Zaatar matzo

April 19, 2011  •  Category:

 

Today is Passover and I am extending my best wishes to all my friends of Jewish faith in Lebanon and throughout the world. As a token of celebration I am making some matzos with a Lebanese twist. These matzos are flavored with zaatar I bought from Abu Kassem in Zawtar (south Lebanon), the world’s foremost expert on Lebanese zaatar. Abu Kassem sells his zaatar, both the herb and the mix (with or without salt) at Souk el-Tayeb.


I used a recipe template from the NY Times and adapted it slightly. The matzos are extra light, redolent with the fragrance of zaatar, toasted sesame seeds and olive oil. I need to make a stash next time, to keep a supply around!

INGREDIENTS: 12 matzos

  • 1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup of whole wheat flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon of salt
  • 1/3 cup of extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 cup of water
  • Extra flour, as needed
  • 1/3 cup of zaatar mix
  • 1/3 cup of olive oil, or more as needed

METHOD:

  1. Place the flours in the bowl of a food processor along with the salt. Start the machine and let it combine the flours and salt a few seconds; add the olive oil through the feed tube; add the water and stop the machine when the dough leaves the sides of the bowl. Transfer the dough to a work surface sprinkled with flour and knead it for a few seconds making sure it is smooth and not sticky, adding a few sprinkles of flour if it needs it.
  2. Roll the dough into a fat sausage and cut in half; cut each half in two; roll the halves to get them thinner somewhat and cut in three pieces. You are done. Preheat the oven to 525F. Prepare the zaatar by making a paste with the zaatar and the olive oil.
  3. Take one piece of dough and press it between your palms until it is flattened and forms a disk, about 4 inches in width. Using a rolling pin, roll the disk out until it is so thin that it is transparent, forming it into a free-form oval. Gingerly lift it up and place it on an ungreased cookie sheet. With the back of a small spoon, rub a couple of teaspoons of zaatar paste (including some oil) into the matzo, trying to spread it throughout.
  4. Bake for 3 minutes, watching the oven like a hawk; when bubbles form and the edges look brown, flip the matzo and bake it on the other side, about 1 or 2 minutes. The matzo should feel dry and crisp. Cool and serve.

Comments

30 Comments  •  Comments Feed

  1. Mark Wisecarver says:

    You are so awesome! 🙂
    Shalom

  2. Rajani@eatwritethink says:

    oh yum!! i could do this 🙂

  3. sophia says:

    ooh lebanese + jewish. That’s just super creative! I just listened to a food podcast and they were talking about zaatar!

  4. Belinda @zomppa says:

    Happy Passover! This is such a delightful dish!

  5. Joyti says:

    I have recently discovered za’atar, and am infatuated with it. This matzo looks and sounds wonderful…

  6. Sarah says:

    Thank you for the Passover wishes! Love your twist on traditional matzo, how could I not? za’atar is one of my favorite spices. Happy Spring!

  7. Lisa says:

    Such a creative idea..and what beautiful, delicate matzo’s. I have a jar of small box of zaatar that needs attention 🙂

  8. Lisa says:

    I meant small box. Not jar lol

  9. Priya says:

    Simply delicious..got a packet of zaatar last week, have to cook up with them, matzo looks fabulous..

  10. Cherine says:

    They look gorgeous!

  11. Kerrin @ MyKugelhopf says:

    fantastic idea ! chag sameach !!

  12. Caffettiera says:

    A stash of these would be way too dangerous around me. I wish I could taste your high quality zaatar: I love its flavour, even of the ordinary – and a bit stale – variety that I have.

  13. Peter says:

    You know people will be eating stacks of these, be it Passover or any other gathering. Did you add Za’atar to the stuffed peppers?

  14. Christine's Recipes says:

    Passover is a big festival in your area, isn’t it? Happy holidays to you.

  15. Scienter says:

    I will definitely try this! @Joyti: when I first discovered zaatar, I put it on *everything*!

  16. tinytearoom says:

    they look perfectly thin and crispy. I’m so glad you didn’t roll it out to a perfect circle. I prefer rustic dishes to more polished ones. I recently cooked with za’atar and have now become a huge fan of it. I could snack on a plate of these quite easily.

  17. Karen says:

    Mmm, this looks so nice and crispy! This would be lovely with some feta and olives.

  18. Oui, Chef says:

    YUM….yet another use for all the zaatar I have! Thought of you last night as I dined at a lovely Lebanese restaurant just outside of Boston. Al Wadi was located in West Roxbury, and was lovely! – S

  19. Katerina says:

    These are beautiful and so crunchy I could eat a pile!

  20. Mimi says:

    Light and crisp, I wouldn’t save these just for passover.
    Mimi

  21. Kate@Diethood says:

    These sound delicious! What a lovely recipe! I’ll bet tastes as good as it looks!

  22. Juliana says:

    Wow, your matzo with the dry herb mix sure gives a nice flavor to the matzo…love it crispy and light. Hope you are having a great week Joumana 🙂

  23. Suman Singh says:

    This is such an interesting and delightful dish..love your recipes..

  24. Katie@Cozydelicious says:

    You found your matzo recipe! I’m so excited! I have never made my own matzo. I always feel matzo is something I endure, not enjoy, so never thought to make my own. But this looks flavorful, crisp and wonderful!

  25. T.W Barritt says:

    How wonderful that you made your own matzo from scratch! I will have to try – it looks excellent!

  26. Magic of Spice says:

    These are so great for snacks, love them!

  27. Kankana says:

    This looks so crunchy and I think i will love the taste. 🙂

  28. Hélène (Cannes) says:

    J’ai rapporté de Paris un énorme paquet de zataar. Je vais essayer ta recette très vite. D’habitude, je fais ça avec des pitas que j’achète chez le Libanais d’à côté … C’est bon aussi pour l’apéro et tellement vite fait ! ;o)

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