
Nan-e taftoon
Thin tandoor flatbread
نان تافتون · Thin, soft flatbread slapped onto a hot tanoor wall
Taftoon is the everyday bread of many Iranian towns, from Qazvin to Kerman: thin, soft and slightly bubbly, slapped onto the hot clay wall of a tanoor and peeled off a minute later, then piled on the sofreh at lunch to wrap herbs and cheese or to scoop up stews. It is softer and thinner than barbari but less papery than lavash. A heavy pan or upturned wok on the hob gives very good results at home. The common mistake is rolling it unevenly; thin patches burn while thick ones stay doughy. Chef's tip: stack the breads in a tea towel as they come off the heat; the trapped steam keeps them soft and foldable.
- Prep
- 100 min
- Cook
- 25 min
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Serves
- 8
- Per serving
- 230 kcal
Ingredients
- 12 ½ oz plain flour
- 5 ½ oz wholemeal flour
- 1 tsp instant dried yeast
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 ¼ cups warm water
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Mix both flours, the 12 ½ oz plain flour and 5 ½ oz wholemeal flour, with the 1 tsp instant dried yeast and 1 tsp salt. Add the 1 ¼ cups warm water and 1 tbsp vegetable oil and knead for 8 minutes into a soft, slightly tacky dough. Cover and leave for 1 hour, until puffy.
70 minStep 2: Divide into 8 balls, cover with a damp cloth and rest for 15 minutes so they roll out easily.
15 minStep 3: Roll each ball on a floured surface into an even round about 25 cm across and 3 mm thick. Prick all over with a fork so it doesn't balloon.
10 minStep 4: Heat a large heavy frying pan or upturned wok over a high heat until a sprinkle of flour browns in 5 seconds.
3 minStep 5: Lay a round on the hot surface and cook for 1–1½ minutes, until bubbles rise and the underside has brown spots. Flip and cook 1 minute more until spotted but still soft and bendy.
3 minStep 6: Wrap in a tea towel and repeat with the rest, wiping the pan with a dry cloth if flour burns on it. Serve warm.
20 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 230 kcal
- Protein
- 7 g
- Carbs
- 46 g
- Fat
- 2 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does nan-e taftoon take?
- About 125 minutes in total: 100 minutes to prepare and 25 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 8 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- What can I use instead of plain flour?
- Self-raising flour, same amount (then leave out the baking powder).
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