Zaatar Swirl Bread
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
The fanciest Zaatar Swirl Bread…that is so much easier to put together than it looks. This delicious, light and super soft bread is swirled with a Zaatar and an extra virgin olive oil mixture. The real flavor in this bread is hidden within the swirls.
Zaatar Bread
And the best part about this Zaatar braided bread… I mean, aside from the taste…while this Zaatar swirl bread may look extremely intricate to make, it’s really simple. Just follow my step by step pictures and you will be making it in no time! Serve warm right out of the oven with slices of tomatoes and cucumbers or spread with Labneh dip. You will LOVE this zaatar bread recipe!
If you are looking for recipes using Zaatar, other than the traditional Zaatar manaqish recipe, then you will love this
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE ZAATAR SWIRL BREAD
(Scroll down for quantities)
- Whole milk
- Instant yeast
- Honey
- Eggs
- Bread Flour
- Salt
- Butter
- Za’atar blend
- Extra virgin olive oil
HOW TO MAKE ZAATAR SWIRL BREAD:
- In a large bowl with a lid, combine the milk, yeast, honey, eggs, butter, flour, and salt. Work the mixture with your hands.
- knead the dough until its feels elastic, smooth, and no longer sticks to your hands, this step will take about 5 minutes.
- Shape the entire dough mixture into a round patty. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and the bowl with its lid and let sit at room temperature for 2 hours or until the dough has doubled in size.
- Meanwhile, in a small bowl combine the Zaatar and olive oil. Set aside.
- Punch the dough down.
- Roll out onto a lightly floured surface, creating a large rectangle about 12 x 18 inches.
- Spread the Zaatar mixture evenly over the entire surface of rectangle dough leaving about ½ of an inch edge uncovered.
- Starting with the long edge of the rectangular dough, roll into a log, keeping it fairly tight as you go. When you reach the edge, pinch along the edge to seal.
- Using a sharp knife, score the rolled up dough lengthwise, leaving a small portion at one end intact.
- Twist the dough ropes over each other, repeating the twisting process until the end of the dough.
- Coil half the rope, stopping when you reach halfway.
- Then, coil the second half of the rope in the opposite direction.
- Carefully transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Bake at 350 degrees F for 30-35 minutes, until the top is golden brown and the bread is cooked through.
- Slice and serve warm.
More Lebanese Bread Recipes:
Lahm bi Ajeen- Lebanese Meat Pies
Olive and Cheese Stuffed Bread
If you love this Zaatar swirl bread be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! I love to hear from you guys! And of course, if you do make this recipe, then don’t forget to tag me on Instagram!
Zaatar Swirl Bread Recipe
Zaatar Swirl Bread
The fanciest Zaatar Swirl Bread…that is so much easier to put together than it looks. This delicious, light and super soft bread is swirled with a Zaatar and an extra virgin olive oil mixture. The real flavor in this bread is hidden within the swirls.
Ingredients
For the Dough
- 3/4 cup warm whole milk
- 2 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 3 eggs
- 3 1/2 - 4 cups bread flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
For the Zaatar Mixture
- 1/2 cup Zaatar
- 1/2 cup olive oil
Instructions
- In a large bowl with a lid, combine the milk, yeast, honey, eggs, butter, flour, and salt. Work the mixture with your hands.
- knead the dough until its feels elastic, smooth, and no longer sticks to your hands, this step will take about 5 minutes.
- If the dough is still sticky, add the additional 1/2 cup flour, adding more as needed until the dough is smooth to touch.
- Shape the whole dough into a patty. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and the bowl with its lid and let sit at room temperature for 2 hour or until doubled in size.
- Meanwhile, in a small bowl combine the Zaatar and olive oil. Set aside.
- Punch the dough down and roll out onto a lightly floured surface, creating a large rectangle about 12 x 18 inches.
- Spread the Zaatar mixture evenly over the entire surface of rectangle dough leaving about ½ of an inch edge uncovered.
- Starting with the long edge of the rectangular dough, roll into a log, keeping it fairly tight as you go. When you reach the edge, pinch along the edge to seal.
- Using a sharp knife, cut the rolled dough in half lengthwise, leaving a small portion at one end intact.
- Twist the dough ropes over each other, repeating the twisting process until the end of the dough.
- Coil half the rope, stopping when you reach halfway. Then, coil the second half of the rope in the opposite direction.
- Carefully transfer to a lightly greased parchment lined baking sheet.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Bake 30-35 minutes, until the top is golden brown and the bread is cooked through.
- Slice and serve warm.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 424Total Fat: 16gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 11gCholesterol: 53mgSodium: 222mgCarbohydrates: 21gFiber: 5gSugar: 4gProtein: 22g
Please note that the nutrition label provided is an estimate based on an online nutrition calculator. It will vary based on the specific ingredients you use.
Gorgeous! I made it last weekend for my inlaws dinner gathering. To say everyone was impressed is an understatement.
Love,
Rosalie
Yay!!!
The prettiest zaatar swirl bread on the internet! At first I was intimidating to try it, but it was alot easier than I thought and so so good !
Aww thank you! Glad you tried and enjoyed my zaatar swirl bread 🙂
This tasted incredible! We sliced it and spread labneh on it. Thank you for the recipe! xx
Hi Mona, so glad to hear you enjoyed my zaatar swirl bread recipe! We love it with Labneh as well!
No second rise? Odd
It of course never hurts to let it rise again, I just didn’t for this recipe. Thanks for stopping by!