Oven-baked cheese manousheh
The manousheh is a pillar of the morning bakeries of the Levant, and its name comes from 'naqsh,' the dimpling of the dough with the fingers before baking.
We have had za'atar manousheh for a long time, and this is its older sister with cheese. The star of Suhoor (pre-dawn Ramadan meal) in front of Ramadan's nightly bakeries.
Dissolve the yeast and sugar in the warm water until it foams, then knead it with the flour, salt, and oil for eight minutes into a soft, glossy dough. Cover it and let it proof for forty minutes until it doubles.
Soak the Akkawi cheese in cold water changed twice over half an hour, then crumble and dry it. The saltiness runs off and the cheese becomes pliable and melts well.
Divide the dough into four balls and roll each into a disc half a centimeter thick, dimple it with your fingertips to keep it from puffing up, spread the cheese leaving a thin border, and scatter the nigella seeds and sesame.
An oven preheated to its maximum (240 degrees) with an inverted tray or a baking stone waiting. The manousheh slides onto it for ten minutes until the cheese melts into golden pools and the edges blush.
It is folded in half as in the bakeries of Beirut and eaten by hand, with cucumber, olives, and mint on the side in the Levantine custom.
The glycemic index (GI) measures how quickly a food raises blood sugar, while the glycemic load (GL) measures how much a full serving raises it. Together they give the complete picture.
A low value (≤55) means a gradual rise in blood sugar — the most suitable range for diabetes and insulin resistance.
Glycemic load reflects the impact of the full serving. To lower it: take half a serving, or pair the recipe with a source of protein and fiber.
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000-calorie diet per FDA food-label reference values — your daily needs may be higher or lower. Values are derived from the recipe's ingredients via the USDA database.
The most common problems when preparing Oven-Baked Cheese Manousheh, and how to fix them:
A lukewarm oven kept it in too long. Maximum heat and ten minutes only.
We baked on a cold tray. An inverted hot tray or the stone is the condition for a crisp bottom.
Difficult Akkawi. Raise the mozzarella ratio in the mix to half.
We forgot the finger dimples. The dimpling is a function, not a decoration.
Its glory is in its first ten minutes.
Two days, and revived in a hot oven for five minutes, not the microwave.
Frozen baked for a month, and from the freezer straight to the oven.
| Original Ingredient | Tested Substitute | Ratio | Flavor Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Akkawi | Grated halloumi with mozzarella | 1:1 | Available in every Saudi supermarket |
| Half the white flour | Whole-wheat flour | 1:1 for the half | A rustic manousheh with higher fiber |
| The nigella seeds | A pinch of dried za'atar | ~ | A bridge between it and its za'atar sister |
| The oven | A covered saj over low heat | ~ | A rustic saj manousheh |
| Ingredient | 4 manousheh | 2 manousheh | 8 manousheh |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flour | 350 g | 175 g | 700 g |
| Cheese | 300 g | 150 g | 600 g |
| Water | 210 ml | 105 ml | 420 ml |
The oven's maximum heat with a preheated hot surface is the difference between a bakery and a home. A bottom that cooks fast before the top dries out, and cheese that melts without weeping oil.
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