I’ve been dying to get my hands on some fresh zaatar to make Fresh Zaatar Focaccia. Unfortunately, fresh zaatar is hard to find around DC. Really hard to find. I, however, am a very determined woman. When I want something, I find a way to get it. That’s probably why I’ve been told it’s so hard to find gifts for my birthday. I usually get what I want before anyone knows I’ve been pining over it. Shopping and food cravings alike, I am determined to get what I want. This time, I wanted fresh Zaatar Focaccia.
My search didn’t get me as close as I wanted to the real deal, so I settled for second best: A blend of fresh herbs, that mixed together gave the fresh taste and aroma of zaatar. For this part of the recipe, I didn’t use any measuring cups or spoons. I just kind of eyed it. To make my zaatar focaccia, I mixed together fresh oregano leaves, fresh thyme and fresh sage (more oregano, less sage if you’re trying to measure). You’ll only need about a cup of mixed fresh herbs, and I coarsely chopped the herbs together. Now, I was ready to make zaatar Focaccia. Did I mention how delicious this bread is with a side of labaneh, olives and mint tea? Try it for yourself.
Ingredients
- 1 cup fresh Oregano, fresh Thyme and fresh Sage blend, coarsely chopped
- 1 tablespoon dry active yeast
- 1/2 cup warm water
- 3 cups All Purpose Flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- Olive Oil for greasing
Instructions
- To make the dough, place the yeast and warm water in the bowl of a stand mixer and stir. Let sit for 3-5 minutes
- Add flour and salt. Using the Knead attachment, knead the dough until it sticks together and forms a ball
- Add more water if the dough is too dry
- Place the dough in an olive oil-greased bowl, cover and let stand for 1 hour
- Roll out the dough onto a clean work surface, sprinkle 1/3 of the herbs into the dough and fold over, do this about 3 more times until the herbs are combined with the dough, set aside while the oven warms up
- Heat oven to 425 F
- Once the oven is warm, use your hands to roll out the dough and flatten onto an olive-oil greased baking sheet, and try to stretch the dough as far as possible to the edges without tearing the dough
- Bake for 20 minutes, until slightly browned.
