Cheese Manakish (Middle Eastern Flatbread)

Cheesy flatbreads on a plate with olives and mint tea on the side.

5 from 6 votes

Cheese Manakish (Middle Eastern Flatbread)

Cheese Manakish is a Levantine flatbread topped with a mixture of melty and flavorful cheese and then baked in the oven. A Middle Eastern cuisine staple, it is comforting and incredibly delicious.

Prep Time15

Cook Time10

Rise time1

Total Time1 25

Course: Appetizer, Breakfast, Side Dish, Snack

Cuisine: Levantine, Middle Eastern

Servings: Flatbreads

Author: Luay Ghafari

Cost: $8

Ingredients

For the Dough

2 ¼ cups All purpose flour - 315 grams
¾ cups Whole wheat flour - 105 grams
1 tbsp Instant yeast - 9 grams
1 tbsp White sugar - 12.5 grams
1 tsp Kosher salt - 5 grams
½ cup Water, warmed - 120 grams
½ cup Milk, warmed - 120 grams
¼ cup Olive oil - 53 grams

Cheese Topping

1 ½ cups Mozzarella, Shredded - 340 grams
1 ½ cups Akawi Cheese, Shredded - 340 grams, Substitute with feta
1 tsp Nigella Seeds - 3 grams

Instructions

Mix. In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the dough dry ingredients and mix well to combine. Add the warm water, warm milk and oil. Run the stand mixer until a ball of dough forms, about 5-7 minutes. If the dough is too dry and feels crumbly, add water 1 tablespoon at a time until you have a soft and supple dough ball. You can also mix the dough in a large bowl and knead manually on the countertop.
Rise. Rub the dough ball lightly with oil on all sides and let it rise, covered with a towel or plastic wrap, in the bowl of the stand mixer for up to 1 hour in a warm place.
Cheese Mix. While the dough rises, prepare your cheese mixture in a bowl.
Divide and shape. After the bread dough has risen to about double its original size, divide it into 6 equal pieces. Shape each piece of dough into a tight ball and rest them on your kitchen counter for 10 minutes, covered, so that the gluten can relax.
Flatten. Using a rolling pin, flatten the dough balls into a ⅛-¼ inch (0.3-0.6cm) thick, about 6-8 inches (15-20cm) in diameter.
Dress. Preheat your oven to 425F (220C). Transfer the flat flatbread discs to a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Divide the cheese mixture equally over the flattened dough, leaving a ½ inch border. You may need to do this in stages depending on how big your oven is.
Bake. Bake in the preheated oven for 9-13 minutes, or until the edges are lightly golden brown and the cheese mixture is bubbling and browning lightly. Don’t over-bake. We want these flatbreads to be soft and pliable. Note: If you peek into the oven mid-bake and you see a big bubble forming, quickly open the oven door, poke it with a fork or knife and close the door back up.

Notes

Refer to the recipe blog post above for step-by-step recipe photos.

A few important ingredient notes:

Cheese blend: For authenticity, Akawi cheese, a brined cheese from Akka. You can substitute it with feta, but the flavor won’t be quite the same. Akkawi cheese can be found at any Middle Eastern grocery store. These days, you can even find it in international grocery stores as well. Mozzarella cheese is also a must for it’s melty and stretchy properties.
Nigella seeds: These seeds, also known as Kalonji, aren’t exactly easy to find, but you can totally substitute with black sesame seeds. In fact, I personally prefer this recipe with black sesame seeds!

If you’re looking to save some time, you can make the dough 1 day ahead of time and let it rise in the fridge overnight. This longer, slower rise is actually beneficial in many ways and the result will be a much easier to digest bread for those with gluten sensitives. Just use half the amount of yeast if you plan to let the dough rise in the fridge overnight.

Nutrition