Savory Za'atar Labneh Waffles

Name: Savory Za'atar Labneh Waffles
Prep time: 22 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 42 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Middle Eastern
Ingredients: 2 cups (240 g) all-purpose flour, spooned into the cup and leveled; 2 tsp (8 g) baking powder; ¼ tsp (1 g) baking soda; ¾ tsp (4 g) fine sea salt; 1 tsp (4 g) granulated sugar; 3 Tbsp (18 g) za'atar; 2 whole (100 g) large eggs, at room temperature; 1¼ cups (300 ml) buttermilk, at room temperature; ½ cup (120 g) labneh, at room temperature; ¼ cup (60 ml) extra-virgin olive oil; 1 Tbsp (15 ml) neutral oil or olive oil, for brushing the waffle iron; 1 cup (240 g) labneh, cold from the fridge; 1 small clove (3 g) garlic, finely grated; 1 Tbsp (15 ml) fresh lemon juice; 1 Tbsp (15 ml) extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling; 2 small (160 g) Persian cucumbers, cut into ¼-inch (6 mm) dice; 1¼ cups (200 g) ripe tomatoes or cherry tomatoes, cut into ¼-inch (6 mm) dice, or cherry tomatoes quartered; 2 Tbsp (20 g) red onion, very finely diced (optional); ¼ cup (6 g) fresh mint leaves, roughly torn; 1 Tbsp (15 ml) extra-virgin olive oil; 2 tsp (10 ml) fresh lemon juice; fine sea salt, a pinch, to taste; 1 tsp (2 g) za'atar, for sprinkling; ½ tsp (1 g) ground sumac (optional)

From the MyKitchenBank Kitchen

Crisp, tangy waffles scented with za'atar and olive oil, with labneh stirred into the batter for tenderness. They're topped with garlicky labneh and a fresh cucumber-tomato salad for a Middle Eastern-style brunch or light dinner.

Prep: 22 min
Cook: 20 min
Wait: 10 min
Total: 52 min
Makes: 4 round waffles (7-inch / 18 cm), serves 4

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Ingredients

4 servings

For the waffles
2 cups (240 g) all-purpose flour, spooned into the cup and leveled
2 tsp (8 g) baking powder
¼ tsp (1 g) baking soda
¾ tsp (4 g) fine sea salt
1 tsp (4 g) granulated sugar
3 Tbsp (18 g) za'atar
2 whole (100 g) large eggs, at room temperature
1¼ cups (300 ml) buttermilk, at room temperature
½ cup (120 g) labneh, at room temperature
¼ cup (60 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp (15 ml) neutral oil or olive oil, for brushing the waffle iron
For the garlic labneh
1 cup (240 g) labneh, cold from the fridge
1 small clove (3 g) garlic, finely grated
1 Tbsp (15 ml) fresh lemon juice
1 Tbsp (15 ml) extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
For the cucumber-tomato salad
2 small (160 g) Persian cucumbers, cut into ¼-inch (6 mm) dice
1¼ cups (200 g) ripe tomatoes or cherry tomatoes, cut into ¼-inch (6 mm) dice, or cherry tomatoes quartered
2 Tbsp (20 g) red onion, very finely diced (optional)
¼ cup (6 g) fresh mint leaves, roughly torn
1 Tbsp (15 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
2 tsp (10 ml) fresh lemon juice
fine sea salt, a pinch, to taste
To finish
1 tsp (2 g) za'atar, for sprinkling
½ tsp (1 g) ground sumac (optional)

Equipment (9)

Waffle iron (7-inch / 18 cm round or similar)
Large mixing bowl
Medium mixing bowl
Whisk
Wire rack set on a rimmed baking sheet
Pastry brush or paper towel for greasing the iron
Measuring cups and spoons
Kitchen scale (optional)
Microplane or fine grater

Steps

Before you start

Take the labneh, buttermilk and eggs out of the fridge 20 minutes ahead so the batter mixes smoothly.
Set the oven to 200°F (95°C) with a wire rack set on a baking sheet, so finished waffles stay crisp while you cook the rest.
Check your waffle iron's capacity. This recipe assumes about ¾ cup (180 ml) of batter per 7-inch round waffle. Adjust the amount for smaller or larger irons.
Za'atar blends vary in saltiness. Taste yours first and use the lower amount of salt if it is very salty.

1
Heat oven and ironOven 200°F / 95°C
- Set the oven to 200°F (95°C) and place a wire rack on a rimmed baking sheet inside.
- Plug in the waffle iron and heat it to a medium-high setting (a medium-brown setting if it has a dial).
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Ready when: The iron's ready light comes on or it reaches its preheated indicator.
Tip: Keep the iron heating while the batter rests so the first waffle cooks as well as the last.
2
Make the salad
- In a medium bowl, combine the diced cucumbers, tomatoes, red onion (if using) and torn mint.
- Add 1 Tbsp olive oil, 2 tsp lemon juice and a pinch of salt.
- Toss gently, taste, and adjust the salt.
- Set aside.
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Ready when: The vegetables look glossy and lightly coated, with little pooling liquid.
Tip: If you are making this more than 15 minutes ahead, hold the salt until serving so the vegetables don't weep.
3
Whisk dry ingredients
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, ¾ tsp salt, sugar and 3 Tbsp za'atar until evenly speckled with no clumps of baking powder.
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Ready when: The mixture is uniformly green-flecked with no visible lumps.
4
Whisk wet ingredients
- In a second bowl, whisk the eggs until the yolks and whites are combined.
- Whisk in the buttermilk and ½ cup (120 g) labneh until mostly smooth (a few tiny flecks of labneh are fine).
- Whisk in ¼ cup (60 ml) olive oil.
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Ready when: The mixture is pale, thick and pourable with no streaks of egg.
Tip: Cold ingredients make the olive oil clump, so use room-temperature dairy and eggs.
5
Mix and rest batter
- Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients.
- Fold with a spatula or whisk just until no dry flour remains.
- The batter will be thick and slightly lumpy.
- Let it rest for 10 minutes.
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Ready when: The batter is thick, scoopable and dotted with small bubbles.
Tip: Don't overmix. A few small lumps are fine, and overmixing makes the waffles tough.
6
Make garlic labneh
- While the batter rests, stir together 1 cup (240 g) cold labneh, the grated garlic, 1 Tbsp lemon juice and 1 Tbsp olive oil in a small bowl until smooth and spreadable.
- Taste and add a pinch of salt if needed.
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Ready when: Smooth, creamy and spreadable like thick yogurt.
Tip: Use a Microplane for the garlic so no raw chunks are left in the labneh.
7
Cook the wafflesOven 200°F / 95°C
- Lightly brush the hot iron with oil.
- Pour about ¾ cup (180 ml) of batter into the center and close the lid.
- Cook for 4 to 5 minutes, until the steam slows and the waffle is deep golden and crisp.
- Transfer to the rack in the oven.
- Re-oil the iron lightly every second waffle and repeat to make 4 waffles.
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Ready when: Deep golden brown, steam almost stops, and the waffle lifts away without sticking.
Tip: Don't stack waffles on a plate or they will steam and go soft. Keep them in a single layer on the rack.
8
Assemble and serve
- Place each waffle on a plate.
- Spread or dollop with a generous layer of garlic labneh, then spoon the cucumber-tomato salad over the top.
- Sprinkle with the 1 tsp za'atar and the sumac (if using), and finish with a drizzle of olive oil.
- Serve immediately.
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Ready when: Waffles are still crisp at the edges, with the labneh cool and creamy on top.
Tip: Top just before serving; the salad's juices soften the waffle within a few minutes.

Good to know

Tips

Za'atar contains oil and herbs that can scorch on a very hot iron, so use a medium-high setting rather than the highest.
Wait until the steam from the iron nearly stops before opening it; opening early tears the waffle.
Salt the cucumbers and tomatoes at the last minute to keep the salad crisp and not watery.
For a heartier meal, top each waffle with a soft fried egg or a few slices of olives.

Make ahead

"The dry ingredients can be whisked together up to 1 week ahead and stored airtight. The garlic labneh can be made up to 2 days ahead and refrigerated. Cooked waffles can be frozen and re-crisped, and the batter is best made fresh."

Storage & reheating

"Room temperature: cooked waffles keep up to 2 hours; assembled waffles should be eaten immediately. Fridge: store plain waffles in an airtight container up to 3 days, and keep the garlic labneh and salad separately for up to 2 days. Freezer: freeze cooled plain waffles in a single layer, then bag them, for up to 2 months. Reheat from frozen in a toaster or a 375°F (190°C) oven for 5 to 8 minutes until crisp, then top fresh."

Substitutions

labneh → thick Greek yogurt, strained. Strain plain whole-milk Greek yogurt in a cheesecloth-lined sieve for 1 to 2 hours for a similar thick texture.
buttermilk → milk plus lemon juice. Stir 1 Tbsp lemon juice into 1¼ cups (300 ml) milk and let it sit for 5 minutes.
all-purpose flour → half whole wheat flour. Replace up to 120 g of the flour with whole wheat for a nuttier flavor; the waffles will be slightly denser.
za'atar → dried thyme with toasted sesame seeds and sumac. Mix 1 Tbsp dried thyme, 1 Tbsp toasted sesame seeds and 1 tsp sumac for each 3 Tbsp of za'atar.