Wild Garlic & Za’atar Focaccia

The most common combination of Za’atar includes sesame seeds, sumac, salt, and oregano or thyme. However, the recipe for Za’atar can vary from region to region, with different households having their own special blends. These special blends usually add some extra flavour or “zing” to this already perfect mixture.

The Za’atar blend is often mixed with olive oil to enhance its flavour and texture. We at Holy Land Dates recommend pairing our Palestinian Za’atar blend with our Extra Virgin Olive Oil to make this mouth watering Wild Garlic & Za’atar Focaccia recipe!

Recipe by: Yusuf (@Sliced.y)

Ingredients:

500g Strong White Flour

Sea salt to taste

325ml lukewarm water

7g Instant Yeast

1 tbspn sugar

200ml olive oil

3 tbspn Za’atar

15 wild garlic leaves (optional) 

Method:

1. Combine water, sugar and yeast together and allow to sit for 5-10 minutes or until the yeast shows signs of blooming (bubbles forming and a floating layer at the top)
2. Add the flour and salt into a bowl and mix well with the yeast mixture. Add in half the olive oil.
3. Knead well using your hands or a stand mixer, the mixture will look quite wet but this is essential to a soft dough.
4. Cover the bowl with a damp tea towel and allow to rise for 1 hour or until doubled in size.
5. Grease a deep baking tray and spread the dough over the base. Pour 50ml olive oil over the top and wet your hands with water, stretching the dough to fill the gaps and pushing holes into it with your fingers. The water from your hands will create steam in the oven which will improve the softness of the dough.
6. Sprinkle the za’atar and chopped wild garlic leaves over the top, pushing them into the holes.
7. Cover again with a damp tea towel and allow it to rise a second time for 20 minutes.
8. Bake in a preheated oven at 200°C for 25-30 minutes until golden brown.
9. Allow to rest for 30 minutes before cutting and serving with olive oil, soup or houmous!