dough Cutter. Roll each piece into a ball between the palm of your hands and place onto a parchment paper lined baking tray. Cover with kitchen towel and allow to rise one more time for 30-45 minutes.
- While the dough rises for the second time mix together toppings. Mix Za'atar and olive oil in one bowl. In another bowl, crumble feta cheese and add in mozarella cheese, pressing with spoon to help fully crush feta.
- Preheat oven to 425°F.
- Once dough balls have risen on a floured surface roll out thinly to 6in in diameter. Transfer to parchment paper lined tray and then put on toppings leaving a thin border on the edge of dough. You will end up with 6 za'atar and 6 cheese manaeesh.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the bottom is golden brown and cheese is bubbling.
- Serve warm or room temperature.
- Enjoy!
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