Manakish Trio with Beef, Zaatar and Feta

I treasure the yeast I have left, a rare commodity in lockdown life. Then I watch a chef on a food show make these amazing Lebanese flatbreads. And I am enamored. I am ready to part with my meager portion of yeast. The recipe is a two day process. Make and proof the dough. The second rise is overnight in the fridge. Don't use shortcuts. Believe me, the proof is in the risen dough, one of the best I have worked with. Soft and pillowy. Extremely forgiving. Easy to manipulate and stretch. A dream to work with. 

Bloom yeast with warm water and sugar. Whisk flour, salt and olive oil. Add the flour to the yeast along with more warm water and knead dough till smooth. A stand mixer with a dough hook makes this job really easy. Or use those muscles to work the dough. The dough is proofed in a warm place. Then it is divided into small balls and proofed overnight in the fridge. 

I make three fillings, just as the chef did. A spiced beef, zaatar and oil and a feta and cheddar with chile powder. I also dress onion, cucumber, tomato, parsley and mint with lemon and oil.

The dough is patted out, topped with a filling and baked on a pizza stone in a very very hot oven for seven minutes. The tricky part is transferring the manakish from counter top to pizza stone! I use a wide spatula and my hands for the bigger pieces. The smaller ones are easier to transfer. You might want to experiment with the size. I make eight rounds of dough, five beef, two cheese and one zaatar. That's plentiful for lunch today.


MANAKISH TRIO WITH BEEF, ZAATAR AND FETA
Slightly adapted from Jay Hajj

Dough
1 teaspoon active dry Yeast
1 cup Warm Water
1/2 teaspoon Sugar
2 1/2 cups AP Flour
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1 tablespoon Olive oil

Beef Filling
1 pound ground Beef
1/2 white Onion
2 Garlic cloves
1/2 teaspoon Chile Powder
1/2 teaspoon Paprika
1/2 teaspoon Cumin Powder
1/2 teaspoon Coriander Powder
1/2 teaspoon ground Black pepper
1/2 teaspoon Kosher Salt
2 teaspoons Pomegranate Syrup

Cheese Filling
1/2 cup crumbled Feta
1/4 cup grated Cheddar
1/4 teaspoon Chile Powder

Zaatar Filling
2 teaspoons Zaatar
1 teaspoon Olive Oil

Salad
1/2 Red Onion, thinly sliced
1/2 cup thinly sliced English Cucumber
1/2 cup Cherry Tomatoes, halved
1 tablespoon Parsley
10-12 Mint leaves
2 tablespoons Olive Oil
1 tablespoon Lemon Juice
Pinch of Kosher Salt
Ground Black Pepper

Start the dough the day before you plan to make the manakish.
Put yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer with sugar and 3 tablespoons warm water. Cover and let yeast bloom  for 10 minutes. 

While yeast blooms, whisk flour and salt in  bowl. Add olive oil to bowl and mix with a fork to distribute oil.

Use a dough hook. Start the mixer and carefully add flour into bowl. 

Gradually pour warm water into flour. allow the dough hook to knead the dough for 10 minutes till the dough is smooth an comes away from the sides of the bowl. You might have to add a little more dough. If so, add it by the teaspoonful. 

Scrape dough off the hook and into a smooth ball. Dribble a little olive oil on the sides of the bowl. Roll the dough in oil. 

Cover with a damp cloth and place bowl in warm place to proof for 1-2 hours. The dough should have doubled in size.

Scrape dough on to a lightly floured surface. Knead for a few  turns, then divide the dough into 8 portions. 

Shape each piece of dough into a smooth ball, by stretching the dough slightly and folding it under the bottom. 3 or 4 stretches should make the top smooth and round. 

Arrange dough balls on a large baking sheet 3 inches apart. 

Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. 

The next day take the dough out about 1 hour before you make the manakish. Allow the dough to sit in a warm place. The dough will rise a bit. It will probably touch the ball next to it. That is not a problem.

Make the beef filling by mincing the onion and garlic finely. Add it to the beef. 

Season beef with chile, paprika, cumin, coriander, salt, pepper and pomegranate molasses. Mix well.

Make the cheese filling by mashing the cheeses and chile together till pasty. 

Make the zaatar filling by mixing it with olive oil. 

Make the salad by whisking olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper in a bowl. Add onion, cucumber, tomato, parsley and mint leaves to oil. Mix with a spoon. 

Now comes the hard part!

Place a pizza stone or baking sheet in the oven.

Heat oven to 450F/230C.

Dust counter lightly with flour. 

Place a ball of dough on the floured surface and pat out with your fingers. You could also roll it out with a rolling pin. I like the texture of patted dough better. Make sure the circle can be easily moved. Add a little flour at a time under the dough so it moves. 

Take 2-3 tablespoons of beef and spread it over the circle. Use your fingers to press the meat into the dough, leaving a 1/4 inch edge. You should have a thin layer of filling.  

Make 4-5 manakish with beef filling. 

Bake manakish by sliding the dough onto the pizza stone or baking sheet carefully. I used a broad spatula and my hands. 

The number of manakish you can bake depends on the size of your pizza stone or baking sheet. I was able to bake 3 6" manakish at a time as I have a 14x16 Baking Steel sheet. 

Bake beef manakish for 7-8 minutes. 

Take them out of the oven. Squeeze a little lemon juice over them and eat them as they emerge.

Make the cheese manakish by pressing the cheese into the dough circle. Bake the manakish for 7 minutes.

Make the zaatar manakish by spooning the paste onto the dough. Bake the manakish for 7 minutes. 

Serve the manakish warm. 

Top with salad, slice and enjoy your hard work!

The proof is truly in the manakish The trio of flavors are delicious. Lunch is an exclamation of delight!! 

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