Make Za'atar Bread: Delicious Lebanese Vegetarian Pizza Recipe

Prep time 5 minutes | Cook time 20 minutes

I grew up eating this delicious zaatar bread, which my grandmother referred to as “Lebanese pizza.” Grandma made her own dough and only used zaatar and sesame seeds as a topping. In this recipe I will show you the traditional way grandma made this, as well as a heartier version I like to make. Rumor has it that in Lebanon they eat this for breakfast, so go ahead and have pizza for breakfast!

Ingredients

• 1 package of store bought pre-made pizza dough. (see notes and adjustments below)

• 1/2 cup of za’atar spice mix (see notes and adjustments below if you can’t find this)

• 1/2 cup of olive oil

• 1 teaspoon of sugar

• 1/4-1/2 cup of vegan feta cheese or vegan mozzarella cheese (optional but highly recommended)

• 1 thinly sliced tomato

• Salt

• Sesame seeds for garnish

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.

• If your dough is refrigerated allow the dough to rest/rise at room temperature for about 20 minutes

• Divide the dough into two equal parts

• Roll the dough into two 6-8 inch rounds, then spread the dough out a little bit more with your hands.

• Put both rounds on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper

• Make a “lip” around the edge of the dough with your fingers while also making indentations in the dough(throughout the dough) with your fingers. If this part is confusing watch my YouTube video where I explain how to do this.

• Mix 1/2 cup of olive oil with 1/2 cup of za’atar spice mix- mix together well

• OPTIONAL- you can mix 1 teaspoon of sugar in with the zaatar/olive oil mix. The za’atar is rather bitter and some people love that, I find a small bit of sugar balances the bitterness better

• For the traditional za’atar bread- pour 1/4-1/2 of the za’atar/olive oil mixture on one of the rounds and spread out evenly - it should sit in the indentations and not pour over the edges

• For a more hearty za’atar bread- pour 1/4-1/2 of the za’atar/olive oil mixture on one of the rounds then top lightly with either vegan feta or vegan mozzarella and thinly sliced tomatoes. (see notes and adjustments)

• Bake for15 to 20 minutes until the crust is golden brown

Notes and Adjustments:

Grandma always made her own bread dough-but that is labor intensive! I use commercially prepared pizza dough and it works almost as well. I like the refrigerated pizza dough from Trader Joe’s. If you would prefer to make your own dough I would just use a simple pizza dough recipe.

Za’atar is a delicious blend of spices used often in Lebanese and middle eastern cooking. I buy mine at a local Arabic market, and the quality of the za’atar you use does matter. If you can’t find a quality za’atar seasoning you can order it from the link below.

Grandma never put cheese on her Lebanese pizza but I have seen this za’atar bread made many different ways with many toppings- feel free to experiment. I also love to add yellow squash with tomatoes.

Order authentic Lebanese za’atar here:

https://amzn.to/3A8Nl8M (Amazon)

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