ZAATAR BALLS
This recipe was originally commissioned and written for Spinney’s Food Magazine. Grab you free weekly copy of Spinney’s Food Magazine at your nearest Spinney’s store.
There’s something unnerving about homemade bread baking, but this one bowl recipe will make it second nature. Even though the recipe includes yeast, I would categorize the prep as “Easy” since it goes something like this: “Add everything into a large bowl (yeast and all) and mix.”
What are Zaatar Balls? Soft, white, milky dough stuffed with zesty zaatar for contrast. Prior to baking, each ball is rolled separately and placed in a baking pan. Once baked, the balls fuse together to form uninterrupted soft hills of dough.
Tearing away each ball from the whole and dipping into a plate of cool Labneh will be on repeat.
Best served out of the oven to a group of friends.
DETAILS
A snack with a prep time of 30 min, rest time of 2 hours and cook time of 15 min. Serves 12 and makes 60 ZAARAE BALLS.
INGREDIENTS
4 1/4 cups flour
1 cup powdered milk
1 cup cooking oil
2 tsp sugar
2 tsp dry active yeast (Click for ingredient detail)
1 pinch salt
2 cups lukewarm water
1 cup zaatar mix (Click for ingredient detail)
1/3 cup olive oil
METHOD
In a large bowl, combine and mix the flour, powdered milk, cooking oil, sugar, yeast, salt and water. Mix well. If the dough is too sticky add an additional tablespoon of flour. Work into a large ball.
Cover the surface with cling film and set aside for 2 hours in a warm area.
Preheat the oven to 250 degrees Celsius.
In a small bowl mix the olive oil and zaatar mix.
Pinch off a gulf ball size of dough mixture. Pat the dough flat onto the palm of your hand. Spoon in 1/2 teaspoon of the zaatar mixture. Envelope the zaatar mixture with the dough and reform into a ball.
Place the ball onto a round cooking trey.
Repeat while placing each ball close together following the circumference of the pan.
Bake for 15 minutes.
Photography, Recipe, Foody Styling, Prop Styling by: TALA SOUBRA
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