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Afghan

Afghan naan

Vegetarian

نان افغانی · Naan-e Afghani

Long, oval yeasted flatbreads with deep finger-grooves, brushed with oil and sprinkled with seeds, baked very hot until golden with a chewy crumb.

Afghan naan is an Afghan bread from Afghanistan, ready in about 2 hours 20 minutes and made with all-purpose flour, whole-wheat flour and dried yeast. It serves 6 and is rated intermediate to cook.

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Prep
20 min
Cook
15 min
Rest
1 h 45 min
Total
2 h 20 min
Serves
6
Level
Intermediate
Calories
344

Ingredients

6 servings (3 loaves)

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Mix the flours, yeast, sugar (opens in a new tab) and salt. Add the water and 1 tbsp oil and knead for 8–10 minutes until smooth and elastic.

    • 12 min
    Hands kneading dough on a floured surface
    How it looks · Photo: Klaus Nielsen on Pexels

  2. Step 2

    Cover and leave to rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1½ hours.

    • 90 min

  3. Step 3

    Heat the oven (opens in a new tab) to 250 °C with a baking tray inside. Divide the dough into 3, shape each into a long oval about 1 cm thick, and rest 15 minutes.

    • 18 min
    • 250°C

  4. Step 4

    Press deep parallel grooves along each loaf with your fingertips, brush with the remaining oil (or water) and scatter with seeds.

    • 3 min
    Fresh herbs scattered over a finished dish
    How it looks · Photo: Klaus Nielsen on Pexels

  5. Step 5

    Slide onto the hot tray and bake 10–12 minutes until golden. Wrap in a cloth to keep soft.

About this dish

Origin
Afghanistan · Well documentedAlso popular in PakistanMore food from Afghanistan
Dish
Breakfast · Lunch · Dinner · Breads & flatbreads
Cooking method
Oven-baked
Taste
savoury, nutty, mild
Diet
Vegan · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients
All labelsVegan · Plant-based · Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Ovo-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · DASH-style
Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Freezer-friendly · Make-ahead
Cook more with
All-purpose flour · Whole-wheat flour · Dried yeast · Sugar
Techniques
Baking · Kneading · Fermentation

Allergens

  • Contains: Wheatfrom all-purpose flour, whole-wheat flour
  • Contains: Glutenfrom all-purpose flour, whole-wheat flour
  • Contains, can be adapted: Sesamefrom sesame seeds

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

344 kcal per serving

Calculated

1 serving ≈ 133 g · recipe makes 6

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 11%
  • Carbohydrate 74%
  • Fat 15%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g
Energy344 kcal258 kcal
Protein9.8 g7.4 g
Carbohydrate63.7 g47.8 g
Net carbohydrate59.1 g44.3 g
Sugars1 g0.7 g
Added sugars0.7 g0.5 g
Fibre4.6 g3.4 g
Fat5.8 g4.4 g
Saturated fat0.5 g0.4 g
Trans fat——
Cholesterol0 mg0 mg
Sodium586 mg440 mg
Salt equivalent1.5 g1.1 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
164 mg
Calcium
24 mg
Iron
3.6 mg
Magnesium
49 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
0 µg
Vitamin C
0 mg
Vitamin D
0 µg
Vitamin B12
0 µg
Folate (DFE)
208 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • Optional ingredients are not included: sesame seeds, poppy seeds.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • A baking stone or upturned heavy tray gives the closest result to a tandoor.

Common mistakes

  • Shallow grooves disappear in the oven — press right down to the tray.

Serve with

  • Tear and eat with kebabs, borani banjan or Kabuli pulao.

Storage

  • Best on the day; freezes well wrapped.

Reheating

  • Sprinkle with water and warm in a hot oven for 3–4 minutes.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Used in step 1

Baker’s notes

Customise in Bread & Bakery

Timeline and readiness cues

  1. Mix and knead · about 20 min

    Weigh everything. Knead until smooth and elastic: a small piece stretches thin enough to see light through (the windowpane test).

  2. First rise (bulk) · about 1 h 30 min

    About doubled, domed, jiggly, with bubbles on the sides. A floured finger poked in leaves a dent that fills slowly.

  3. Final proof · about 15 min

    Poke test: the dent springs back slowly and only partly. Springs back fast = needs longer; doesn't spring back = over-proofed, bake now.

  4. Bake · about 12 min at 250 °C

    Deep golden; bread sounds hollow when tapped underneath, or reads 93–96 °C inside (enriched breads 88–90 °C).

  5. Start to finish: about 2 h 17 min. Times are a guide — warmth changes everything; follow the cues.

The dough

The dough in baker's percentages. Flour = 100%.
IngredientRoleWeightBaker’s %
All-purpose flourFlour350 g70%
Whole-wheat flourFlour150 g30%
WaterWater340 g68%
Neutral vegetable oilFat27 g5.4%
SaltSalt9 g1.8%
Dried yeastYeast7 g1.4%
SugarSugar4 g0.8%
Total flour
500 g
Hydration
68%
With milk, eggs…
68%
Wholegrain
30%

Hydration = water ÷ flour × 100. Milk is about 87% water and eggs about 75%, so they’re shown separately as “with milk, eggs…”.

  • Soft, slightly sticky dough (65–75%) — open crumb; most rustic loaves.
  • Salt 1.8% — normal for bread.
  • 30% wholegrain — absorbs more water and gives a denser, nuttier loaf.

If something goes wrong

  • Dense, heavy loaf

    Likely causes

    • Under-kneaded (weak gluten)
    • Under-proofed
    • Old or dead yeast/starter
    • Too much wholegrain flour without extra water

    What to do

    • Knead to the windowpane stage
    • Proof by the poke test, not the clock
    • Test yeast in warm water with sugar; feed the starter and use it at its peak
    • Add 5–10% more water for wholegrain flours and give them a rest
  • Pale crust

    Likely causes

    • Oven too cool
    • Too little sugar or no milk/egg for browning
    • Over-fermented (yeast ate the sugars)

    What to do

    • Check the oven with a thermometer
    • Brush with egg wash or milk
    • Shorten the fermentation
  • Burnt bottom

    Likely causes

    • Tray too close to the heat
    • Dark tray absorbs more heat
    • Too much sugar in the dough

    What to do

    • Bake on the middle shelf
    • Double up trays or use a light-coloured one
    • Lower the temperature 10–15 °C and bake a little longer
  • Dough didn't rise

    Likely causes

    • Dead yeast (expired or killed by hot liquid)
    • Kitchen too cold
    • Salt in direct contact with fresh yeast
    • Starter not active

    What to do

    • Liquid should be lukewarm (no hotter than 40 °C)
    • Proof somewhere warm (an oven with just the light on)
    • Mix the salt into the flour, not onto the yeast
    • Feed the starter until it doubles in 4–8 hours
  • Tough or chewy flatbread

    Likely causes

    • Dough too stiff
    • Not rested
    • Cooked too slowly on too cool a pan

    What to do

    • Add water until the dough is soft and slightly tacky
    • Rest 20–30 minutes covered so the gluten relaxes
    • Cook on a very hot tawa or pan — quickly

Reviews & corrections

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