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Man'oushe jibneh
Cheese flatbread
Man'oushe bi jibneh: Lebanese flatbread topped with melted akkawi and mozzarella
On the street corners of Beirut and Tripoli the cheese man'oushe, bi jibneh, is the one children queue for: the same soft bakery dough as the za'atar kind but covered with salty white akkawi cheese mixed with stretchy mozzarella and a scatter of nigella seeds, baked until the cheese bubbles and freckles brown. It is a weekend breakfast and an after-school snack, eaten folded with a few slices of tomato and a sprig of mint. Akkawi is very salty, and the usual mistake is to use it straight from the packet, which makes the bread almost inedible; soak it first. Check the label for a vegetarian (microbial) rennet; many supermarket mozzarellas and some halloumis use it, and halloumi works if you can't find akkawi. Chef's tip: grate the cheese coarsely and keep a 1 cm bare rim, so the edge puffs up into a crisp border that holds the melted cheese in.
- Total time
- 90 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
For the dough
- 1 ⅛ lb plain flourplus extra for rolling
- ¼ oz fast-action dried yeast1 sachet
- 1 tsp sugar
- ½ tsp salt
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 ¼ cups warm water
For the topping
- 9 oz akkawi cheesevegetarian rennet if possible; or halloumi
- 7 oz low-moisture mozzarellavegetarian rennet
- 1 tsp nigella seeds
- 1 tsp sesame seeds (optional)
To serve
- 2 tomato (optional)sliced
- 1 handful fresh mint (optional)
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Method
0/8 doneStep 1: Mix 1 ⅛ lb plain flour, ¼ oz fast-action dried yeast, 1 tsp sugar and ½ tsp salt in a bowl. Add 2 tbsp olive oil and 1 ¼ cups warm water and knead for 10 minutes into a smooth, soft dough.
10 minStep 2: Cover and leave in a warm place for about 1 hour, until doubled.
60 minStep 3: While it rises, slice 9 oz akkawi cheese and soak it in a bowl of cold water for 30 minutes, changing the water once. Taste a crumb: it should be pleasantly salty, not sharp. Pat dry and grate coarsely.
30 minStep 4: Heat a heavy baking tray in the oven at its highest setting, 240–475°F, for 20 minutes. Grate 7 oz low-moisture mozzarella and mix it with the akkawi and 1 tsp nigella seeds.
20 minStep 5: Divide the dough into 6 balls and rest them for 10 minutes. Roll each one into a round 18–20 cm across and brush with the rest of 1 tbsp olive oil.
10 minStep 6: Scatter the cheese mix over each round, leaving a 1 cm rim, and add a pinch of 1 tsp sesame seeds.
Step 7: Slide two at a time on baking paper onto the hot tray and bake for 6–8 minutes, until the rim is golden, the cheese is bubbling and spotted brown and the base is crisp underneath.
8 minStep 8: Leave for a minute so the cheese settles, then serve folded with 2 tomato and 1 handful fresh mint.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 520 kcal
- Protein
- 22 g
- Carbs
- 62 g
- Fat
- 20 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does man'oushe jibneh take?
- About 90 minutes in total: 75 minutes to prepare and 15 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- What can I use instead of plain flour?
- Self-raising flour, same amount (then leave out the baking powder).
- What can I use instead of fast-action dried yeast?
- Fresh yeast, three times the weight.
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