---
title: "Man'oushe Za'atar: Lebanon's Breakfast Flatbread"
url: https://stacklist.com/card/8a56cf70-657e-46f9-9c08-701534c2abcc
stack: https://stacklist.com/c/food/stack/b60a21b6-a45c-4f4f-b509-9a65a06b6333
summary: "Man'oushe is a Lebanese breakfast flatbread topped with za'atar and olive oil, baked until the edges blister and traditionally sold from bakeries across Beirut. This recipe yields four flatbreads with a one-hour rise and serves them alongside labneh, fresh vegetables, and herbs."
tags: "man'oushe, za'atar, lebanese-cuisine, flatbread, recipe, breakfast, middle-eastern"
key_entities: "Lebanon (location), Beirut (location), Bekaa Valley (location), za'atar (concept), labneh (concept), sumac (concept), fleur de sel (concept)"
classification: "tutorial"
content_hash: "sha256:4fe4aa15d6189c36c97d43301884155353e1b615c9cf402744dc2f41f6b8db09"
acp_version: "0.2"
token_counts_approximate: 888
visibility: public
agent_accessible: true
status: "final"
---

# Man'oushe Za'atar: Lebanon's Breakfast Flatbread

![](https://ucarecdn.com/f3b1070a-a11d-45b7-b492-717d83ac0464/)

## What man'oushe is

Man'oushe is Lebanon's breakfast: flatbread dough pressed thin, spread with za'atar loosened in good olive oil, and baked hot until the edges blister. It is sold from bakeries every morning across Beirut, folded in paper and eaten walking. This version bakes on a stone in a home oven and takes one rise.

## Quick facts

- Makes 4 flatbreads
- Prep: 20 minutes
- Rise: 1 hour
- Bake: 6 to 8 minutes each

## What you'll need from the spice jars

- **Za'atar**: the topping, and effectively the whole dish, so it's worth using the good stuff.
- **Sumac**: dusted over the labneh alongside.
- **Fleur de Sel**: finishing the labneh and the hot flatbread.

All three come together in the Classic Bundle.

## Ingredients

**Dough**

- 3 cups (390 g) bread flour
- 1 tsp instant yeast
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp fine sea salt
- 1 cup plus 2 tbsp (270 ml) warm water
- 2 tbsp olive oil, plus more for the bowl

**Za'atar topping**

- 6 tbsp Za'atar
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

**Labneh alongside**

- 1 cup labneh
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 tsp Sumac
- A pinch of Fleur de Sel

**To serve**

- Sliced tomato, cucumber, fresh mint, olives

## Method

1. **Mix the dough.** Whisk the flour, yeast, sugar and fine sea salt. Add the warm water and olive oil, stir to a shaggy mass, then knead on an unfloured counter 8 to 10 minutes until smooth and springy. It should stay soft and slightly tacky, not stiff.
2. **Rise.** Turn the dough in an oiled bowl to coat, cover, and leave in a warm spot for about 1 hour, until roughly doubled.
3. **Heat the oven hard.** Put a baking stone or steel on the upper-middle rack and heat to 500°F (260°C) for at least 30 minutes. A heavy inverted baking sheet works if you have neither.
4. **Make the za'atar paste.** Stir the Za'atar into the olive oil to a loose, spreadable paste, closer to wet sand than a dry rub. Let it sit while the dough rises so the herbs drink the oil.
5. **Shape.** Divide the dough into 4 pieces and roll each into a ball. Rest 10 minutes, then press and stretch each into a round about 8 inches across, a little thicker at the rim.
6. **Top and bake.** Spread a quarter of the paste over each round, leaving a thin border, pressing your fingertips in as you go so the dough does not dome. Bake one at a time 6 to 8 minutes, until the base is set and the edges brown in patches.
7. **Dress the labneh.** Spread the labneh in a shallow bowl, pool the olive oil in the middle, and dust with the Sumac and a pinch of Fleur de Sel.
8. **Serve immediately.** A pinch of Fleur de Sel over the hot flatbread. Eat flat, or fold around tomato, cucumber and mint.

## Notes

- Swap in Spicy Za'atar for the topping if you want heat built into the bread rather than on the side.
- Or dust the labneh with Aleppo Pepper instead of sumac, for fruity warmth rather than sourness.
- Do not skimp on the oil in the topping. A dry za'atar paste scorches; an oily one fries the herbs gently and turns fragrant.
- The dough can wait. After the rise, refrigerate up to 2 days. Cold dough stretches more willingly. Bring to room temperature for 30 minutes before shaping.
- Leftover za'atar paste keeps a week in the fridge and is excellent on eggs, roast potatoes, or stirred into yogurt.

## More from the Bekaa Valley

This recipe calls on three spice jars: Lebanese Za'atar, Sumac, and Lebanese Fleur de Sel, together the Classic Bundle.

https://stacklist.com/card/1420e03e-fe6c-442a-9efa-4abdb6509efa

https://stacklist.com/card/b2c2ba80-4b37-4f94-976d-102b4664a991

https://stacklist.com/card/b24419bc-513d-4182-be5b-303c4eb9a2fb