For those who are looking for a different taste than the classic bread recipes, be sure to try the zaatar bread. It leaves an aromatic taste in the mouth with its spices, and all the ingredients are products from nature.
Keep this zaatar bread prepared with wild zaatar in a jar with a lid in the refrigerator to maintain its freshness for a long time.
Ingredients for Zaatar Bread Recipe
What makes a classic zaatar bread as good as its taste is the fact that every ingredient used in its preparation is very beneficial to human health. First, I will introduce you to the ingredients for the breakfast zaatar mixture and then the bread dough. You can even mix the breakfast zahter mixture with olive oil and eat it with toasted bread for breakfast. Here are the ingredients
Breakfast water mix:
- 250 grams of mountain thyme
- 200 grams of sumac
- 100 grams of roasted yellow chickpeas
- 100 grams of roasted white chickpeas
- 125 grams of sesame
- 100 grams of sunflower seeds
- 50 grams of roasted pumpkin seeds
- 50 grams of walnut kernels
- 1 tablespoon of salt (can be increased or decreased)
For the bread dough:
- 4 glasses of flour
- 21 grams of fresh yeast (1/2 packet)
- 2 tablespoons of warm milk
- ½ teaspoon of granulated sugar
- 1.5 cups of warm water
- 1 teaspoon of salt
To mix the zest:
- 1/2 cup of cold-pressed olive oil
How to Make Zaatar Bread?
For thzaatar bread, first, prepare the breakfast after. For the breakfast zaatar mixture that you will spread on the bread, pull off the tall mountain thyme and rub it with your hands.
Toast the walnuts, sesame seeds, and sunflower seeds in separate pans without adding oil until they turn a light color. Crush the roasted pumpkin seeds in a mortar and grind them into powder. Bring everything together and fry for 1 minute, then remove from heat.
Put the roasted yellow and white chickpeas in the food processor and grind them once. Let them crumble, but not completely turn to dust, because we are not done with them yet.
Add the extracted thyme, sumac, the toasted pumpkin seeds crushed in a mortar, salt, and the oil seeds toasted briefly to the food processor. Make two rotations.
Add the roasted chickpeas that you crushed once in the food processor andblend one last time, then put the prepared breakfast cereal mixture in a jar.
For the bread dough; Mix the fresh yeast that you kept in the refrigerator with warm milk, after bringing it to room temperature, and let it become active for 5 minutes at room temperature.
Put the flour in a deep mixing bowl. Open the middle part with your fingertips and pour in the yeast mixture. Sprinkle granulated sugar and salt over the flour.
Gradually add lukewarm water and knead the initially liquid dough until it comes together. Add a little more flour if needed.
Cover the dough with a damp cotton cloth and let it rest at room temperature until it has risen.
Break off into balls of the desired size from the dough and roll them into rounds. Mix the prepared tooth mixture with olive oil and make a paste, then spread it on the bread in a thin layer.
After baking the bread for about 15 minutes in a preheated 200-degree oven, you can share the delicious za’atar bread with your friends and family.
The Tips of the Zaatar Bread Recipe
You can also add the whole toasted sesame seeds that you add to the breakfast zahter mixture. The Zahter mixture you prepare is meant for many pieces of za’atar bread. You can eat it with olive oil for breakfast. To enhance the slightly sour taste, you can increase the amount of sumac and add roasted poppy seeds. You can also use cooked and dried watermelon seeds instead of pumpkin seeds. You can also add ingredients like menengiç, cinnamon, coriander, and bulgur flour. For the best za’atar bread, you can change some of the ingredients according to your taste.
What is Zaatar?
We cannot exactly call thyme a zahter, but it is very similar. In some sources it is also called thyme or mountain thyme. It is used in the treatment of many diseases and is indispensable in the kitchen with its wonderful fragrance. It is a plant that can be consumed not only for za’atar bread but also as tea.
What Does Zaatar Taste Like?
Zahter is very similar to thyme but has a slightly fresher and stronger taste. It is also used in meat and vegetable dishes such as za’atar bread. It is a popular ingredient in salads. The flavor is often described as toasty, spicy, or nutty. With its combination of flavonoids, minerals, and other important nutrients, this spicy seed blend can do wonders for your overall health.
What is Zaatar Good for?
If you eat Zahter not only on za’atar bread but alone for breakfast, even with a little olive oil, Zahter has some really impressive health benefits.
It can be said that it helps against cough. Taken as a tea, it helps relieve cough by softening the throat. The zaatar herb, whose properties increase the body's resistance, is good against flu symptoms that can occur in the winter months. Zaatar herb, which helps maintain oral health, can also be consumed to eliminate bad breath. It can be said that it has antimicrobial effects. The zaatar herb, which contains vitamin A, is good for the respiratory system and eye health. It can be said that it has anti-cancer effects.
Where is the Best Zaatar Grown?
Zaatar is also called mountain thyme in some sources. It can grow naturally in nature. There are two varieties of this vigorous and wild zaatar. One grows in summer, the other in winter. It is possible to grow it if the required space and the right climate are available. It can even grow on lawns and roadsides.
Did you know that the delicious, filling and useful za’atar bread is the local recipe of Hatay province? It would not be wrong to say that the best Zahter is grown in Hatay province of Turkey. This spice mixture became popular in the Middle East and began to spread and cure in other parts of the world.
