Farayek Za’atar (Oregano Flatbread)
If you were ever curious as to what recipe made me feel like I was back home; it would be this. Farayek Za’atar (Oregano Flatbread) has got to be one of my favorite things to eat when visiting my parents and even when visiting family overseas. The bread is just so soft yet crispy at the same time and filled with tons of oregano. Often, we paired it with homemade fresh Arabic cheese and a cup of mint tea. It is truly the best breakfast and snack.
I sat down with my mom and made this with her. I am taking every opportunity I have with her visiting me to learn more techniques and recipes to strengthen my knowledge in our cuisine. So, while I have enjoyed farayek za’atar (oregano flatbread) many times in my life; I didn’t know how to make it as good as my mom. Yesterday, I learned so much from her watching her make this in my kitchen. And I am here to share that will all of you who are intrigued to try or want a taste of home too.
What is Farayek Za’atar (Oregano Flatbread) ?
Za’atar ultimately is a seasoning blend that mainly consists of oregano, thyme, sesame seeds, and some sumac.
In this case, za’atar is referring to oregano. So, this is an oregano flatbread. Farayek referring to the type of bread being made. The oregano we use is fresh oregano that we dry ourselves then re-hydrate when rinsing in water before use. The oregano doesn’t have to be dry. It can actually be freshly picked from your garden for example but many people do dry their oregano to use all year round and have a stash in their pantry. If you don’t, you can find some at omisfood.com. Feel free to use my discount code fufuinthekitchen as well. This is in no way sponsored. I just want to help those who don’t readily have access to an abundance of dried oregano!
Farayek Za’atar
Ingredients
- 4 cups Fresh Oregano or freshly dried oregano, washed, and drained
- 1/4 cup Olive oil
Dough
- 5 cups All ourpose Flour or Bread Flour
- 1/2 cup Olive Oil
- 2 cups Warm water
- 2 tbsp Sugar
- 1 tbsp Salt
- 2 tbsp Fast Rising Yeast
Dough Part 2
- 1 cup All-Purpose Flour or Bread Flour
- 1 cup Olive oil
Instructions
- To a large bowl, or your Kitchenaid bowl; add 2 cups of flour with the yeast, sugar, and salt. Gently mix then add the 2 cups of warm water. Mix very well with either with your hand or a kitchenaid dough hook.
- Cover and let this rest for 10 minutes.
- Then, add the olive oil and 3 cups of flour (one cup at a time). Knead this dough for at least 5 minutes using the dough hook or with your hands.
- Move the dough to one corner of the bowl. In the other corner, add the ingredients from dough part 2. Mix those 2 ingredients very well together using your hands until it appears to be paste like. Then, mix that into the dough. Either knead this for 5 minutes in the kitchenaid or by hand.
- Add the 4 cups of oregano that has been washed and drained to the dough. Knead for another 5 minutes either with the kitchenaid or by hand. Make into 12 even balls. Add to an oiled pan and cover for 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 375 F. Prep two large baking pans with either a coating of oil or parchment paper. Flatten each ball of dough to a round disc (flatbread) then add to the baking pan. Brush with some olive oil. Repeat then bake for 15-20 minutes. Bottom should be browned. Move it to the top rack and broil for a minute or two until top is ligtly browned as well.
- Enjoy warm or room temperature! This is perfect with a cup of tea or a piece of cheese and olives!
These flatbreads are amazing! We have oregano growing in the garden, so as soon as I saw the recipe I had to make them. They are absolutely delicious, the oregano flavour is actually very subtle. I was worried when I read through it that it would be too difficult or that the oregano was too much. It definitely isn’t. So easy and so delicious. I’ll definitely be making these again and freezing them. I think they’d be useful for a packed lunch. Thank you for the recipe!
The dough for this recipe is something else! I love it and the flatbread was really good.. I have to make a second batch! And I know this will become a staple in my home.. This second time I will try some Nabulsi cheese and red pepper flakes as an addition in the recipe.. Haifa how much cheese would you put in the dough? Thank you so much!
Made the zatar bread and it reminded me of what my mom (Allah yirhamha) used to make me! It was delicious! It’s all gone (it made 12). The recipe was perfect! Thank you!
Heifa,
I found fresh oregano at my local grocer and immediately thought of this! I’ve had my eye on it for a while so I was excited. I followed your farayek zaatar recipe to the T and it turned out perfect! Everyone loved it. adults and kids included; thank you for sharing it! I am usually intimidated when it comes to working with dough but your recipe was so easy to follow, it turned out so fluffy and flavorful. Thank you so much!
Thanks so much, Hind!! This makes me so happy.
I was a bit intimidated to make fresh bread because I’ve never done it. But this recipe was easy to follow, I did it by hand and it was an arm workout lol. They turned out absolutely yummy! And it didn’t take too much time. I found fresh oregano at my local Walmart. Next time I may consider stuffing some of them with cheese and adding some red chili flakes to the oregano like Heifa did in her recipe tiktok. Highly recommend!
Thanks, Sarah, for the lovely review! It definitely is an arm workout without a handheld mixer haaha
I was wondering if I added sumac to the dough how it would come out? Has anyone tried it?
Hi Maggie, Sumac would be a great addition. I recommend checking out my Palestinian flatbread recipe.
I was wondering could these be made on a pan rather than be baked?
You know, I never tried, but I can see it working out! Let me know if you do how it goes!