Cheese and za'atar bread: superfastfood

I think every country in the world has their own version of cheese bread. In the Philippines, you can buy one pandesal and stuff it with your choice of cheese; if you like the bottle types you might slather CheezWhiz, and if you like fresh cheese, you'll stuff it with kesong puti. In the States, the breads are usually pre-stuffed or the cheese is sprinkled on top, like the ones in Panera. Wherever you go, cheese breads are the way to go. THE way.

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Shopping at the local comissary is always fun for me. I get to spend time wandering the store's aisles with my mom, looking at all sorts of food that catch my eye. And while scanning every single vegetable, pasta box, or organic cereal there is, my order at the small bakery is quickly baking, whether it be a cheese or za'atar bread. Remember za'atar? Well, here is a picture to paint what I had described in my very first post:



There are so many sensations you experience when eating za'atar bread, and this specific bread makes it even beter. The za'atar filling is nutty, sour, and salty all at the same time, blending together and not one of the tastes overpowering each other. It should have the slightest taste of bitterness, so very slight that it should make you wonder if the taste was just in your imagination.
The bread is crispy but still soft inside, and gives the flatbread a good crunch. 9.5/10

Za'atar Bread

This is what za'atar looks like before it's sprinkled onto the bread. A dull green, and mixed with some sesame seeds.

Actual za'atar seasoning

Cheddar cheese bread

It's not the cheese you usually see inside a cheesebread here in Saudi, but it's good nonetheless. Look at the gooeyness of that cheese, it really was that good. The quality of the cheese they use is very good, I believe it's of medium sharpness, good enough for bread. The bread is the same used with the za'atar, crispy and soft at the same time. 9.5/10

Honey and labneh bread

Labneh is a type of cheese that is made from yogurt that has been strained. It has a soft and smooth consistency, and is added to other saltier cheeses to make cheese bread or like above, mixed with honey to make a sweeter cheese bread. Labneh tastes like cream cheese, just softer and almost feels like it was whipped. I must say, the combination of the labneh with honey is something you really need to try with this warm bread. Because it gets really messy, the flatbread is closed shut like an empanada before stuffing into the brick oven. Then, when you take a bite, it just oozes out with the perfect amount of labneh and honey all in one bite. 9.7/10



These breads are all really good, and you can mix and match as you please. Za'atar and bread is really good, and so is za'atar and cheese, although it can be a little salty. Mozzarella cheese bread is probably what I order the most; the saltiness of the mozzarella cheese goes perfectly well with the flatbread. Too bad they didn't have it at the time I was there.

Anyway, till next time then. Enjoy!