Lebanese Flatbread with Sun-dried Tomato Basil Pesto

The French have their baguette and the Labanese have their man'ooshe - a flatbread that is shaped like a round pizza and eaten for breakfast with various toppings. 

This flatbread is widely available in every street bakery in Lebanon. It is commonly served with a spread  called Za'tar made from a special fruit called Sumac, sesame seeds and salt and topped with tomatoes , onions and salads of choice wrapped up and enjoyed.The man'ooshe can also be used  as a pizza base and topped with your favourite cheese and toppings. Since I won't be able to make authentic Za'tar, I've improvised with a sun-dried tomato basil version which was delicious served freshly baked from the oven. 

The bread is crisp on the outside and slightly chewy on the inside. It's really easy to make and seriously addictive. It's important to eat it fresh though, as it turned slightly hard when kept overnight. 

Lebanese Flatbread with Sun-dried Tomato Basil Pesto (6 pieces)

Adapted from Bill Granger

Ingredients

For the bread

• 300g strong white flour 

• 150g strong wholemeal flour 

• 1½ tsp instant yeast 

• 1 tsp caster sugar 

• 1 tsp sea salt 
• 
2 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for greasing

For the paste

• A handful of basil leaves (about 20)
• 6 sun-dried tomatoes
• 3 tbsp of oil from the sun-dried tomatoes or olive oil

To serve

• Greek yoghurt
• Extra basil leaves

Method

• For the bread, place the flours, yeast, sugar and salt into a bowl, and stir to combine. Make a well in the centre then pour in 250ml of tepid water (slightly warm) and stir to form a soft dough. Tip out on to a lightly floured work surface and knead for 1 minute. Place in an oiled bowl and cover with a cloth, then set aside for 1 hour, or until doubled in size.
• In a blender, blend the basil leaves and sun-dried tomatoes and oil till it forms a paste.
• Preheat the oven to 250C/480F/Gas8. Divide the dough into 6 rounds and use a rolling pin to roll them out into flatbreads. Dust an oven tray with flour. Transfer the breads to the tray and spread with topping. Bake for 5 minutes until light-golden and lightly crisp like a pizza. 
• Serve with basil leaves sprinkled over it and Greek yoghurt.

I am submitting this post to Asian Food Fest: West Asia hosted by Shannon from Just As Delish.

This is for Cook Like A Star hosted by Zoe of Bake for Happy Kids, Baby Sumo of Eat Your Heart Out and Mich of Piece of Cake.