Manakish Mini
Snack-sized Jordan manakish: small yeasted discs topped with za'atar oil, akkawi cheese with nigella, or spiced lamb mince. Baked hot.
Overview
A soft yeasted bread dough rises for 1 hour. Three toppings prep simultaneously: (1) za'atar-and-olive-oil paste; (2) grated akkawi-mozzarella-feta blend with nigella seeds; (3) spiced lamb mince with tomato and pomegranate molasses. Dough divides into 18 balls; each rolls into an 8 cm disc with a slight raised rim. Toppings spoon on. Baked at 230°C on a hot stone or upside-down tray for 6-8 minutes until the dough is gold and the toppings are bubbling / set.
Ingredients
Dough
- 500 g plain flour
- 1 sachet (7 g) fast-action yeast
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- 1 tablespoon caster sugar
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 320 ml warm water
Topping 1 - Za'atar
- 4 tablespoons za'atar (the Levantine herb-sumac-sesame mix)
- 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Topping 2 - Cheese
- 80 g low-moisture mozzarella
- 20 g halloumi (grated)
- 50 g feta cheese (crumbled)
- 1 teaspoon nigella seeds
- 1 teaspoon dried mint
Topping 3 - Lamb
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 onion (small, very finely diced)
- 200 g lamb mince
- 2 garlic cloves (crushed)
- 1 tomato (small, deseeded, finely diced)
- 1 teaspoon Baharat
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon pomegranate molasses
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley (chopped)
To finish
- Extra olive oil for brushing
- A pinch of sumac
Method
Stage 1 - Dough
- Whisk flour, yeast, salt and sugar.
- Add olive oil and warm water; mix to a soft dough.
- Knead 8 minutes until smooth and elastic.
- Cover; rise 1 hour until doubled.
Stage 2 - Za'atar topping
- Whisk za'atar with olive oil to a thick spoonable paste.
Stage 3 - Cheese topping
- Mix grated cheeses, nigella and dried mint.
Stage 4 - Lamb topping
- Heat oil; sauté onion 5 minutes.
- Add mince; brown 5 minutes.
- Add garlic, tomato, baharat, cinnamon, pomegranate molasses, salt and pepper; cook 4 minutes.
- Off heat; stir in parsley.
- Cool.
Stage 5 - Heat the oven
- Heat oven to 230°C (210°C fan) with a baking stone or upside-down baking tray on the top rack - 20 minutes minimum.
Stage 6 - Shape
- Knock back the dough; divide into 18 balls (about 50 g each).
- Cover; rest 10 minutes.
- Roll each ball into a thin 8-9 cm disc; press a small raised rim around the edge (the rim holds the topping in).
Stage 7 - Top
- Six discs: spread a generous teaspoon of za'atar paste on each.
- Six discs: pile a small handful of cheese mix on each.
- Six discs: spread a heaped teaspoon of lamb topping on each.
Stage 8 - Bake
- Slide onto the hot stone / tray on baking paper, in batches of 6.
- Bake 6-8 minutes - the dough should be gold and the toppings bubbling (cheese) / set (lamb) / glistening (za'atar).
Stage 9 - Serve
- Pile on a wide platter, mixing the three toppings.
- Sprinkle a pinch of sumac across.
- Eat warm - fold each in half like a taco, or eat flat.
Notes
- Hot stone is non-negotiable: Real Jordanian manakish bakes on a fierce-hot tannur (clay oven). A baking stone or upside-down heavy tray pre-heated to 230°C is the closest home equivalent. Without it, the bases stay soft and pale.
- Don't pile the topping: A thin layer melts and crisps in 6 minutes. A thick layer stays raw at the centre while the dough underneath burns.
- Eat fresh: Manakish mini are best within 30 minutes. They survive lunch box use until midday at room temperature; refrigerated they go stale fast.
Storage
- Best within 30 minutes.
- Cool fully and refrigerate 2 days; reheat at 200°C 3-4 minutes.
- Freeze cooked 2 months; reheat from frozen at 200°C 8 minutes.
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