Nan-e Barbari (Persian Flatbread with Sesame and Nigella Seeds)

About This Recipe

Nan-e barbari is a thick, oval flatbread that's a fixture of Persian breakfasts, baked fresh daily in bakeries across Iran and sold still warm, often eaten simply with butter, feta and honey. The dough is coated with a starch-based glaze called roomal, a mixture of flour and water cooked briefly into a paste, which gives the finished bread its distinctive glossy, slightly chewy top crust once baked. Deep ridges are pressed lengthwise into the dough before baking, both for visual signature and to help the bread bake evenly, and it emerges from a very hot oven puffed, golden and generously topped with toasted sesame and nigella seeds.

Ingredients

Serves 6

• 4 cupsbread flour
• 2 tspinstant yeast
• 1 tspsugar
• 1.5 tspsalt
• 1.5 cupswarm water
• 2 tbspolive oil
• 2 tbspflour(for roomal glaze)
• 1/2 cupwater(for roomal glaze)
• 2 tbspsesame seeds(for topping)
• 1 tbspnigella seeds(for topping)

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the dough

   Combine flour, yeast, sugar and salt, then stir in warm water and olive oil until a soft, elastic dough forms; knead 10 minutes.

2. 2

   Rise

   Cover and let rise in a warm place 1 hour until doubled.

3. 3

   Make the roomal glaze

   Whisk flour and water together and cook over low heat, stirring, until it thickens into a smooth paste; let cool.

4. 4

   Shape

   Divide the dough into 2 pieces, stretching and shaping each into a long oval about 12 inches long.

5. 5

   Score and glaze

   Press deep lengthwise ridges into the dough with your fingertips, then brush generously with the cooled roomal glaze.

   The deep finger ridges aren't just decorative — they help the thick dough bake through evenly without a raw center.

6. 6

   Top and rest

   Scatter with sesame and nigella seeds, then let rest, uncovered, 15-20 minutes.

7. 7

   Bake

   Bake at 230C/450F for 15-18 minutes until deeply golden and glossy on top.

Variations

• •

  Some bakeries add a bit of potato flour to the dough for extra chewiness.

• •

  A version with more generous seed toppings is common for special occasions.

• •

  Serving with feta, walnuts and fresh herbs turns this bread into part of a full Persian breakfast spread.

Storage

Best eaten fresh and warm, ideally the same day; store leftovers wrapped at room temperature for a day, or freeze and reheat directly in a hot oven.

Frequently Asked Questions