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Nan-e Barbari - Persian Flatbread

a delicious traditional Persian flat bread that is thin but fluffy, crispy and chewy and so simple to make!

Course bread
Cuisine Persian
Keyword Bread, flatbread
Prep Time 13 minutes
Cook Time 1 minute
Rise time 1 hour 30 minutes
Servings 3 flatbreads

Ingredients

  • 1 ¾ cups, 415 g warm water, about 85℉
  • 2 ¼ teaspoons, 7 g dry active yeast
  • 3 tablespoons, 40 g granulated sugar
  • 2 tablespoons, 28 g light olive oil or avocado oil plus more for drizzling
  • 1 tablespoon, 18 g kosher salt
  • 4 ½ cups, 540 g unbleached all purpose flour
  • 2 tablespoons sesame and nigella seeds, for topping
  • 1 tablespoon flaky sea salt, for topping

Instructions

  1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the dough hook attachment, combine the warm water, dry active yeast, and granulated sugar. Use a small whisk or a fork to combine, and begin to dissolve the yeast in the water. Let the mixture stand for 5-10 minutes to activate the yeast. Small bubbles should begin to form on the surface of the water. This means that the yeast is activated and ready to use.

  2. Add the avocado oil to the bowl. Then, add the unbleached all purpose flour to the bowl of the mixture, along with the kosher salt. Use your fingers or a small fork to gently incorporate the salt with the flour - this will ensure that the salt doesn't clump up.

  3. With the mixer on medium low, begin to mix the dough. After 4-5 minutes of mixing, the dough will be sticky but should come together. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, or a clean plastic shower cap. Place the bowl in the warmest place of your kitchen, and let the dough rise at room temperature for about an hour, or until it has doubled in size and is very puffy.

  4. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Drizzle about 2 tablespoons of olive oil all over the parchment paper. Set aside.

  5. Flour your work surface very well, and pour the dough out onto the work surface. Flour your hands, and gently stretch the dough out into a large rectangle, and then fold the dough over on itself. Next, it's time to divide the dough into 3 equal pieces. Sprinkle a line of flour down the width of the dough where you plan to cut. This will help make clean cuts in the sticky dough. Then, use a bench scraper to divide the dough into 3 smaller rectangles.

  6. Place the three pieces of dough onto the prepared baking sheet, and use your hands to gently stretch the dough out to reach the corners of the pan. Spray the surface of the dough with water so it doesn't dry out, and let the dough rise for another 30-40 minutes until it is very puffy.

  7. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 475℉. Drizzle the surface of the dough with another 2 tablespoons of olive oil, and use your fingertips to really indent the surface of the dough with the signature vertical lines. Next, sprinkle the tops of the loaves with sesame seeds, nigella seeds, and/or flaky salt. Bake the Nan-e Barbari bread for 16-18 minutes until deeply golden brown.

  8. Remove the bread from the oven, and serve warm, or let cool. Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Recipe Notes

  • This recipe can also be adapted to add 60 g of sourdough discard. Add the sourdough discard in with the yeast and sugar in Step 1, and prepare the recipe as written.
  • To make a fully sourdough version of this recipe, add 100 g of fed and active sourdough starter in with the water. The dough will take approximately 3-4 hours to bulk ferment at room temperature, and another 2-3 hours to proof at room temperature after shaping.