Zaatar bread

Last time one of my friends was in Israel, she picked up a giant container of za'atar for me. I've been trying to figure out what to do with this mix of thyme, sesame seeds, and sumac, and came across a recipe for Manouche, a flat bread with an olive oil and za'atar topping.

Kids, it is delicious. Salty and earthy on top, soft and chewy inside. Not quite like what you buy in Mahane Yehuda, but it scratched the itch I had for some good za'atar.

Here is the recipe I used, heavily adapted from Chicho's kitchen.

Ingredients: 
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
Scant 1/2 cup olive oil
1 cup water
1 tbsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar
1 tbsp active dry yeast


For the topping
1/2 cup Zaatar mix
1/4 cup olive oil

1-2 tbsp salt (because I like my za'atar salty!)

Bloom the yeast in the water with a half teaspoon of sugar. 
In a separate bowl, mix the oil with the flour and salt. Slowly mix in the yeast-water mixture. Knead for 10-15 minutes or until the dough is soft and elastic. Cover and keep aside to rise for an hour.
Begin forming the bread by flattening out balls of dough and spreading them on a tray using the tips of your fingers, about 4 or 5 inches in diameter and about half an inch thick. Top with the zaatar mix and let sit for 15-20 minutes to rise a bit, then bake in a preheated oven 15-20 minutes at 400ºF (200ºC).

Eat! Enjoy!