Muhammara manakish have a bold flavor without being complicated: wheat dough, red pepper paste, onion, tomato and sesame. Here is the original recipe arranged step by step.
Ingredients
Dough
- 2 cups whole-wheat flour, or a mix of whole-wheat and white flour
- 1 tsp brewer’s yeast with 1 tbsp grape molasses, or another molasses/sweetener, plus warm water in a small cup to activate
- A pinch of salt
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- Water for kneading
Topping
- 4 tbsp medium-hot red pepper paste
- 1 large onion, finely chopped
- 1 large tomato
- A handful of toasted sesame seeds
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 5 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp vegan labneh or vegan kishk, optional
- Salt as needed
Method
1. Make the dough
- Once the yeast mixture has risen, put it in a mixing bowl.
- Add the flour, salt and oil, then add a little water and begin kneading.
- Keep adding water until you have a firm dough, then knead for about 15 minutes.
- Cover with a cloth and leave the dough in a warm place to rest and rise.
2. Make the topping
Finely chop the onion, put it in a bowl, sprinkle with black pepper and mix. Finely chop the tomato and remove its excess juice, then add the red pepper paste, olive oil, sesame and salt. Add the spoonful of vegan labneh or kishk if using and mix well.
3. Shape and bake
- Roll the dough to about 1/2 cm thick and use a plate to cut circles in the size you prefer.
- Lightly oil a baking tray and arrange the dough circles on it. Add a spoonful of topping to each and press it gently onto the dough.
- Preheat the oven for 10 minutes at 180°C with heat from below, then place the tray in the center.
- When the bottoms are browned, turn off the lower heat and briefly brown the tops.
- Remove from the oven and cool on a rack. Store in a closed container if you want them to stay soft.
Serve with salad or juice. Enjoy 🙂
Why muhammara manakish already make a strong vegan case
Muhammara is plant-based by design: red pepper paste + tomato + onion + sesame + olive oil. You do not need cheese or meat for a manakish topping to be bold, rich and satisfying.
If you choose whole-wheat flour instead of white flour, you keep more of the grain’s fiber and nutrients. A meta-analysis of randomized trials found that replacing refined grains with whole grains improved several markers, including LDL, total cholesterol, HbA1c and CRP. Source.
The sesame in the topping adds unsaturated fats, nutrients and plant compounds. A meta-analysis of 16 randomized trials found improvements in several lipid and blood-pressure markers with sesame and sesame products, although larger studies are still needed to establish the size of the effect. Source.
The important thing is not to blur the ingredients: this recipe contains sesame seeds; it is not sesame oil being prescribed as a blood-pressure treatment. Peppers, tomato and onion add vegetables, plant compounds and vitamin C, but we do not need to turn every ingredient into medicine.
If you have celiac disease or a diagnosed wheat allergy, this version made with regular wheat is not suitable for you.
Try our eetch with bulgur and tomato or raw-style lentil kibbeh. For another pastry, see our pumpkin fatayer.
