Naan vs. Pita Bread: What’s the Difference? – Stonefire Authentic Flatbreads (2024)

FAQs

Naan vs. Pita Bread: What’s the Difference? – Stonefire Authentic Flatbreads? ›

Naan bread is soft, fluffy, and chewy, whereas pita bread is denser with a slightly crispy texture on the outside. Naan bread also has a buttery flavor due to the ghee and buttermilk in the dough, which adds an extra dimension of flavor compared to pita bread's more neutral taste.

Pita bread is made with fewer ingredients than naan, containing only whole wheat flour, water, yeast, and salt. Unlike naan, it does not contain yogurt, milk, butter, or olive oil. This is perhaps the main difference between the two.

Both have comparable amounts of sugar ( 2 , 9 ). With naan, you get more carbs, but also much more protein and fiber, both essential in keeping you feeling full while maintaining a healthy weight. On the other hand, naan contains about 80% more carbs and roughly 200% more protein than a 45-gram serving of pita.

* Leavening: Pita bread is typically leavened with a small amount of yeast, which creates a slight puff and a pocket in the center ideal for stuffing. Lavash, on the other hand, can be leavened or unleavened. Unleavened lavash results in a denser, crispier flatbread.

What most people don't realize is, most Indians don't eat naan everyday. It's a treat reserved for special occasions. A healthier alternative that is eaten daily in most indian households, is roti (also called chapati or fulka). It's an unleavened flatbread made of just two ingredients - whole wheat flour and water.

Naan is an Indian bread that, like a pita, has a large hollow in the center, created by the moisture in its dough turning to steam and forming an air pocket when it bakes. But unlike pita, naan is chewy and delicate in flavor and texture, and once again… very tasty!

The Bottom Line

In general, you want to look for whole-grain bread that has some fiber, protein and not too much sodium or added sugar per slice. Sprouted grain bread hits all those marks and has a hearty texture that I think is delicious when toasted.

Any bread that is made from whole wheat, whole grains, sprouts, and sourdough is recommended while on a Mediterranean diet. You will want to avoid bread made from refined grains, such as white bread if you are following this diet.

Low-carb diets aside, the USDA recommends 5-8 servings of grains each day, and depending on the size of a pita, it would be 1-2 servings. Even if you decide to cut down on carbs, you can enjoy one whole-wheat pita each day and be well under the recommended servings.

From health perspective, flat breads made of whole wheat flour (roti/paratha/chapati/phulka) are better than the ones made with all-purpose flour (naan & kulcha). If you're new to this kind of food, I insist you to try all varieties of Indian breads.

What is a healthy alternative to pita bread? ›

Pita bread (also known as Arabic bread and Syrian bread) is a yeast-leavened flatbread common in Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cuisines. It can be made with or without an interior pocket.

Not necessarily. While different doughs vary nutritionally, flatbread is generally just unleavened bread. In other words, bread dough that was not made to rise. Flatbreads may look smaller, but if it's the same dough, the nutritional contents are identical.

As stated earlier, naan is high in fat, and specifically high in saturated fats. Pita on the other hand is considered to be a low fat food. Naan does have other benefits, including a higher protein content which will keep you fuller for longer and curb cravings.

Kulcha. Kulcha is a mildly leavened bread prepared with all-purpose flour without any yeast, but rather leavened with yogurt and/or baking powder. Though it's similar to naan, you don't need a tandoor oven to make kulcha; you can easily prepare it on a griddle.

While both naan and pita bread are delicious in their own way, naan bread has a softer texture and richer flavor profile that makes it a versatile option for any range of dishes.

My favorite homemade naan recipe is made with basic bread ingredients (flour, water and yeast) plus a generous dollop of yogurt, egg and baking powder to make the bread extra soft and chewy.

One of the unique features of pita bread is its ability to puff up when baked, thanks to the combination of the yeast, flour and the heat, which causes the rapid expansion of the dough. The result: a fluffy, chewy bread with a pocket in the middle that can be used to encase all types of delicious fillings.

The word naan comes from the Persian nân-e sangak, meaning “bread baked on [hot] pebbles.” In 1300 ce, Indian poet Amīr Khosrow documented two kinds of naan: naan-e-tunuk (light or thin bread) and naan-e-tanuri (bread cooked in a tandoor oven).

originating from over 2,500 years ago, naan, today identified as a leavened indian flatbread, traces its history back to old iran or persia, where the word “naan” referred to bread baked on hot pebbles.