A quick and fun little appetizer. That is full of tangy za’atar flavour and ooey gooey cheese. One of those flavour combos that is hard to beat!

What is za’atar?

If you have never had za’atar before it is a very flavourful middle eastern spice blend. Made with a mixture of savory dried herbs like oregano, marjoram or thyme, and toasted earthy spices like cumin and coriander, with sesame seeds, salt and the most important ingredient of all… sumac! The blend creates this earthy tangy flavour that does really well paired with many things including using it as part of a marinade for chicken, sprinkle on hummus or olive oil and eat like a dip, or topped on these dough balls stuffed with stringy mozzarella cheese!

How to make za’atar at home

Za’atar is pretty easy to find at most regular grocery stores now, and it will definitely be available at any middle easter grocers if you are lucky enough to have some in your area. But if you are in a pinch and need to make your own za’atar try this:

To make your own za’atar mix together:

1 tablespoon dried thyme- crushed (or sub oregano)
1 tablespoon ground cumin (dry roasted is best but regular ground is fine too)
1 tablespoon ground coriander (dry roasted is best but regular ground is fine too)
1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
1 tablespoon sumac
½ teaspoon salt

If you have a little extra time I strongly recommend dry roasting whole cumin and coriander seeds and then grinding them before making za’atar. It will take the flavour to the next level.

This should make about 1/2 cup of za’atar seasoning which you can store in an airtight container in your spice cupboard for up to 6 months (anymore than that and the spices will start to lose their flavour).

Quick 10-Minute Dough

This recipe uses my basic 10-minute dough recipe, so you don’t need to plan ahead if you have a craving for these bites. You can also very easily make the bites ahead of time. Instead of baking them, freeze them for later. Just cook them from frozen and increase the cooking time by 5 minutes to make sure the cheese melts inside.

Also if you don’t have the patience to roll dough into balls, feel free to just roll it out into a personal pizza style shape, brush with olive oil, sprinkle with a generous amount of the za’atar mixture, top with grated cheese and bake till the edges are golden and cheese is melty. Call it a pide, manakeesh, flatbread or a za’atar pizza! It is all the same… and tastes great!

There is no wrong way to use za’atar, have you had za’atar before? And if so what was your favourite way to eat za’atar? If you haven’t tried it yet, give it a go and tell me what you think!

Print Recipe

Za’atar Cheese Bites

A middle eastern take on pizza bites. Gooey mozzarella coated in a crisp dough topped with a flavourful za'atar oil. Best served warm with a garlicky dip or hummus!

Prep Time20

Cook Time15

Total Time35

Course: Appetizer, Side Dish, Snack

Cuisine: Fusion, Middle Eastern

Keyword: Vegetarian

Servings: 30 bites

Ingredients

1/4 cup oil or more as needed
6 tbsp za'atar seasoning mix (see below to make your own za'atar)
2 tsp dried garlic granules
pinch salt
1 ball mozzarella cheese, diced to appox. 1 inch cubes approx. 340g
1 batch basic 10 minute dough see recipe linked below

Instructions

Pre-heat oven to 425F
Set up a dipping station: in a small shallow bowl place the oil, and in another small shallow bowl mix the za'atar and garlic granules with a pinch of salt. Set aside.
Dice the mozzarella cheese and set aside.
Take a small golfball sized ball of dough and flatten to a disk. Place a mozzarella cube into the dough and bring up all the edges of the dough around the mozzarella. Pinch the dough shut making sure to seal it well.
Holding it from the seam side, dip the stuffed dough ball into the oil. Then into the za'atar mixture so the top and sides get well coated with seasoning.
Place the prepared dough ball into a baking sheet. Repeat for the remaining dough. Making sure the dough balls are at least 1/2 inch apart on the baking sheet.
Bake at 425F for 12-15 minutes until they become golden brown on the outside.
Remove from oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes before serving so there are no steaming cheese filling disasters!
Best served warm and with a garlicky dip. If they do cool down they might become a bit more crisp on the outside and you wont get as nice of a cheese pull when you eat it. But a quick preheat in the oven or microwave will bring it back.

Notes

10-Minute Dough Recipe here. Or use store bought pizza dough.

—

To make your own za’atar mix together:

- 1 tablespoon dried thyme- crushed (or sub oregano)

- 1 tablespoon ground cumin

- 1 tablespoon ground coriander

- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds

- 1 tablespoon sumac

- ½ teaspoon salt

This should make about 1/2 cup of za’atar which you can store in your spice cupboard in an airtight container for up to 6 months (anymore than that and the spices will start to lose their flavour).