Manaqish (Lebanon)

Manaqish is a Lebanese flatbread.  Soph and I are both quite familiar with bread making so we didn't see this as too much of a challenge but the mix of ingredients put on the top was a little odd to me.  Sumac appeared again, but this wasn't daunting anymore since I'd already tried it as part of this challenge.  Besides it seeming like an odd mixture to me though, the individual ingredients were all ok so I hoped that it would make a nice combination. 

The method for making the flatbreads is basically the same as making any flatbread, and we knocked it up in Soph's food mixer with the dough hook in about 10 minutes.  Then you split it up and let it rise for 45 minutes or so.  We ended up leaving it for about an hour and a half but it wasn't in a particularly warm place so we were confident it didn't over rise.  

When we were ready to cook them, we rolled them out and topped them with the mix, then popped them in the oven one at a time.  This was tough because the oven had to be on a high heat and we had six to cook. Each one cooked for about 5 minutes, so it didn't take too long but it still got very hot in the kitchen.  

The result was a cross between a naan bread and a pizza base.  With crispy edges and a puffed-up doughy middle it was a great combination.  The flavouring actually worked well for me too.  I was worried that it might be too much but it was quite delicious in the end.  Soph and I both agreed that we couldn't eat much of it. A quarter of a slice was plenty for each of us and we'd prefer to have one or two plain breads to go with it as an accompaniment to a curry but it is still a recipe well worth repeating. My brother-in-law also very much enjoyed it so next curry night will most likely include one or two of these as well.