Nistisima
By Georgina Hayden
Little za’atar buns
Not Too Tricky
makes 9
About the recipe
These swirled buns are my twist on a manoushe (manaqish when plural), a traditional Levantine morning flatbread that is topped with olive oil and za’atar. They are one of my favourite breakfasts. If I am fasting I will eat them straight up or with a plate of crunchy radishes, cucumbers and olives on the side. When I am not fasting, I might add some labneh, to dip the buns in. You can use a shop-bought za’atar mix, but it is very easy to make your own.
Recipe From
Ingredients
1 tablespoon caster sugar
1 x 7g sachet of fast-action dried yeast
500g strong white bread flour, plus extra for dusting
¾ teaspoon fine sea salt
125ml extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for greasing
6 tablespoons za’atar
½ teaspoon pul biber
Method
- Add the sugar and yeast to a jug and whisk in 275ml of warm water then leave to one side for a couple of minutes.
- Place the flour in a large mixing bowl and whisk in the salt, then make a well in the centre. Mix in the yeast water and 25ml of the extra virgin olive oil until well combined – add more water if needed; you want a moist dough, it shouldn’t be too dry.
- Transfer the dough to a flour-dusted surface and knead for around 8–10 minutes, until smooth and elastic.
- Wash and dry the mixing bowl, then lightly oil it. Return it to the bowl, drizzle with a little more oil and leave to prove for around 1–1 ½ hours (this will depend on how warm your kitchen is), until doubled in size.
- When the dough has risen, turn it out onto a clean surface, knock it back and roll into a rectangle about 26 x 40cm.
- Brush over a layer of olive oil and evenly sprinkle over the za’atar and pul biber, leaving a 1cm border around the edges. Pat the spice mixture gently into the dough with the back of a tablespoon.
- Starting with a short side, roll the dough up as tightly as you can. Trim off the uneven excess bits at the end. Slice the dough into 9 pieces. Pour enough oil to just cover the base of a 23cm square cake tin and pop in the slices, swirl facing up. Cover and leave to one side for a second prove to double in size, about 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 200°C/fan 180°C/gas mark 6. When the buns have roughly doubled in size, bake for 25–30 minutes, until golden.
- As soon as they come out of the oven, drizzle over the remaining olive oil and leave to absorb in the tin for 10 minutes before serving.
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