How to make
Heat 12 fl oz (350 ml) of water to body temperature and dissolve honey, yeast and 5.3 oz (150 g) of flour in it. Cover the bowl and leave it for 20 minutes. It needs to puff up nicely and will rise, so keep that in mind and pick a bigger baking pan for that.
To the fluffy mixture, sift the remaining flour (save only 10 g of it, which you will need at a later stage) with the salt and knead a soft dough. You can add flour to prevent sticking, but don't let the dough become hard.
Greased hands would also prevent sticking.
Place it in the bowl, coating it with oil in advance. Cover and leave it for an hour in a warm room.
Divide the dough into 4 equal parts. Grease your hands again and stretch each part into an oval, slightly oblong shape.
Place in a wide baking pan covered with baking paper, sprinkled with corn flour. The bread can also be shaped directly in the baking pan by pressing and stretching with your fingers.
I fit 2naan flatbread in one tray so there is a little space between them, so I use two trays.
Cover the two trays with towels and let flatbread rise for another 20-30 minutes.
Heat the oven to 360°F (180°C).
Mix the remaining 2 fl oz (60 ml) of water with 0.35 oz (10 g) of flour and the baking soda. Spread the naan bread with this mixture and with the blunt side of a knife make 4 indentations lengthwise with light pressure.
Sprinkle two of the flatbread with sesame seeds and the other two with poppy seeds.
Bake until golden brown in the preheated oven (20 minutes per tray).
Cool on a wire rack to keep the bottom crust crispy.
The Iranian bread is also served warm, and if it remains for the next day, it is slightly reheated in the oven or on a pan, so that it becomes crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.
Enjoy your meal!
