I tried the dough of man’oushe bi kishk from my book today with spelt and rye flour. It was not my intention. Being away from my kitchen for a few weeks, and still day dreaming from my last USA trip, I have missed refilling my pantry with few essentials.
No all-purpose flour, no whole-wheat flour as the recipe requires! As I planned to knead the dough early in the morning in order to make the small pizzas in the afternoon, I grabbed whatever I had available hoping to have rapid-rise yeast as well. I did, thank God! I substituted the wheat flour with 350 g spelt flour and the whole-wheat flour with 100 g rye flour. I didn’t change the other ingredients. I loved the taste of the dough; there was a mixture of sweetness and nuttiness from the spelt part and a stronger flavour from the rye part. The dough was also crispier than the original ones in the recipe, all in all, not a disappointing experiment, rather a scrumptious deli experience.
For the topping I used Kishk I buy from Marjeyoun in south Lebanon. For the ones who have never heard of kishk, it is a mixture of burgul fermented with goat milk and yoghurt. The end product is a white milk powder you store in the fridge. Kishk is sour and its taste could be a bit strong depending on the pasture and quality. If you like a milder taste, I recommend tasting the powder before buying.
Recipe adapted to the original in my cookbook The Taste of Marjeyoun.
Sahtein!

Man'oushe bi-kishk - Pizza with Kishk
Ingredients
- For the dough
- 375 g all-purpose flour
- 75 g whole-wheat flour
- 2 teaspoons rapid-rise yeast
- ¼ teaspoon sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 50 ml extra-virgin olive oil
- 275 ml lukewarm water
- for the topping
- 130 g Kishik
- 200 ml plain yoghurt
- 1 tablespoon hot red pepper paste
- 150 ml extra virgin olive oil
- 200 g tomatoes rinsed and finely chopped
- 1 medium onion 125 g, peeled and finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons sesame
Instructions
- For the dough: Mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Add the oil and water and mix well until the dough gathers into a ball, adding a little extra flour if it is sticky or a drizzle of water if dry. Knead for about 5 minutes until it becomes smooth and pliable. Lightly oil the bowl and turn the round dough over to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest in a warm place for at least 2 hours.
- For the topping: Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl.
- To make man’oushe: Line 3 baking sheets with parchment paper. Divide the dough into 2 equal parts. Roll out half of the dough on a lightly floured surface to 2 mm thickness. Cut out the dough into rounds using a 10-cm round-shaped pastry cutter. Place the rounds on the lined baking sheet; press your fingers lightly onto the dough and spread with 1-heaped tablespoonful filling.
- Preheat oven (220°C, 425°F). Bake on middle rack for about 12 minutes. Serve hot or lukewarm.
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