Manakish with Za'atar, Halloumi and Tomato

Ingredients

• 4 tbsp za'atar
• 6 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 400g strong white bread flour, plus extra for dusting
• 7g fast-action dried yeast
• 1 tsp fine salt
• 1 tsp caster sugar
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 250ml warm water
• (or 4 large shop-bought naan or Lebanese flatbreads to skip the dough)
• 250g block halloumi, coarsely grated
• 200g cherry tomatoes, thinly sliced into rounds
• 1 small red onion, very thinly sliced
• 1 tsp sumac
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• black pepper

Method

1. If making the dough: tip the flour, yeast, salt and sugar into a large bowl and mix. Pour in the olive oil and warm water and bring together into a shaggy dough. Knead on a lightly floured surface for 8-10 minutes until smooth and elastic — the dough should spring back slowly when poked, which means the gluten is developed enough to hold a thin round without tearing. Place in an oiled bowl, cover, and leave somewhere warm for 45 minutes until roughly doubled.
2. While the dough proves, make the za'atar paste. Stir the za'atar, olive oil and lemon juice together in a small bowl until you have a loose, spoonable paste — it should pour off the spoon in a thick ribbon. If it looks dry and clumpy, add another tablespoon of oil. Dry za'atar burns on the bread; oily za'atar bakes into it.
3. Soak the sliced red onion in cold water for 10 minutes, then drain and pat dry. This pulls out the harsh sulphurous edge so the onion goes onto the bread sweet and mellow rather than aggressive.
4. Heat the oven to 240°C/220°C fan, with a heavy baking tray or pizza stone inside getting properly hot. If using a BBQ, set it up for indirect high heat with the lid down. A blazing hot surface is what gives manakish its blistered underside — a lukewarm tray gives you a pale, bready disc.
5. Knock back the dough and divide into 4 pieces. Roll each one out on a floured surface into a rough oval or round about 5mm thick. Don't go thinner — manakish is a flatbread, not a pizza, and it needs enough body to hold the toppings without going crisp through.
6. Lay the rolled doughs on sheets of greaseproof. Spoon the za'atar paste generously over each, spreading to within a centimetre of the edge with the back of the spoon. Scatter the grated halloumi over the top, then arrange the tomato slices and drained onion. Sprinkle with sumac, drizzle with the tablespoon of olive oil, and crack over black pepper. (No salt — the halloumi and za'atar bring plenty.)
7. Slide the manakish, greaseproof and all, onto the hot tray. Bake for 8-10 minutes until the edges are puffed and golden, the halloumi is bronzed at the tips, and the tomatoes have collapsed into jammy little puddles. The bottom should be spotted dark brown — lift a corner to check.
8. Slide onto a wire rack to cool for at least 10 minutes. Cooling on a rack rather than a plate keeps the underside from going soggy with trapped steam — important if you're packing these for a picnic. Once fully cool, scatter with torn mint and parsley, fold or cut into wedges, and wrap in greaseproof for transport.