Did anyone say oriental pizza for breakfast?

Manaish or manakish; round shaped doughs, topped with herbs, olive oil, cheese and in some cases meat. These are known as oriental pizzas and I was introduces to these for the first time a few years ago when my hubby’s mom had made me these for breakfast. Because yes, in west we usually don’t eat pizza for breakfast (possibly only after a night out), but in the Middle East they most often eat these manaish for breakfast. They can also be eaten for lunch, snack and as a side dish possibly for dinner in some cases.

Manaish is traditionally made with a homemade dough but today I’m here to give you a super simple recipe of maanish, which is a quick fix, totally delicious for a weekend breakfast or brunch and that me and hubby love to make when being too lazy to make the traditional manaish. Don’t worry, I will give you the traditional recipe one day too, but until that day, save this recipe. Make this recipe. Enjoy this recipe! I love this so much!

Did I say zaatar?

Manaish can be made with different kinds of toppings but some of the most known ones are made with goat cheese, a tomato-onion topping, mince meat or… zaatar. Zaatar is an oriental spice mixture made with lots of different spices and herbs. It can vary a bit depending on what region or country it comes from, but it consists of at least oregano and/or thyme, sumak and sesame seeds. This spice mix is delicious to have as a topping over the manaish dough - or in my case, bread. We simply just combine this zaatar with olive oil, spread out a layer on top of round bread and then place them in the oven. That’s it. You eat these bread, preferably, when still being warm straight out the oven.

In the Middle East they usually serve these with various chopped vegetables on the side, peperoni and yoghurt.

Where can I get zataar?

You might wonder where you can get zaatar, and you will find it for sure in an oriental shop since this spice mix is very common and known in the Middle East. Even some “ordinary” super markets may have it. If you are super ambitious, you can even make your own zaatar.

THIS RECIPE IS:

• Vegan

• Simple to make

• Known as oriental pizzas

• Suitable for breakfast, brunch, lunch, snack and possibly even dinner

• A quickfix for something luxurious and festive for breakfast or brunch

Simple Manaish with Zaatar

INGREDIENTS:

6-8 round white bread, like “polarbröd” or “thekaka”

approx 1 dl (0.4 cups) olive oil

approx 1 dl (0.4 cups) zaatar

Sea Salt

HOW TO MAKE:

• Heat oven to 200 degrees C.

• Line a baking sheet with baking paper and place your bread on the sheet.

• Combine the olive oil and zaatar in a bowl and spread out a layer of the herb-oil mixture on to the bread.

• Garnish with a little bit of sea salt and place in the oven for approx 7’ until they are golden.

• Serve straight away.