Bread with Olive Oil and Olives (Khebez w Zeit Zaytoun)
خبز وزيت وزيتون Khebez w zeit w zaytounSay it: KHEH-bez w zayt w zay-TOON
Khebez w zeit zaytoun is the humblest and most beloved table in Lebanon: warm bread, good olive oil and a bowl of olives. It is breakfast, a light supper, and the first thing set out at every mezze. The bread is torn, dipped in oil sometimes stirred with za'atar, and eaten with cracked green and black olives. Its flavour is the flavour of the country itself — wheat, olive and thyme — and it needs nothing more.
Bread with Olive Oil and Olives (Khebez w Zeit Zaytoun)
خبز وزيت وزيتون, Khebez w zeit w zaytoun
Pronounced KHEH-bez w zayt w zay-TOON
- Serves
- 4
- Prep
- 30 min
- Cook
- 15 min
- Total
- 45 min
- Level
- Medium
Also nut-free and egg-free.
Allergens: contains gluten, sesame. Check labels on packaged ingredients.
Ingredients
Amounts are scaled. Cooking times and pan sizes stay the same.
For the flatbread
To serve
Method
Whisk the flour, yeast and salt in a large bowl. Pour in the lukewarm water and the olive oil and mix with a wooden spoon until a shaggy dough forms and no dry flour is left.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 8 to 10 minutes, until it is smooth, silky and springs back when pressed with a finger. Add flour a spoonful at a time only if it sticks badly.
Shape the dough into a ball, oil the bowl lightly, cover with a damp cloth and leave in a warm place for 1 to 1½ hours, until doubled in size and a dent stays when you poke it.
Knock the dough back and divide it into 8 equal pieces. Roll each into a tight ball, cover and rest for 15 minutes so they roll out without springing back.
Heat the oven to 500°F (260°C) with a baking stone or an upturned heavy tray inside for at least 20 minutes.
Roll each ball into a thin round about 8 inches (20 cm) across and 1/8 inch (3 mm) thick, dusting with flour as needed so nothing sticks.
Slide the rounds onto the hot stone, two or three at a time, and bake for 3 to 4 minutes, until each one puffs into a balloon and takes dark golden spots. Wrap the baked breads in a clean towel while you finish the rest.
Stir the za'atar into the olive oil in a shallow bowl and let it sit for 10 minutes so the thyme and sesame perfume the oil. Tip the olives into a second small bowl.
Serve the bread warm and torn at the table, dipped first in the za'atar oil and eaten with the olives.
Regional variant: Man'oushe b'za'atar (منقوشة بالزعتر)
Make the same dough and roll the rounds slightly thicker. Instead of serving the za'atar oil on the side, spread 3 to 4 tablespoons of it over each round right to the edges and press it in with your fingertips. Bake at 500°F (260°C) for 4 to 6 minutes, until the topping bubbles and the edges crisp, and serve hot without the separate dipping bowl.
Cook's notes
- A screaming-hot stone or heavy tray is what makes the bread puff; if the rounds stay flat, heat the oven 10 minutes longer before baking.
- Use an oil you would happily eat raw — a green, peppery one carries the whole plate.
- Baked breads stay soft for a day wrapped in a folded towel; refresh them for a minute in a dry hot skillet.
Serve with
Sweet tea with mint or a glass of arak; labneh and fresh vegetables alongside.
Make ahead and storage
Bake the bread up to a day ahead and reheat it wrapped in foil; stir the za'atar oil just before serving.
