Barbari Bread

Barbari Bread is a delicious Persian flatbread with a crunchy golden crust and a soft, chewy inside. In Iran it's a breakfast staple, and people eat it with feta, herbs, butter and honey, and a glass of tea. The glaze gives the top its shine, and the sesame and nigella seeds add a nutty taste. You can tear it into strips along the grooves, and it's just as good with soup, dips or eggs.

You don't need any special equipment, just a few basic ingredients, a big bowl and a baking tray. The dough takes about two hours with the rising, and only 20 minutes of that is you doing anything.

The glaze and the grooves might look fiddly, but they're the easiest part of the recipe.

Jump to:

• What is Barbari Bread?
• Ingredients You'll Need
• How to Make Barbari Bread?
• Recipe Tips From the Chef
• Serving Suggestions
• Storage and Make Ahead Instructions
• Recipe FAQs
• Related Recipes
• Barbari Bread

The step photos and the video show you exactly how to do them, so you don't have to guess. It tastes nothing like flatbread from a packet, and it's the bread I make when I've got soup on the stove.

If you'd rather watch than read, the short video below shows the shaping, the glaze and how the grooves are made.

What is Barbari Bread?

Barbari bread is one of the most popular breads in Iran. It has a crisp crust and a light, open crumb, so it's good for tearing, dipping, and filling. Bakeries in Iran bake it fresh every morning, and most people buy it on the way home for breakfast.

The name comes from the Barbars, the Hazara people from Khorasan, who brought the bread to Tehran about 200 years ago. In Iran it goes by nan-e barbari or noon barbari, and the bakery loaves there are much bigger than the two you get from this recipe.

Noon e Barbari is a similar thickness to Turkish Pide Bread - Ramazan Pidesi, with grooves on top instead of a lattice pattern. It's crisp on the outside and soft on the inside, with a nutty taste from the sesame or nigella seeds on top.

Ingredients You'll Need

Please scroll down to the recipe card below for the full ingredients list with measurements, complete recipe method, recipe notes, and nutritional information.

For the Dough

• Flour - Bread flour (strong white bread flour in the UK) gives the best chew and the most open crumb. All-purpose or plain flour works, but the loaf comes out a little denser.

• Sugar - Just a small amount to activate the yeast and add subtle flavor.

• Yeast - I use instant yeast to help the dough rise and add lightness. Fresh yeast works as well, but you need double the amount.

For the Glaze

• Baking Soda - A small amount in the glaze makes the surface of the dough alkaline, which is why the crust browns deeply and shines like a pretzel. Don't skip it.

• Flour - All-purpose flour works best for the glaze.

• Olive oil - A little in the glaze helps the crust brown and keeps it from drying out.

How to Make Barbari Bread?

Prepare the Dough

In a large bowl, combine the flour, salt, sugar, olive oil, and yeast. 

Add the warm water gradually, stirring to form a sticky dough. Knead the dough by hand or with a mixer until it's smooth and elastic, which takes about 8 to 10 minutes.

The dough is meant to be sticky, so don't add more flour as you knead. Oil your hands or use a scraper instead, as extra flour gives you a dense loaf.

Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover it with a damp cloth, and let it rise in a warm spot for about an hour or until doubled in size.

Prepare the Glaze (Roomal)

This glaze is called roomal in Persian, and it's what gives barbari its color and shine.

In a small saucepan, combine the flour, water, olive oil, and baking soda. Cook over low heat, stirring all the time until it thickens into a smooth paste, then set it aside to cool.

The baking soda makes the surface alkaline, so the crust browns and shines the way a pretzel does. Brush it on thinly, as a thick layer bakes white and dull.

Shape the Dough

Once the dough has risen, divide it into two equal portions. Shape each portion into a ball, cover it, and let it rest for 15 minutes.

Take one ball and gently flatten it into an oval or rectangular shape on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Each piece should be about 12 inches long and 5 inches wide.

Brush the glaze thinly over the whole surface. It keeps the crust from drying out in the oven and gives it that deep golden shine.

Dip your fingers in the glaze so they don't stick, then press four or five grooves along the loaf with your fingertips, not your thumbs.

Press firmly so the lines hold their shape, but don't cut through the dough. The grooves are what stop barbari puffing up like a pita.

Sprinkle on sesame seeds, nigella seeds, or both.

Second Rise and Bake the Bread

Cover the shaped and topped dough with a damp cloth and let it rise for another hour. If the grooves have flattened out by the end of the rise, press them in again with glazed fingers before baking.

Preheat your oven to 390° F (200° C). Bake the bread for 15 to 20 minutes, until it's deep golden with a crisp crust, and the base sounds hollow when you tap it.

Keep an eye on it, as baking times vary from oven to oven.

Recipe Tips From the Chef

• If you want your Barbari Bread extra crispy, place a pan of water in the oven during baking to create a steam effect.

• If you prefer a slightly sweeter crust, add a touch of honey or sugar to the glaze.

• Use a digital kitchen scale to measure your ingredients as precisely and accurately as possible.

• If your dough isn’t rising, check the temperature of your water (it should be warm but not hot) and check that your yeast is fresh. Rising time depends on the temperature of your kitchen as well, so try placing the dough in a slightly warmer area, especially during colder months.

• The dough is sticky on purpose. Don't knead in extra flour to make it easier to handle, as that's the most common reason for a dense, flat loaf. Oiled hands and a dough scraper make it manageable.

• For a darker, blistered crust like the bakery loaves, bake at 230 to 250° C (450 to 480° F) on a preheated pizza stone or an upturned baking tray, and cut the second rise to 30 minutes. It'll be done in 10 to 12 minutes at that heat.

• Bake one loaf at a time if your oven runs unevenly, and turn the tray around halfway through so both ends brown the same.

Serving Suggestions

Breakfast

In Iran, barbari is the breakfast bread. The classic way to eat it is noon-o-paneer, which is torn bread with feta cheese (Lighvan cheese in Iran), walnuts, fresh herbs, cucumber and tomato, with sour cherry or carrot jam, butter and a glass of black tea. It's very close to a Turkish breakfast, and a bowl of Zeytoon Parvardeh - Persian Marinated Olives on the table goes well with it.

Dipping and Spreading

Barbari is the bread I put out with dips. Kashk e Bademjan is the Persian match, a smoky eggplant dip that's made for scooping up with it.

From the Turkish side, Turkish Spinach Dip - Ispanak Borani and Homemade Labneh (Yogurt Cheese) both go well with it, and so do Greek Fava Recipe - Split Pea Dip and Ajvar - Roasted Red Pepper and Eggplant Dip.

For something warm, tear it over Baked Feta Cheese with Honey, or spread it thick with Whipped Brie Cheese with Honey and Thyme.

It's sturdy enough to scoop up the sauce from Greek Shrimp Saganaki, and it soaks up the juices from Patatesli Tepsi Kebabı - Turkish Tray Kebab just as well.

Sandwiches and Wraps

Use Barbari to make big sandwiches by filling them with meats, cheeses, veggies, or falafel from my Authentic Homemade Lebanese Falafel Recipe. Its texture and size are great for holding layers of filling.

Sides for Soups and Stews

The chewy, crisp crust of Barbari is perfect for dipping into soups, Etli Taze Fasulye - Green Bean Stew with Meat, Orzo Soup (Şehriye Çorbası), Hasanpaşa Köfte - Turkish Meatballs with Mashed Potatoes, or Youvetsi.

It works well for making Iskender Kebab if you want to use it instead of pita bread.

Storage and Make Ahead Instructions

Barbari bread is at its best within a few hours of baking. Leftovers keep for 2 days at room temperature in a paper bag or wrapped in a clean cloth; a sealed plastic bag softens the crust. Don't put it in the fridge, as it goes stale faster there.

To freeze, cut the cooled loaves into pieces first, then wrap them in foil and put them in a freezer bag for up to 2 months. Reheat straight from frozen at 180° C (350° F) for 5 to 7 minutes with a sprinkle of water over the top, and the crust comes back crisp. A toaster works for single pieces.

To get ahead, make the dough the night before, cover the bowl and put it in the fridge after kneading, where it can stay for up to 24 hours.

Take it out an hour before shaping so it comes back to room temperature, then carry on with the recipe. The slow rise gives the bread a little more taste.

Recipe FAQs

Related Recipes

For more flatbread recipes, why not try:

Did you make this recipe? Please let me know how it turned out! Leave a comment below and tag @cookingorgeous on Instagram and hashtag it #cookingorgeous.

I hope you enjoy the process of making this Barbari Bread as much as you enjoy eating it! 🙂