Manakish with Za'atar and Cheese

Preparing the Dough

1. In a large bowl, combine the flour, salt, sugar, olive oil, and dried yeast together.
2. Add the water, and stir until a dough forms.
3. Knead the dough on a floured surface for 5 minutes until smooth and elastic.
4. Place the dough back in the bowl, cover with a clean towel, and let it rise in a warm place for 1 hour or until doubled in size.

Preparing the Toppings

1. For za'atar topping, in a bowl, mix 3 tablespoons of olive oil with 3 tablespoons of za'atar seasoning. The mixture should be easily spreadable. Set it aside.
2. To make the cheese topping, crumble the feta cheese in a bowl. If you are using halloumi or mozzarella cheeses, grate them, and set them aside. Keep the nigella seeds separately to sprinkle on top of the pastries.

Shaping and Baking the Pastries

1. Preheat the oven to 210° C (410° F).
2. Divide the dough into 6 equal pieces and let them rest for 15 minutes on a lightly floured surface. Keep them covered with a damp kitchen towel to avoid them drying.
3. Using a rolling pin, roll each circle out into a flat circle size of 15 cm (6") Ø on a lightly floured surface.
4. Arrange the dough circles on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Gently press your fingertips into the dough to create small dimples, which will prevent the dough from rising too much during baking.
5. Next, it's time to add the toppings to the dough circles. For the Za'atar Manakish, be generous and ensure that you cover the surface of 3 dough circles with the za'atar and olive oil mixture. Leave a small border around the edges to allow for rising during baking.
6. For the Cheese Manakish, spread the crumbled cheese evenly on the other 3 dough circles. Sprinkle on nigella seeds and you're good to go.
7. Bake in the preheated oven for 7-8 minutes until the edges are golden brown.