Give Your Pizza a Middle Eastern Twist With This Gluten-Free Recipe
You already know how to give your pizza the cauliflower treatment, but a Middle Eastern take? Now that's next level. Created by Chef Rawia Bishara of Michelin-starred restaurant Tanoreen in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, her gluten-free flatbread topped with flavor-packed toppings—a take on manakeesh—is known to be a crowd-pleaser.
"Manakeesh is a classic Middle Eastern breakfast and brunch item," says Bishara, who just released her second cookbook, Levant. Her goal with the cookbook—and with this recipe—is to showcase nutritious twists on classic Middle Eastern dishes. "In the book I focus on more forward-thinking Middle Eastern food while maintaining and respecting tradition and that big flavorful way of cooking," she says.
Bishara says manakeesh has likely been around for as long as pizza and she wishes manakeesh will one day be just as popular. "Here's to hoping!" she says.
Tanoreen, 7523 3rd Ave., Brooklyn, NY 11209, tanoreen.com
Gluten-free flatbread halloumi manakeesh
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Prep Time1.5 hours
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Cook Time30 minutes
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Servingspeople
Ingredients
For the gluten-free flatbread
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp active dry yeast
- 3 cups gluten-free flour mix
- 3 large egg whites, beaten
- 1 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 2 Tbsp milk powder
- 1 Tbsp mahlab (optional)
- 1/2 cup olive oil
For the halloumi manakeesh
- 2 8-ounce blocks halloumi cheese
- 1 cup, packed coarsely chopped fresh green za'atar (or fresh oregano or dried za'atar
- 1 1/2 cups pomegranate seeds
- 2 Tbsp sumac
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 4 plum tomatoes, sliced
- 4 pre-baked flatbreads (see above)
Instructions
For the flatbread
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In a small bowl, dissolve the sugar and yeast in a half cup warm water and set aside for five minutes, or until the mixture is foamy.
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Add the gluten-free flour, egg whites, salt, milk powder, mahlab (if using), oil, dissolved yeast, and a half cup additional water to the bowl of a stand mixer fixed with the dough hook (or a large mixing bowl, if combining by hand). If using a machine, mix on low until the ingredients are just combined, and increase to medium. Mix by machine or hand for at least five minutes, or until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl, adding flour as needed if too wet, or water if too dry. You should have a springy but still slightly sticky dough.
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Oil a large bowl and add the dough. Cover with plastic wrap or a moistened dishtowel and leave for about one hour, until the dough is doubled in size.
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While the dough is rising, preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a baking sheet.
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Lightly oil your hands and divide the dough into 12 or 24 equal-size balls. Let them rest on a flat surface until slightly expanded, 10 to 15 minutes.
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Sprinkle a work surface with flour and roll the dough balls to about a half-inch thickness. Place on the prepared baking sheet (in batches if needed) and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until golden
For the halloumi manakeesh
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Preheat the oven to 400ºF.
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Grate two-thirds of the cheese. Cut the remaining third into long, thin slices.
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In a bowl, combine the grated cheese with the za’atar, pomegranate seeds, sumac, and olive oil.
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Spread one of the sliced tomatoes out on each of the flatbreads.
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Top evenly with the grated cheese mixture. Using the remaining sliced cheese, arrange four slices on top of each flatbread in a star shape.
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Bake in the oven until the tomato is tender and the cheese is melted.
Recipe Notes
Excerpted from the cookbook Levant: New Middle Eastern Cooking from Tanoreen by Rawia Bishara Copyright © 2018. Reprinted with permission of Kyle Books. All rights reserved. For more recipes, check out these vegetarian comfort foods and five gluten-free recipes.
Gluten-free
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