Not another flatbread said my kids! It turns out the khubz arabi is very popular across many Gulf countries so I searched a bit further and found a bread/cake that is apparently also prevalent in many of the same countries.
- Recipe chosen for Manakeesh
- Cooking method: oven
Rating:
- Faithfulness to recipe: Almost, except for the specific cheese on top
- Met expectations? Yes.
- Would cook again? No,
- The taste test rated on a score of 5: 5
Recipe
Ingredients
For the dough:
- 3 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp dry yeast
- 1 ¼ cups lukewarm water
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
For the topping:
- 500g akkawi cheese, soaked and drained – I used a combination of ricotta and feta
- 2 tbsp nigella seeds
Method
Total time ~2 hours
- Stir the yeast in the water and set aside for 5 minutes, or until it starts to bubble up.
- Mix flour, salt, and sugar in a large bowl.
- Gradually pour the yeast water and oil into the dry ingredients. Stir well to bind, then knead for 5 to 10 minutes. The dough should be smooth and elastic, and feel a bit like an earlobe.
- Place the dough into a large bowl greased with olive oil. Place a damp tea towel over the dough and let rise in a warm place for 1½ to 2 hours, or until doubled in size.
- Meanwhile, grate the cheese into a large bowl. Cover with cold water to soak and help draw out some of the salt.
- Punch down the dough. Divide the dough into four equal-sized pieces.
- Place the dough back into the bowl and let rest for an extra 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 230C (450F).
- On a floured surface, roll each ball of dough into a disc about 10-inches or 25-cm in diameter.
- Sprinkle about 1 cup of akkawi cheese over the dough.
- Sprinkle about ½ tbsp of nigella seeds evenly over the cheese.
- Transfer the dough to a cookie sheet or pizza stone and bake 20 minutes, or until the crust is baked and cheese is melted.
staplebread 