Man’oushe (منقوشه), Lebanese Za’atar Flatbread

Ingredients

• 1 tsp dry active yeast
• 1 tsp white sugar
• 200 ml lukewarm water
• 350 g all purpose (AP) flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 Tbsp EV olive oil plus extra for greasing the proofing bowl
• 125 ml EV olive oil
• 3 Tbsp za'atar

Instructions

1. Place the yeast, sugar and half the water in a large bowl (big enough to take the flour and the rest of the water. Mix and leave to froth, in a warm room, for 10 - 15 minutes. If you are mixing your dough using a food processor, just do this stage straight in your mixing bowl. Make sure that your metal bowl isn't too cold to begin with. My kitchen is cool-cold, unless the oven is turned on, so the metal bowl is always cold.
2. When the yeast is all activated and frothy/foamy, sift the flour straight into your bowl. Add the rest of the water, the salt and the olive oil. If using the food processor, mix on the lowest setting with a dough hook, for 1 minute. If using your hands, mix everything up with a wooden spoon, then finish off with well floured hands.
3. If using your hands, tip the dough onto your well floured work surface, and knead for about 5 minutes, until you have a smooth and slightly shiny dough. Keep flouring your hands regularly, but don't add too much flour to the dough.
4. Lightly grease a large glass bowl, and place the dough into it. Cover with a cling film, and leave to rise and double in size for 90 minutes in a warm place. I place the bowl in my airing cupboard.
5. At the end of that time, tip the dough out onto a well floured surface, and divide into 6 balls.
6. Using well floured fingers, flatten each dough ball into a flat, round bread. I also squash any large air bubbles at this stage, to stop the bread from puffing up unnecessarily, because we didn't flatten the dough earlier, if you remember.
7. Spread the za'atar mixture on each bread, as in the image here, stopping short of the edges. You'll probably need 2-3 tsp for each manoushe. Leave the manakish to rest for 5 minutes. Place 2 pizza stones or baking sheets in the oven and turn the oven on to 250˚C (500˚F / 230˚C Fan).
8. Transfer the za'atar manoushe onto the pizza stone using a pizza peel. If you don't have a pizza peel, place a layer of baking paper on a baking sheet, transfer the manoushe onto it, then slide the whole thing onto the pizza stone.
9. Bake for 7-8 minutes, until a lovely shade of medium brown. As mentioned above, you can top the manoushe with anything you like.