A lovely bread to have with breakfast instead of toast. These little thyme (za’atar) stars are traditionally made with a lot of oil but I cut back to make them more fluffy. The semolina gives them a crispy texture. I use the wild thyme commonly available in the Middle East , but you may substitute fresh oregano (which is closely related to wild thyme) or a decreased amount of regular thyme. These stars are nice to eat with labneh or any white cheese like feta or halloumi. I always have containers of these in the freezer ready for when Mimi’s friends drop by.
MAKES: 24 stars
INGREDIENTS:
- 4 cups flour
- 1 cup semolina or cornmeal
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp instant dry yeast
- ½ cup olive oil
- 2½ cups lukewarm water
- 7 handfuls fresh wild thyme (or fresh oregano), washed,
- drained and stems removed
- 1 tsp sea salt
- olive oil, for brushing
INSTRUCTIONS:
- In a large bowl put the flour, semolina, baking powder, salt, sugar and yeast. Mix well. Gradually add half of the oil and all the water and mix to form a dough. It should be soft and pliable. Pour the thyme leaves over the dough, drizzle the remaining olive oil and salt, and incorporate the leaves into the dough with your hands.
- Cover the bowl with a damp cloth and put it in a dark draft-free place to rise for 1½ hours.
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Roll out the dough to a 1-inch thickness on an oiled surface and cut with any desired cookie cutter (I like to use a star shape). Brush each star with olive oil and bake for 15 minutes until golden brown. They are best hot out of the oven. Freeze any extras.
