Za'atar & Cheese Manoushe

📝 Ingredients

• 300 g plain flour
• 1 sachet dried baker's yeast (5 g) + 1 tsp sugar
• 180 ml lukewarm water + 1 tsp salt
• 3 tbsp olive oil (1 for the dough, 2 for the za'atar)
• 3 tbsp dried thyme
• 2 tbsp sesame seeds
• ½ lemon (for the zest)
• 2 balls of mozzarella (125 g drained weight each)
• 2 tomatoes (about 250 g)
• 10 g fresh mint

🍴 Utensils

• Mixing bowl
• Rolling pin
• Baking tray and baking paper
• Small frying pan
• Fine grater
• Clean tea towel

📖 Steps

1. In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, yeast, sugar and salt. Pour in the lukewarm water and 1 tbsp olive oil, then stir with a spoon until there is no dry flour left. The dough should be soft and slightly sticky.
2. Knead on the work surface for 8 minutes, until the dough is smooth and elastic and no longer sticks to your fingers. Return it to the bowl, cover with a tea towel and leave to rise for 1 hour in a warm place, until doubled in size.
3. Meanwhile, toast the sesame seeds in a small dry frying pan over a medium heat for 2 minutes, until lightly golden. Mix them with the thyme crumbled between your fingers, the grated zest of the half lemon and 2 tbsp olive oil: that's your za'atar.
4. Cut the mozzarella into small dice and pat dry with kitchen paper. Preheat the oven to 250 °C (or its highest setting) with the baking tray inside, so it's piping hot when the flatbreads go in.
5. Knock back the dough, divide it into 4 balls and roll each one out into a very thin disc of about 20 cm, directly on a sheet of baking paper. If the dough shrinks back, leave it to rest for 5 minutes and try again.
6. Spread the za'atar over each disc with the back of a spoon, leaving a 1 cm border, then scatter over the mozzarella. Press lightly with your fingertips all over the surface to stop the dough puffing up like a balloon as it bakes.
7. Slide the flatbreads, on their paper, onto the hot tray two at a time and bake for 6 to 8 minutes: the edge should be golden and the cheese melted and bubbling. Keep an eye on them towards the end, as the thyme burns quickly and turns bitter.
8. Thinly slice the tomatoes and pick the mint leaves. As soon as they come out of the oven, top each manoushe with tomato and mint, roll it up tightly and wrap it in baking paper to take with you. It can be eaten warm or cold.