Why settle for store-bought when you can make this authentic charm of traditional Nan-e Barbari right into your kitchen? With its irresistibly chewy, thin crumb, nutty sounds, and signature golden brown crust—barbari bread is the perfect canvas for all favorite toppings.
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Hey, bread lovers! Today’s recipe is something truly special—it’s not just any bread, but a gem from the rich and ancient Persian culinary tradition. In fact, this Nan-e Barbari is one of the first bread recipes I’m sharing this year, and it’s a true classic: perfectly soft, wonderfully chewy, topped with seeds, and with a golden-brown crust, just as tradition demands. Slice it horizontally and it becomes the perfect base for sandwiches, an ideal choice for dipping, or as a companion to cheeses like creamy Greek feta cheese.
When it comes to making barbari bread. The process is surprisingly simple. You can easily prepare it by hand, but using a stand mixer, as I do, makes it even easier. The dough comes together in just 8–10 minutes using six basic ingredients, followed by two rising periods. Shaping the bread is a breeze with the help of a rolling pin, making it accessible to bakers of all skill levels.
If you are a fan of flatbreads, be sure to check out some of the other recipes I have shared, like Turkish Bazlama, Black Pepper Focaccia, or this easy unleavened bread recipe. But for now let’s dive deeper into our bread and get to know what Barbari bread is.
What is Barbari Bread?
Nan-e Barbari, commonly known as Barbari bread, is a traditional yeast leavened flatbread originating from Iran and Afghanistan, take its name from the old name of the Hazara community group, as I read on Wikipedia,
Traditionally, This Persian bread is made from a basic lean dough of wheat flour, yeast, water, salt, and sometimes sugar and oil, shaped into a large oval shape, “typically around 28×10-inches (70x25cm)”, and then brushed with Roomal, a flour glaze made with baking soda, flour and water that gives it its golden crust while keeping its crumb lighter and airy. Before baking in a traditional stone oven, Nan e Barbari is usually sprinkled with sesame and nigella seeds, which gives the bread a nutty flavor and enhances its appearance.


Ingredients You Need & Why
The softer and less crusty the bread, the more fat and sweeteners it contains. That’s why today’s Iranian bread dough includes a small amount of sugar and olive oil. Here are the ingredients needed to prepare the dough.

- Water: A vital ingredient in baking bread! Lukewarm water activates the yeast and reduces slightly the gluten development, which makes the bread softer. If you use water that’s too hot, you risk killing the yeast, so I recommend using water between 90 and 105 °F (30-40°C) degrees Fahrenheit. To make sure the temperature is just right, dip your finger in the water–if it feels too hot, wait a bit and then start mixing. If the temperature is suitable, you can start mixing.
- Sugar: Sugar feeds and activates the yeast, tenderizes the dough, and makes the crumbs soft.
- Yeast: You can use instant, fresh, or active dry yeast. See the recipe note below for how to use fresh yeast.
- Flour: For this recipe, I prefer to use all-purpose flour which makes the bread softer, less airy and chewy compared to other white bread and that’s exactly what I want. But you can still use bread flour, but keep in mind that bread flour produces stronger and chewy bread.
- Salt: Essential for flavor. I use coarse sea salt in this recipe. Feel free to use your favorite salt.
- Olive oil: Although it is an optional ingredient, olive oil promises flavor and extends the bread shelf life.
You still need more flour, water, olive oil, and baking soda to make the Roomal “flour glaze” as well as nigella and sesame seeds for topping.
Step-by-Step: How to Make Barbari Bread
Now let’s talk about how to make barbari bread recipe.
Mix together the lukewarm water, yeast and sugar and cover. let it rest until activated, about 10-15 minutes.

Pour the mixture into the bowl of the stand mixer, followed by flour, salt and begin to knead your dough on low speed with the dough hook. It takes 3 minutes for the dough to become shaggy.
After that, set the mixer on medium speed, add the olive oil and knead the dough for 3-4 minutes until it become smooth and elastic. At this step you may see the dough split into two pieces and make a bit of a mess on the side of the bowl due to the added oil, that’s okay! Just keep kneading and the dough will become smoother and get the desired consistency on its own. If you knead by hand see the recipe card below.

Cover and let the dough rise in a greased bowl for 1 hour or until doubled in size.
Once the dough doubles in size, flour your work surface and transfer the dough onto it without releasing the air. Divide the dough into two pieces and shape each into a ball. Lightly flour one ball of dough while keeping the other covered, flatten it, then roll it out into an oblong shape, using a baking tin or by hand if you can. Traditionally, most Persian bakeries use a mixture of bran and wheat flour to sprinkle and shape the dough at this step, But there is no difference between them, so I didn’t follow tradition here.

Place the ball-shaped dough in a prepared baking sheet and repeat the process with the other ball of dough.
Let the dough rise a second time in a warm place. While the dough is rising, start preparing the flour glaze by boiling 2 tablespoons water, then add the remaining glaze ingredients, including the flour, baking soda, and olive oil and whisk together until become creamy. You can also prepare it just as I do when the dough is ready to bake, but this is easier for you to organize your time especially if you’re new to baking bread.

When the loaf is ready to bake, preheat the oven to 484 degrees Fahrenheit (250 degrees Celsius). Drizzle the flour glaze evenly over the surface of the two loaves and gently brush it all over, then top with seeds.

Bake the Barbari for 15 minutes or until the crust turns a golden brown in color. For best result, I recommended, bake this traditional Persian flatbread one at time on the middle position of the oven.
FAQs
How to store Nan-e Barbari?
Traditionally, Barbari bread is eaten fresh for breakfast, spread with traditional Persian sauce or butter and jam. However, you can still store it for 2-3 days at room temperature in an airtight box or zip-lock bag.
Is barbari bread gluten free?
No, this homemade Berber bread is made with all-purpose flour that contains gluten. However, for gluten free bread options, you can try your hand with this easy recipe.

Traditional Persian Barbari Bread Recipe
Ingredients
For the Dough
- 1 and 1/2 cups (340ml) water, lukewarm
- 1 tablespoon (13 grams) sugar
- 3 teaspoons (10 grams) active or instant dry yeast
- 3 and 1/2 cups (490 grams) all purpose flour
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons (10 grams) salt
- 3 tablespoons (45 grams) olive oil
For the Glaze
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 1 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons water, boil
For Topping
- ⅛ cup (20 grams) sesame seeds
- ⅛ cup (28 grams) nigella seeds
Instructions
- Prepare the yeast: Whisk the lukewarm water, sugar and yeast in liquid measuring cup. Cover and allow to rest for 10-15 minutes until the yeast is active. Grease a large bowl and set aside.
- Make the dough: Pour the yeast mixture, flour, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer. Attach the dough hook and Combine on low speed for 3 minutes, until the dough forms and becomes shaggy. (If the dough is too firm, add more water. If the dough is too wet, add 1-2 tablespoons of flour.) If you don't have a stand mixer, simply add the ingredients into a mixing bowl and mix with a wooden spoon or spatula for 3-4 minutes until you achieve the same consistency.
- Knead the dough: Set the mixer on medium speed, add the olive oil and knead the dough for 3-4 minutes until it is smooth and slightly sticky to the finger. Alternatively, transfer the dough to a floured surface and knead for 4-6 minutes until smooth.
- 1st Rise: Shape the dough into a ball and place in the prepared bowl. Cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel or plastic wrap and allow to rise for 1 hour in a warm environment, or until doubled in size. (Tip: For the warm environment on particularly cold days, place the dough in a turned-off oven and put a bowl filled with 1 cup of boiling water in the bottom of the oven. This creates an ideal warm environment for the dough to rise.)
- Line two 16-inch baking pans with parchment paper.
- Shape the dough: When the dough doubles in size, transfer it to a floured surface without releasing the air and divide it into two equal pieces. (Just eyeball it–you don't need to be ideal!) Shape each into a ball and sprinkle with a little flour. On a lightly floured work surface using a lightly floured rolling pin and work on one ball at a time. Gently flatten the dough, then roll it out into an oblong shape, about 14×6 inches (37×16 cm) and 1/2-inch thick. Place the shaped bread on the prepared baking sheet and repeat with the remaining dough ball.
- 2nd Rise: Cover the dough and let it rise in a warm environment for 60-90 minutes.
- When the dough is ready, take it out of the oven and preheat the oven to 484 degrees Fahrenheit (250 degrees Celsius).
- Prepare the Glaze: Whisk the baking soda, flour, olive oil and boiling water in a small saucepan until creamy.
- Dimple, glaze and top the dough: Pour half of the glaze over the top of the bread and brush it all over with a pastry brush. Using your fingers and no thumbs, and from the right and ends on the left, dimple the flat bread lengthwise to create parallel lines while leaving a 1/2-inch space between them. (Refer to the pictures above as a guide for you.) Sprinkle half of sesame and nigella seeds on the top. Repeat with the remaining dough.
- Bake: Bake for 15 minutes until golden brown. It's best to bake Nan-e barbari bread one at a time and in the middle position of the oven.