A Lebanese pizza, sometimes called a zaatar, is a traditional and popular dish which originated in an Asian country by the name of Lebanon. They are quite popular all over the Middle East just like the rest of Lebanon’s traditional cuisine, which is known to consist of an abundance of fresh fish, vegetables, fruits, poultry, and lamb, as well as huge amounts of Mediterranean spices and olive oil.
For a regular Western civilian, the words “pizzas” likely conjure up an image of a late night snack and a lunchroom cafeteria. For a Lebanese civilian, however, the dish is commonly prepared for breakfast. Though the numerous ingredients of the meal seemingly mirror that of the American version, its appearance is completely different.
The dish’s very first step is to gather all of the needed ingredients together. You will require about two hundred grams of flour to make a pizza, as well as two teaspoons of sugar, twenty grams of dry yeast, fifty grams of olive oil, a pinch of salt, and one hundred grams of spices. The herbs should be thyme based, also known as zaatar, and can be bought at any store or made yourself following a recipe.
After procuring the ingredients, begin by pouring the flour, yeast, and salt together in a medium sized bowl. After they’ve been thoroughly mixed up add in the sugar and warm water. Knead the mixture for a few minutes, adding more of the flour if necessary. Cover the bowl with a damp cloth and then set it aside for ten minutes.
Add the olive oil next and then continue to knead the dough until it is pliable. Pour a little more water over its surface until it is sticky but not so sticky that it becomes stuck to the container. Again, set the bowl aside, for one hour this time.
When the sixty minutes are up, add in the basil based herbs by hand and start rolling the mixture out so that you can form it. Ideally, your dough needs to be about seven inches across and just half an inch thick. After it’s rolled out enough, take the sides of the pizza into your fingers and form its border.
Heat the stove to four hundred degrees Fahrenheit and as it is heating, cook some sesame seeds in a vat of extra virgin oil. Smear the virgin oil mix across the top of your flattened ball and when the stove is ready, bake it for twenty minutes. Afterwards, serve it with a small bowl of cucumbers and tomatoes.
Check out Manoosh Pizzeria in Newtown Pizzeria if you want to taste a traditional Lebanese pizza or zaatar