Cheese Manakish Recipe (2024)

Cheese Manakish is a baked Arabic Flatbread recipe that is topped with mozzarella and cream cheese. It is a popular dish across the Levant and Middle Eastern countries, which is commonly served during breakfast.

During my childhood experience in Jordan and Kuwait, Manakish is a popular food among locals which is considered their version of pizza. They served different kinds of toppings which include chicken, minced lamb, zaatar, or cheese.

If you checked my food blog, you will know that I make different kinds of Middle Eastern flatbread recipes. I love baking Middle Eastern flatbread or pizza since I find them delicious. They are also easy to make and are perfect to serve for breakfast and lunch.

What is Manakish?

Manakish (مناقيش), also called Manakeesh or Manaqish, is a Middle Eastern or Arabic flatbread that contains different types of toppings. Making the dough and baking in the oven is similar to pizza, except the toppings used are different.

In the Middle East or Levant countries, the most popular manakeesh includes chicken / minced meat, cheeses, or zaatar, which is perfect for vegan or vegetarian eaters.

In this recipe, I am making cheese manakish, which is similar to my Turkish cheese pide. The only difference is the way how I assemble the flatbread and the type of cheese used.

Difference between Manakish and Fatayer

If you travel to Middle Eastern countries or have eaten in Arabian restaurants, you will notice they serve both fatayer and manakish. This can confuse you if you are not familiar with Arabic cuisines since the ingredients and the shape of the dough are almost identical, and they are both baked in the oven.

But the truth is the only difference is that manakeesh is shaped like a flatbread which is similar to any Western pizza. On the other hand, a fatayer is assembled in a form of a pie with fillings of meats, cheese, or vegetables which is similar to an empanada.

Recipe Ingredients

The dough ingredients for Cheese Manakish is the same when making any pizzas or fatayer:

• Flour: I am using white all purpose flour
  
• Brown Sugar: I prefer to use brown sugar since it is more organic then white sugar. Also this will add mild sweetness on the dough bread
  
• Yeast: The instant yeast will help double the size of the dough
  
• Olive Oil: I am using Extra Virgin Olive Oil. This will soften and add elasticity to the dough.
  
• Toppings: For the toppings, I used mozzarella and cream cheese.
  
• Other Ingredients: Other things you will need will be water, sesame seeds (optional), salt, and egg yolk for brushing the dough bread.

Cooking Instruction

There are two things to do when making the Cheese Manakeesh: Making the Dough, and Assembling & Topping the Manakish.

I. Making the Dough

• Cover the dough with plastic and keep it at room temperature. I leave it for 1 to 2 hours to let the dough grow in size.
• Once it doubles in size, I transfer it to the clean cutting board.
• Here, I roll it into a cylindrical shape before I divide them into 6-8 pieces. Transfer to the plate and set aside

• Cover the dough with plastic and keep it at room temperature. I leave it for 1 to 2 hours to let the dough grow in size.
• Once it doubles in size, I transfer it to the clean cutting board.
• Here, I roll it into a cylindrical shape before I divide them into 6 pieces. Transfer to the plate and set aside

IIA. Assembling and Topping the Manakish (using the Rolling Pin)

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• In each dough, I use the rolling pin to make a round shape which the size will be 5-5.5 inches big.
• After that, I spread the dough with cream cheese and then topped it with mozzarella cheese.

• Lastly, transfer it into the oven and let it bake for 10 minutes at 200 C or 400 F.

IIB. Assembling and Topping (using the Hand)

If you are using your hand instead of a rolling pin, just make it into a ball shape and push it down using your fingers until it becomes a nice circular shape.

Also, As you can see in the picture, I am only pressing the dough down on the middle so that the edges will be thicker than in the center.

After that, the topping and baking process is exactly the same as the one mentioned in the previous post.

One thing to know is that when I transferred it into the baking tray, I brush it with egg yolk so it will have a nice golden color, and add sesame seeds around it.

Variation and Substitution

• You can use other types of cheeses like Feta or Akkawi cheese.
• If you want to add other toppings, you can add zaatar, slices of olives, or Labneh (Middle Eastern Yogurt Cheese)
• If you don't have mozzarella, you can use provolone cheese.
• If you don't have sesame seeds, you can use nigella seeds.

Storage and Reheat

• The cheese manakish must be kept in an air-tight plastic container.
• If you store it in the fridge, this cheese flatbread can last for up to 1 week.
• If you keep it in the freezer, it can last for more than 1 month.
• I use a microwave when reheating the cheese flatbread I placed it on a plate and heat it for 1 minute in a medium setting

What do you serve this with?

Traditionally, Cheese Manakish or any Manakish recipe is served as part of a breakfast meal which means that you don't eat this alone but rather you serve it with side dishes.

This includes other raw vegetables like slices of cucumber, tomatoes or any salad, olives, scrambled egg, or other dipping sauce like aubergine dip (Baba Ganoush) or labneh

Here are other Middle Eastern baked dough-based recipes that you can make at home:

• Cheese Fatayer
  
• Zaatar Manakish
• Shawarma Pizza

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