A thick, chewy Persian flatbread with a golden, glossy top scattered with sesame and nigella seeds, baked fresh each morning across Iran.
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.
Serves 6
Combine flour, yeast, sugar and salt, then stir in warm water and olive oil until a soft, elastic dough forms; knead 10 minutes.
Cover and let rise in a warm place 1 hour until doubled.
Whisk flour and water together and cook over low heat, stirring, until it thickens into a smooth paste; let cool.
Divide the dough into 2 pieces, stretching and shaping each into a long oval about 12 inches long.
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 β they help the thick dough bake through evenly without a raw center.
Scatter with sesame and nigella seeds, then let rest, uncovered, 15-20 minutes.
Bake at 230C/450F for 15-18 minutes until deeply golden and glossy on top.
Don't skip the roomal glaze β this starch paste is what gives nan-e barbari its distinctive glossy, slightly chewy crust.
Press the ridges deep into the dough with your fingertips; they help the thick bread bake through evenly, not just look attractive.
Bake at a genuinely high temperature for a shorter time; this bread is meant to puff and color quickly rather than bake slowly.
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.
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.
Nan-e barbari, believed to have originated among Persia's Barbari ethnic community, has become one of Iran's most common everyday breads, baked in dedicated bakeries each morning and central to a traditional Persian breakfast.
Yes, sesame seeds alone still give a good result, though nigella seeds add a distinct, slightly oniony flavor that's traditional.
The dough may not have risen long enough, or the oven wasn't hot enough β ensure both rises look genuinely puffy and preheat the oven thoroughly.
The roomal glaze may have been applied too thinly, or the oven temperature was too low β brush on a generous, even layer and bake at a high heat.
Per serving (150g / 5.3 oz) Β· 6 servings total
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