Cheese and Zatar Sticks #secretrecipeclub

We have been super busy the last few weekends with guests.  And work is crazy with each of us being out of the house every few days. We get by but have little energy left over.  It's times like this that extra bills come in and random house things come up to really put us over the edge.  I am looking forward to this upcoming week when we are both home all week and a weekend free of activities. 

As an extra treat for the week I whipped up these cheese and Zatar sticks from Chef in Disguise.  This is the blog I was assigned for the October Secret Recipe Club post.

Sawsan, the author behind Chef in Disguise is Palestinian, but was raised in Jordan. I lived, studied and worked in Amman up until June 2014  when her and her husband moved to United Arab Emirates. Her blog is full of delicious Middle Eastern foods as well as pictures from her travels and where she lives. Having never been to this area of the world I am always amazed at the vibrant colors and different architectural designs. I had so much fun exploring this blog. 

There were so many interesting recipes to pick from I had a list a mile long but had trouble sourcing some of the ingredients.  We don't have many Middle Eastern grocery stores around me.  A shame too because don't these recipes sound delicious, Cheesy Flatbread and Harissa Cake.

Sawsan has so many bread or yeast recipes that I was immediately drawn to too. I really liked this meat galette but then these Cheese and Zatar Sticks showed up in my search.  I just got Zatar to try out and I was itching to open it.  I couldn't not make these sticks. 

The dough came together easily and quickly. My little one helped do the twisting before we popped the trays into the oven. These were a great snack to have on hand but I will definitely be saving this recipe for the holidays. They would make a great appetizer for sharing.  

It was such fun seeing all these new recipes and Middle Eastern spice combinations through Chef in Disguise. 

Cheese and Zatar Sticks

by Emily Morris

Prep Time: 15 minutes, plus rise time

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Keywords: bake bread

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Ingredients (Makes 24 plus sticks)

• 2 ¼ cups flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 2 teaspoons yeast
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 130 grams Nabulsi cheese grated
• 150 ml warm milk
• 1 tablespoon vinegar
• 3 tablespoons Zatar

Instructions

Proof the yeast by mixing it with the sugar and warm milk, set aside for 10 minutes.

In a bowl place the flour and salt, add the olive oil and rub it into the flour with your finger tips.

Add the Zatar and grated cheese, toss to combine.

Add the yeast/ milk mixture and the vinegar and knead , until the dough comes together into a smooth ball.

Cover and leave in a warm place till it doubles.

Roll out the dough and then cut it into strips using a pizza cutter.

Then you can shape the strips by rolling them into sticks, coiling them or twisting in two opposite directions to give them a twisty look.

Bake in a 400 degree oven on the middle rack till the bottoms are golden brown, about 15 minutes.

Cool on a wire rack then store in an airtight container.

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