If you've ever delighted in the sweet, nutty flavours of Peshwari Naan at your favourite restaurant and wished you could recreate it at home, you're in for a treat. This homemade Peshwari Naan recipe is not only simple to make but brings a piece of the rich culinary heritage of the Indian subcontinent right into your kitchen. Perfect for a special occasion or to have a full Indian Fekaway feast for a weekend meal, this recipe will guide you through creating indulgent Peshwari Naans that are sure to impress.
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What is Peshwari Naan and Where Does It Originate?
Peshwari Naan, a sweet bread filled with a mixture of sultanas, ground almonds, and coconut, hails from the city of Peshawar in Pakistan. Unlike traditional naans, which are typically savoury (hint: try our Cheese Garlic Naan), Peshwari Naan is known for its sweet coconut and almond filling. It is a truly unique variant across British Indian restaurants and beyond.
This sweet naan blends the soft fluffy naan bread texture with the indulgent sweetness of its filling, making it a favourite for those who love to explore different facets of Indian cuisine.
Sometimes spelt as Peshawari Naan, it is extremely versatile and can be enjoyed in various different ways. Whilst visiting North India, we saw people simply indulging in Peshwari Naan with a cup of chai tea. Here, in the UK, is a naan of choice for a side dish to saucy curries, like spicy Chicken Rogan Josh or milder and sweeter Chicken Pasanda Curry!
Ingredient Notes and Substitutes
It may look like this Peshwari Naan Bread Recipe has a long ingredients list, but fret not - you may already have the majority of these things in your cupboards! Here's what you'll need:
Naan Bread Dough Ingredients:
- fast-action yeast: also known as instant yeast. If using dry yeast, make sure to activate it in warm water first.
- plain flour (all-purpose flour): you may use strong bread flour, if that's what you have. You may use self-raising flour, but omit the baking powder in the recipe.
- caster sugar: also known as superfine sugar. white granulated sugar will work too.
- baking powder: don't confuse it with baking soda.
- salt: we use and love Maldon Sea Salt.
- Greek yogurt: or full-fat natural yogurt.
- unsalted butter: melted and slightly cooled down. You may replace butter with melted ghee.
Peshwari Naan Filling Ingredients:
- ground almonds: also known as almond flour.
- desiccated coconut: sweetened or unsweetened depending on your preference.
- sultanas or raisins: other dried fruits that can be used include dried apricots or currents.
- light brown sugar: can be replaced with golden syrup.
- softened unsalted butter.
- melted unsalted butter for brushing the top of the naan breads after cooking.
You can find the full ingredients list with quantities, step-by-step method and nutritional values in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
Step-By-Step Method
1. Naan Dough Preparation: The first step is mixing your dry ingredients (flour, salt, sugar, yeast and baking powder) in the large bowl of your stand mixer. Add the liquid ingredients-yogurt, melted butter, and water-and knead it into a smooth dough. Prepare yourself for a sticky wet dough.
It will take about 10-15 minutes in a stand mixer on medium-low speed. Let this soft dough rest in a nice warm place, covered with cling film, until it doubles in size (1-1.5 hours).
2. Peshwari Paste Filling: While the dough rests and rises, prepare the sweet Peshwari filling by combining ground almonds, coconut, sultanas, and brown sugar with melted butter in a mixing bowl to create a crumbly paste.
3. Shaping: Once risen, divide your dough into six dough balls. Roll each piece of dough into an oval shape, scatter the coarse paste filling on one half, then fold over and seal. Stretch gently to achieve the traditional naan shape. You may also use a rolling pin to toll it into a large thin naan bread shape (they typically come in teardrop or oval shapes).
4. Cooking: Heat a large frying pan or a seasoned cast-iron skillet over high heat and dry fry each naan until golden brown and puffed up, flipping halfway through. They will need about 3 minutes on each side, but the cooking time will depend on how thinly you roll them out. A hot pan ensures you get the signature brown spots on the surface of the dough.
5. Finishing Touches: Brush cooked peshwari naan flatbreads with melted butter and serve them warm.
What To Serve With Peshwari Naan?
Serve your homemade Peshwari Naan with a variety of dishes, from savoury curries like butter chicken to simple red lentil dahl. It also pairs wonderfully with sweet dishes like Bhapa Doi (Baked Mango Yogurt) for a dessert or as a special breakfast treat.
I personally prefer serving Peshari Naan with a spicy curry, like Chicken Bhuna or Karahi Chicken (Pakistani Chicken Curry), but my husband Seb loves these breads with Creamy Chicken Pasanda and even Slow Cooker Curried Sausages!
Indian Fakeaway Feast At Home
Don't reach for those takeaway menus, and have a fun night cooking all the Indian takeaway staples at home! Trust me, these dishes will be a lot tastier, heaps cheaper and 100% worthy to go on your social media page!
- Chicken Rogan Josh (Easy Recipe)
- Chicken Bhuna Curry (Takeaway Style Recipe)
- Chicken Pasanda (Easy, Creamy & Mild Curry Recipe)
- Easy Chicken Karahi | Pakistani Chicken Curry
- Chickpea And Aubergine Curry (Vegan)
- Homemade Naan Bread Recipe
- Easy 4-Ingredient Rotis | Simple Indian Flatbreads
- Gulgula | Indian Banana Doughnuts
Storage and Making Ahead
Peshwari Naan is best enjoyed fresh but can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 1-2 days.
For longer storage, freeze Peshwari Naans. Wrap each flatbread individually in cling film or aluminium foil, and place them in an airtight container to protect them from freezer burn. Store them in the freezer for up to 3 months.
To reheat, thaw the naan breads fully first, then arrange them on a baking tray in a single layer, and cover the tray with foil. Place them in an oven, preheated to 180°C for 8-10 minutes, or until hot throughout.
Tips for Best Results
- VERY High Heat. Ensure your pan is very hot to mimic the effect of a traditional tandoor oven (Indian clay oven), giving your homemade naan the characteristic blisters.
- Keeping Naan Warm. You are likely to be frying one peshwari naan at a time. To keep them warm, preheat the oven to the lowest setting, and stack them on top of each other as they cook in the oven.
- Dough Consistency. Your naan dough should be soft and slightly sticky. Avoid adding too much flour to the dough, and instead work on a lightly floured surface!
- Filling. Be generous with the nutty filling but avoid overfilling, which can cause the naans to burst open during cooking.
- Aesthetics. after brushing the naan bread with butter, scatter the tops with sesame seeds, nigella seeds or roughly chopped parsley to make them more aesthetically pleasing.
Peshwari Naan Recipe FAQs
Why Is It Called Peshwari Naan?
It's named after the city of Peshawar in Pakistan, where this sweet naan is believed to have originated, offering a unique twist to the traditional flatbread by incorporating a rich, sweet filling.
Can I Make Peshwari Naan Without Commercial Yeast?
Yes, whilst Peshawri Naan is typically a commercial yeast-leavened bread, you can make naan using a natural sourdough starter as a leavening agent (have a look at our Sourodugh Naan recipe whilst we're working on a Sourdough Peshwari Naan recipe).
Peshwari Naan Recipe
Equipment
- Large Frying Pan or Cast Iron Skillet
Ingredients
- 7 g (1½ teaspoon) fast-action yeast
- 120 ml (½ cups) luke warm water
- 330 g (2 ⅖ cups) plain white flour plus extra for dusting
- 1 teaspoon caster sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 150 ml (⅔ cups) Greek yogurt
- 30 g (2 tablespoon) unsalted butter melted and slightly cooled down
Peshwari Naan Filling:
- 100 g (0.89 cups) ground almonds almond flour
- 3 tablespoon desiccated coconut
- 50 g (0.34 cups) sultanas or raisins roughly chopped
- 40 g (0.18 cups) light brown sugar
- 50 g (1.76 oz) unsalted butter melted
For Brushing:
- 40 g (4 tablespoon) unsalted butter melted
Instructions
Dough:
- Add the flour, yeast, sugar, baking powder and salt to a bowl of your stand mixer and mix to distribute the ingredients. Add the yogurt, melted and slightly cooled butter and water.
- In your stand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment, mix the dough for about 12-15 minutes on medium-low speed, until soft an elastic.
- Scoop the dough into a lightly greased large bowl, cover it with cling film or a damp kitchen towel and leave in a warm place to proof for 1-1.5 hours, until the dough roughly doubles in volume.
Filling:
- Whilst the dough rises, make pershwari naan filling. In a large mixing bowl, combine almond flour (ground almonds), coconut, sultanas or raisins, sugar and melted butter and mix until you have a crumbly paste.
Assembly & Cooking:
- When the dough is ready, divide it into 6 even pieces on a generously floured kitchen surface.
- Roll each piece of dough into an oval, about 10x5cm (4x2 in).
- Scatter the almond and coconut filling on half of the oval (see photos above), avoiding about 1cm edge. fold the dough over, so you have a semi-circle and seal the edges well with your fingers. Repeat this process with all 6 pieces of dough.
- Stretch the dough a little to shape it into a teardrop shape and make the dough thinner.
- Heat a large non-stick frying pan or a cast iron skillet. over high heat. Once it is very hot, place one peshwari naan into the pan (no need for oil) and let it dry-fry for 3 minutes. It should puff up and form blisters.
- Flip it over and carry on coking for another 3 minutes.
- Heat a large frying pan (either a non-stick or a seasoned cast iron pan) over a high heat. When very hot, place a naan bread in the dry pan and fry for approx. 3 minutes, until it puffs up. Repeat with the best of the naan breads.
- You may keep the naan bread warm in the oven preheated to a lowest setting.
- When all the flatbreads are cooked, brush them all genrously with melted butter and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
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