As a teenager I spent several years in the Middle East doing aid work. Living in the desert, I came to love the local culture and the food. Naan bread was new to me — I had grown up eating Amish honey bread and hamburger or hot dog buns — but I quickly learned to enjoy it and to serve it alongside nearly every meal, just like the locals. This Iraqi-style naan recipe was developed with help from Middle Eastern friends and adapted for Western kitchens and modern appliances. If you have sourdough discard, try a sourdough naan with garlic butter for a delicious variation.
Iraqi Naan Bread
marilynpeight
Pin Recipe
15 mins
5 mins
1 hr
Bread
Mediterranean
5
Ingredients
- 1 cup warm water
- 1 teaspoon active dry yeast
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 2 cups bread flour*see note
Additional ingredients:
- Olive oil
- Yogurt, honey, or cream cheese for serving
Instructions
Preheat oven to 500°F.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together warm water, yeast, salt, and sugar. Let rest 10 minutes until the yeast activates and becomes foamy.
- After 10 minutes, add the flour (bread flour or all-purpose). Knead 5–10 minutes until the dough is soft and smooth. The dough should be slightly sticky but workable.
- Lightly flour the bottom of a bowl, place the dough inside, cover with a tea towel or plastic wrap, and let rest 1 hour. After 50 minutes, preheat the oven to 500°F and place a pizza stone inside to heat if using.
- Divide the dough into 5 balls and rest 15 minutes. On a lightly floured surface, roll each ball into roughly 7 x 7 inch disks. Aim for about 1/4 inch thickness around the edges — if the dough is too thin it will become crunchy.
- Brush both sides lightly with olive oil. Using an oven mitt, place one or two disks on the hot pizza stone, close the oven, and bake until the dough bubbles and the bottom browns. Flip and bake 2–3 minutes more until both sides show some color. Cool slightly and serve with cream cheese, yogurt and honey, or as a side to your favorite meal.
Notes
Below are alternative cooking and shaping methods for traditional results.
Let us know how it was!
Serve this naan with Moroccan chicken and couscous, Middle Eastern chicken and rice, shakshuka, or use it as the base for Margherita-style naan pizzas.
Method Two for cooking naan:
Heat an electric griddle to its highest setting and cook the naan disks directly on the surface. After 30–60 seconds, reduce to medium heat and flip once the bottom is browned and bubbles have formed. You can also cook them in a frying pan, but a hot oven with a pizza stone or a hot grill often gives the best puff and texture. Experiment to find what works for you.
Traditional method for shaping naan:
Rub a little olive oil on your palms. Press the dough edges down with your fingers until a walnut-sized center remains, then slap and stretch the dough between your palms until it reaches the desired shape. Place shaped pieces directly onto the hot stone to bake without added oil.
Note: Operate an oven at 500°F with caution and at your own risk.
While working in Iraq as humanitarian aid workers, naan was a staple in our diet. A local woman invited us to learn how to make naan in her outdoor earthen oven. She taught us to shape the bread by hand, bake it, and which ingredients to use. Iraqi naan differs slightly from some other naan recipes but yields the same chewy, satisfying results.
Fresh naan and shakshuka make a delicious meal for breakfast or dinner. Feel free to save this recipe and share photos of your naan — tag on Instagram at thismom.cooks if you like. Thank you for your support!
Privacy Policy