Manakeesh, a popular Lebanese flatbread loaded with Zaatar (blend of sesame seeds, thyme and spices) forms part of a typical Lebanese breakfast served with yoghurt. It is typically made with wheat flour. For those gluten-free souls, I have just the recipe for you. These gluten-free manakeesh is a must try, even if you are not gluten intolerant.
I prefer to eat this with yoghurt or top it with smashed avocado, tomato and olives; The perfect combination in my opinion.
I took this recipe from Beyond The Bowl and adapted it using ground almond flour as a substitute to oats. You can of course use gluten-free oats. The Manakeesh bread its softer using almond flour than oats and doesn’t hold as well but still a great alternative especially if you want to up your protein and healthy fats intake. Using oats or ground almond flour make these rich in protein and fibre.
To make around 9 Manakeesh
1-1 cup of ground almond flour
2-1/4 cup of ground flaxseeds
3-1 cup of water
4-For the Zaatar: 1/4 cup of Zaatar mixed with 3 tablespoon of olive oil with a pinch of salt.
Method
1- Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees celsius
2-Mix ground flour and flaxseeds in a bowl with the cup of water and let it stand for 15-20 minutes
3-Grease a tray with butter/oil and place a heaped tablespoon of mixture to form a circle, about 4 inches in diameter.
4-Place in the oven for 10 minutes
5- Mix the zaatar mixture together in a bowl
6-Take manakeesh out of the oven and top the ‘bread’ with zaatar mixture evenly and pop back into the oven for a further 15-20 minutes. I left it for just over 20 minutes so it can be a little hard.
Voila, all done.
Easy, simple and quick to make. It makes a perfect snack with carrot sticks, yoghurt and cucumber. It makes a perfect starter for when you have guests over to keep them entertained before the main course.
