Peshwari Naan

Warm, soft, and deliciously sweet, packed with coconut and nutty flavors, Peshwari naan is a naan bread that never disappoints! We’ve been making our own Peshwari naan’s for years, there really is nothing that compares to freshly made Indian bread.

Think Peshwari naan is just for the restaurant? Think again…

If you’ve ever been to an Indian restaurant and tried Peshwari naan, you’ll know that it’s a delicious stuffed sweet nutty stuffed bread that goes amazingly well with curry.

Where does this bread come from?

This beautiful bread is actually from Peshawar which is in Pakistan.

It’s not called Peshawari naan though, although perhaps Peshawari naan would be a logical name.

Peshwari naan bread is traditionally made in a tandoor oven but because not everyone has a tandoor oven, we’ve used a frying pan on high heat.

Does peshwari naan contain nuts?

Yes, it does, so if you are cooking naan bread for anyone with nut allergies, then this is definitely not the recipe for you!

In our Peshwari naan recipe, we’ve used flaked almonds, cashew nuts, and pistachio nuts.

What’s the difference between naan and chapati?

Naan is made with leavened dough, this means that you use yeast when you make it, and then you need to leave it to prove for at least 1 hour, in order for the dough to rise.

This naan is lovely and soft and not as coarse as a chapati.

Chapati is made with unleavened dough and is a lot thinner than the Peshwari.

Are all naan breads sweet?

No, they are not, this recipe is just an example of one of the more sweet naan bread that you can make.

Do I use plain flour or bread flour?

In our recipe, we’ve used plain flour but it’s perfectly fine to use bread flour as well.

How long does naan bread take to prove?

It takes at least 1 hour to prove but you can prove it for a maximum of 3 hours if you want to, we left ours to prove for 2 hours.

Do I need special equipment to make this?

No, you don’t need anything out of the ordinary for this Peshwari naan recipe.

You’ll need a large bowl for the dough to prove in and a pan to cook them in – that’s as specialized as it gets!

We didn’t even use a food processor!

Why do you sprinkle water on naan?

By sprinkling warm water on naan bread, you are going to make sure it’s nice and soft as they reheat in the oven.

Of course, if your Peshwari naans are fresh out of the frying pan, there’s no need to sprinkle them with warm water.

Do I use butter or ghee?

It’s entirely up to you whether you use butter or ghee in your Peshwari naan.

Ghee has less lactose in it and is seen as healthier than butter.

Can you eat naan bread cold?

Of course, that’s no problem to do, although the texture is a lot softer when they are heated up.

But if you have leftover naan bread and haven’t got the time to heat them up, then it’s safe to eat the naan cold.

How long does naan last in the fridge?

Peshwari naan bread keeps in the fridge for approximately 3 days if it’s kept in an airtight container.

Can I freeze it?

Yes, you can freeze it. You have to make sure you wrap it securely and then it will keep for approximately 3 months.

Please make sure you defrost it thoroughly before you eat it.

After each of your Peshwari naan bread is cooked, place it in a warm place until you are ready to serve.

Serve with Indian curry, dahl, and rice (you’ll find some great recipes on our website).

If you are not serving your Peshwari naans until later, you’ll need to sprinkle a little warm water on them and then place them in the oven for 4 or 5 mins until they warm through.

More Indian recipes for you to try

If you love our Indian bread recipes, then you should try these tasty accompaniments; vegetable bhuna, aloo gobi, saag aloo, bhindi raita, and naan bread.

How to make Peshwari naan at home

This is an easy Peshwari naan recipe with a cooking time of just 4 minutes per naan, and once you taste your naan bread, you won’t want to buy shop-bought again!

First, you’ll need to make your dough.

In a large mixing bowl, first, pour in warm milk and then add in your dried yeast. Just give it a couple of minutes to let it absorb.

Then add coconut oil, give it a whisk before adding in the sugar, then another whisk, add your egg, give it a whisk and then add your full-fat yogurt and a final whisk.

Now you’ll need to slowly add in your plain flour mixing it in as you do so, no need for a food processor here, just do it with a wooden spoon.

You may not need to add in all of the flour, you just want the flour to be a firm texture that you’ll be able to knead, you don’t want it wet and sticky.

Now place the dough on a floured surface and knead it for approximately 10 minutes.

You’ll now need to return the dough to your mixing bowl to prove it. Brush the bowl lightly with coconut oil and also the top of the dough, then cover with cling film.

Place the naan dough in a warm place so that it can rise.

You’ll need to let the naan dough prove for a minimum of 1 hour and a maximum of 3, we proved our dough for 2 hours.

Meanwhile, you can make the sweet filling mixture.

Place desiccated coconut in a bowl, add sugar, and mixed nuts. We used almond flakes, cashew nuts, and pistachio nuts but it’s fine to use whatever nuts you prefer for this recipe.

Add cinnamon and give the ingredients a good stir.

Now add melted butter into the sweet mixture and stir until it has all combined. Then set aside.

When your naan dough has risen, divide the dough into 6 dough balls, you can weigh them out if you want to be exact but it doesn’t have to look identical and it’s kind of nice if it doesn’t.

Now place the dough balls on a floured surface and roll out each of the balls until it’s around 6 inches or 16 cms but don’t forget, it doesn’t need to be exact.

When you have rolled out your first dough ball, it’s time for the sweet sugar coconut filling to go in.

Place it in the center of the dough. You’ll need to add around 4/5 tbsp on the filling to each naan dough.

Next fold the dough to the center of the naan, making sure that the sweet filling is held in tight.

Then roll it into a ball again and then roll it out once again with your rolling pin.

You’ll just need to be careful that the naan bread doesn’t break or tear, so go gently.

When you’ve rolled each naan out, you’ll be able to see the sugar, coconut, and nut filling through the dough.

You’ll need a large frying pan or skillet and put it on medium to high heat.

This recipe doesn’t need you to cook with any oil or butter, you cook your naans on dry heat.

Place each one individually into the frying pan and let each side cook for approximately 2 minutes but do check how it’s cooking.

It’s absolutely normal for the bread to look like it’s got burnt but this is part of the style of the bread.

You’ll notice little patches of brown blisters on the bread, if you look at the photos you’ll see what we mean.

A tasty but purely optional step is to lightly brush your naan bread with melted butter or ghee, this really does finish your naans off perfectly.

Get ready to serve your naans with a tasty curry!

We hope you enjoy our Peshwari naan recipe with your curry and would love to hear your feedback, please leave a comment below and let us know how yours turned out.

Looking for more recipes? Try these gluten-free bagels.

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