Za’atar is a West Asian spice mixture and there are regional variations. I have a Za’atar made of sesame, sumach, oregano and thyme.
I enjoyed an amazing Za’atar focaccia in Tel Aviv once and with all these beautiful pumpkins now that made a great combination. This pumpkin focaccia is actually our new favourite food!
What do you need for the Hokkaido Za’atar Focaccia?
- Hokkaido Pumpkin
Half of a small Hokkaido pumpkin is enough. It’s best to choose a nice pumpkin without any odd spots, as we will leave part of the skin on.
- Za’atar Spice Mix
Za’atar is a delicious spice mix commonly used in Western Asia, also known as Zahtar or Zatar. The mix varies slightly by region. For my pumpkin focaccia, I use a blend of sesame seeds, sumac, oregano, and thyme.
- Fresh Thyme
Fresh thyme sprigs complement the Za’atar, which already contains dried thyme. We place them on top of the focaccia for aroma and appearance. They are not meant to be eaten.
- Red Onions
They don’t have to be red, but the color works well with the pumpkin on the autumnal bread.
- Frying Olive Oil
It has a higher smoke point than regular olive oil, making it ideal for focaccia.
- Flour
I use spelt flour 630, but it also works well with wheat flour. You may need to adjust the flour/water ratio slightly. If you have time, you can let the dough rise for more than an hour. I usually let mine rise for about four and a half hours because I belong to the group of people who don’t tolerate FODMAPs very well. You can read more about this topic in this article from Science Direct.
- 1-2 tbsp Chia Seeds, Hemp Seeds, or Sesame Seeds
You can add these to the dough if you like.
HOKKAIDO ZA’ATAR FOCACCIA
Ingredients
- 1 small Hokkaido pumpkin
- 500 g flour
- 1 sachet of dry yeast
- 240 ml lukewarm water
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 60 ml olive oil
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 tablespoon Za’atar*
- 1 small onion
- some thyme twigs
- more salt and olive oil
Instructions
- First, gather all your ingredients and prepare them in the right amounts. That makes it so much easier and more fun and you're less likely to forget anything.
- Wash and open pumpkin. Cut seven thin slices off each of the sides for decoration.
- Chop up about 1 cup of the pumpkin, that works best in a mini food processor. If you don’t have a food processor, you can also boil or bake the pumpkin until soft and mashable.
- Combine flour and dry yeast in a bowl, then add chopped or mashed pumpkin, water, sugar, salt and olive oil. I usually don't add all the water right away, only if needed. Knead for 10 minutes into a nice elastic dough, not crumbling and not too sticky.
- Pour some olive oil into a big bowl and on your hands to avoid the dough from sticking too much and place the dough in the bowl. Cover with a damp tea towel and let it rise for at least one hour in a warm place, for example the warm oven. Around 30°C/ 85°F is a good temperature.
- After one hour, the dough should have doubled. Punch it to remove the air, then knead again with oiled hands and form one big focaccia.
- Spread it on parchment paper and pour some olive oil over it.
- Then poke deep holes into the focaccia with your fingers or a chopstick to create pools for the oil and the spices.
- Add pumpkin slices and onion, brush a little olive oil on them if you like. Then add thyme twigs, a little more salt and the second tablespoon of za’atar.
- Now let it rest another 20 minutes and preheat your oven in the meantime to 210°C/ 410°F.
- Then bake for 30 minutes.
- Once it’s ready, sprinkle with a little more olive oil and cut into pieces, I find it easiest with a pizza cutter.
Notes
Do you love cozy pumpkin and ravioli dishes? Then you might also want to try my
