Noon Barbari or Nan Barbari is a popular traditional Persian flatbread with a crispy crust and a light, airy texture. Noon or nan means bread. Typical for this bread are the grooves along the bread. It can be pulled apart along the grooves, making it easy to tear and split.
You only need a couple of ingredients including flour, yeast, water and honey. I’m sure most of you have these ingredients on hand, so you can make this awesome bread any time without having to do a lot of planning ahead.
The great thing about this bread is it is quick to prepare and tastes best when eaten warm right after baking. You only need to let it cool for 10 minutes when it comes out of the oven. So no long wait for the bread to cool completely, on the contrary the warmer the better.
You have a lot of possibilities to enjoy this bread. You can have Noon Barbari as a savory option with grilled meat, feta cheese, yogurt with cucumbers or as a sweet option with honey, butter and jam…just to name a few.
Tools & Equipment
- 2-4 quarter baking sheets
- Baking steel
- Dough scraper
- Instant read thermometer
- Large bowl with lid
- Pastry brush
- Silicone spatula
- Small saucepan
- Whisk
- Wire rack
Recipe Tips
Honey: You can use regular honey or if you prefer to keep the recipe vegan, you can use agave syrup instead of honey.
Dough: The dough is very sticky and that’s how it should be. But if you think it’s too sticky to work with, then add a little more flour, but do not add too much because you don’t want to change the consistency.
Proofing Time: The great thing about this bread is that it’s very quick to prepare, because it doesn’t need to proof overnight. It only needs to rise once for about 1-2 hours. So you do not have to plan as much time as for making other breads.
Baking Steel: You could bake this bread directly on the baking steel. Therefore dust the baking steel with cornmeal or use parchment paper.
Ingredients for Noon Barbari
Directions – How to Make Noon Barbari
Make the Bread
In a large bowl whisk together yeast, honey and lukewarm water. Let it sit until foamy, for about 5 minutes.
Add flour and salt and mix with a silicone spatula until there are no dry streaks, for about 1-2 minutes. Cover the bowl with a lid or plastic wrap. Let the dough rise until doubled in size., for about 1-1 ½ hours.
Use a dough scraper to take the dough and fold the outsides into the center 4-8 times, turning the bowl as you go. The dough will be sticky.
Grease 4 quarter baking sheets. Divide the dough into 4 loaves and place each on a greased baking sheet. Preheat the oven to 230°C/450F° and place a baking steel on the lower rack. Let the dough rest for 30 minutes.
Make the Glaze
In a small saucepan heat flour, honey and water over medium heat until glaze begins to thicken. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.
Shape each loaf into a 35x13cm/14×5-inch rectangle with damp hands so it won’t stick to your fingers. Press 4-5 lengthwise grooves into the dough. Brush the glaze over the dough. Sprinkle the top with sesame seeds. Bake for 15-18 minutes on the baking steel until golden brown. Let cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes before serving. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Storing and Freezing Instructions
Storage: Keep this flatbread at room temperature coverd with kitchen towels or placed in a paper bag for up to 3 days.
Freezing Instructions: It won’t be as good as made fresh, but you can freeze leftovers. Wrap in aluminum foil and place in a ziplock bag or an airtight container for up to 3 month. Do not thaw, heat the frozen pieces in the oven for a couple of minutes until warmed through again.
My Summary for Noon Barbari
Difficulty: Simple.
Taste & Texture: The bread tastes simply delicious. It’s super soft and fluffy, but a little crunchy on the outside. The glaze used to coat the bread helps to create this texture. It adds a great crunch and a beautiful color to the bread.
Time: For making the dough, the glaze and spreading it on the baking sheets you should plan about 30 minutes. The dough needs to proof for 60-90 minutes. Baking time is 15-17 minutes per loaf and after that the bread has to cool down for 10 minutes.
