The best part of this recipe is that the dough is great to make pizza too. Do try this amazing recipe and I am sure you will love it as much as we do.
About the Recipe
Baking bread especially yeast breads is fun and therapeutic. The science in kneading the dough and seeing it transform into a bread is quite fascinating. I love trying bread recipes from around the world, like this Iyengar bakery khara bread or this Arabic za’atar spice khobez. Today’s recipe, naan e barbari is a dramatic looking bread from Persia or Iran. It is sometimes called noon barbari or nan e barbari or simply Persian/ Iranian bread. A defining characteristic of this bread is its long oblong shape, about 12~14", with lengthwise ridges. In addition, the surface of barbari bread is spread with roomal, a flour and water paste, before baking, which puts a layer of moisture right on the surface of the bread. This is an ancient baking technique that creates a great crust without having to introduce steam into the oven. The best part of the dough is that it is great to make pizza as well. I usually bake a traditional oblong nan e barbari with half the dough and use the remaining to make pizza.
Ingredients
For the details of the exact quantities of each ingredient and the list of ingredients needed, check the printable recipe card below. Here are the ingredients you need to make naan barbari bread:
Flour - traditionally bread flour is used. But I add some whole wheat flour to add fiber to the recipe.Instant yeast or active dry yeast.Olive OilLukewarm water.Sugar and Salt.Black and white sesame seeds for topping.
To make roomal, you will need:
All purpose flourSugarWater and Canola Oil
Instructions
For the detailed instructions on how to make the recipe with exact timings, check the printable recipe card below. Here is how to make naan e barbari bread recipe:
Make the dough
Combine flour, instant yeast, salt and sugar in a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. Whisk well combine. Add olive oil, 1½ cups of water and mix. Stir in more water as needed to form a smooth dough. Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap and set aside for about 1 hour or until doubled in volume.
Proofing in Instant Pot
To proof the dough in the Instant pot, lightly grease the inner pot. Place the dough and cover it with a glass lid or a kitchen towel. Select ‘Yogurt’ and set the timer for 1 hour. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Divide the dough in half. Gently form each piece into a rectangle and form into a log. Loosely cover the logs with plastic wrap and let rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.
Make roomal
In the mean time, make the roomal. In a small saucepan, combine all purpose flour, sugar, canola oil and water. Cook the flour paste over medium heat, whisking, until bubbles start to form around the edges and the mixture becomes thick and opaque, about 2 minutes. Set aside to cool.
Shape the bread
Take one of the dough log and place it on a large parchment paper. Stretch or roll it out into 14"x5" rectangle (or into 10"x4" rectangle for smaller barbari bread). Using the fingers, press 5 (or 3 for smaller bread) deep lengthwise ridges into the dough, making sure not to break the dough.
Bake barbari bread
Rub flour paste over the surface and sprinkle with half of the nigella and sesame seeds. Slide the dough along with the parchment onto the pizza stone and bake until the bread has puffed up and is golden brown. Transfer the loaf to a wire rack. Repeat with the remaining dough. Serve warm.
Nan e barbari Pizza
If you want to make pizza with half of the dough, heres how to make make it: Let the dough rise 2 times as noted in the recipe. Then stretch the dough into a 14" diameter thin round. Place it on a parchment paper and evenly spread 1 cup of tomato sauce over the dough and sprinkle with grated mozzarella cheese on top. Top that with your favorite pizza toppings. Slide the parchment and dough onto preheated pizza stone and bake until the crust is golden and crisp, cheese has melted, about 10~15 minutes.
Expert Tips
Feel free to substitute some of the all purpose flour with whole wheat flour. I add up to 1~2 cups of white whole wheat flour.Dough can be made up to 1 day in advance and left in the fridge. Store any leftover barbari bread in an airtight ziploc bag at room temperature for up to 2 days.
You might also like
Here are the few more flatbread recipes that you might like to try: I love hearing from you!! If you’ve tried this and liked it, then don’t forget to let me know. Give a star rating and let me know in the comments below. Also tag me in your creations on Instagram @cooks_hideout. I love sharing photos when people make my recipes. You can use the hashtag #cookshideout too.
Recipe Card
