If you're a fan of Everything bagels we think you may enjoy this Everything Naan recipe. They happen to be my favorite NYC bagel and I've been missing them (a lot) lately. I figured why not add them to that whole wheat naan recipe I made a while back -- and it's pretty delicious! You won't miss the white flour here because the nuttiness of the whole wheat is full of flavor and the texture is still really soft.

Everything Naan is great as a snack, a wrap for sandwiches, toasted with eggs for breakfast, or slathered with veggie cream cheese or used to scoop up creamy hummus. I've included step-by-step photos for anyone new to bread-making.

a stack of whole wheat "Everything" naan bread with blisters all over the pieces from the heat of the cast-iron skillet while cooking resting on a cutting board.

Everything naan stacked on aluminum foil and glistening with extra virgin olive oil with blisters all over from cooking in a cast-iron skillet

a handful of naan folded in my hand to show how pliable and fluffy it is

Whole Wheat "Everything" Naan Bread Ingredients

Since we love naan and eat it regularly, I decided to make a whole wheat version with less refined carbs and I'm happy I did because it tastes great. And this version with all the little "everything extras" has a slightly saltier and crunchier texture because of the addition of poppy and sesame seeds. If you don't happen to have "everything" seasoning in your cupboards, sub in toasted sesame seeds and poppy seeds, or make your own homemade everything bagel topping with the recipe below.

⅓ cup plain greek yogurt (80g)
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (45g)
1 large egg (50g)
½ cup water (115g)
2 teaspoons active yeast (6g)
2 ½ to 3 cups whole wheat flour (340g-425g)*
1 teaspoon sugar (6g)
½ teaspoon sea salt, or more to taste
2 tablespoons Everything Bagel Seasoning

closeup of Everything Bagel seasoning and spice blend with black sesame seeds, regular sesame seeds, sea salt, dried garlic, dried onions and poppy seeds

whole wheat naan dough with 1 tablespoon of Everything seasoning added to the middle of it in the bowl of a KitchenAid Stand mixte

How to Make Homemade Everything Bagel Seasoning

You can use the following pantry items to make your own Everything Bagel seasoning and feel free to adjust the measurements according to your preferences. If you don't like garlic omit it and add a little more onion. Don't like poppy seeds getting stuck in your teeth? Omit them! And if all else fails, just use sesame seeds.

1½ tablespoons dried minced garlic
1½ tablespoons dried onion flakes
1½ tablespoons poppy seeds
2 tablespoons white sesame seeds
1 tablespoon black sesame seeds
2 tablespoons sea salt or kosher salt in a pinch

How to Make Whole Wheat "Everything" Naan Bread

You can make this naan bread using a stand mixer, or by hand. I provide both sets of instructions in the recipe card.

1. Mix the wet ingredients. In a medium bowl combine the yogurt, olive oil, egg, and water and whisk until smooth.
2. Mix the dry ingredients. In a separate medium bowl, add the yeast, sugar, salt, and just 2 cups (280g) of the flour and whisk to combine (*reserve the remaining 1 ½ cups flour to add in increments if needed later on). DO NOT ADD the Everything Bagel Seasoning yet, we'll do that in another step later on.)
3. Make the dough. Add the yogurt mixture to the flour mixture in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment. Mix on low speed until flour is mostly combined. If the dough is sticky, add a little more flour in increments about ½ cup (70g) at a time until the dough is no longer sticking to your fingers. Knead the dough on medium speed for 8-10 minutes. *if you don't have a stand mixer, see notes below for the no-mixer method.
4. Add the Everything Bagel seasoning. After the dough has been kneaded, flatten it and add the Everything Bagel seasoning to the middle of the dough and pinch it together. Mix with the dough hook for another 1 to 2 minutes until the seasoning is distributed evenly.
5. Proof the dough (let it rise). Make a round ball out of the dough and place it in a very lightly oiled bowl and cover with recyclable plastic wrap. Place it in a draft-free area until doubled in size (about 1-1 ½ hours).
6. Portion the dough. Remove the dough and gather it into a ball and flatten slightly. Cut the dough in half, then quarters and then eighths, or just pinch off pieces the size you prefer. Roll each piece of dough out to ¼" thick working with one at a time.
7. Cook the naan. Heat a well-seasoned cast-iron (or other heavy-bottomed) skillet to medium-high and add one piece of rolled dough at a time and cook until bubbles appear and the bottom is slightly browned, flip the naan over, slightly press on the dough with a spatula for a couple of seconds and continue cooking until nicely browned. Remove the cooked naan to an aluminum foil-lined plate, brush with a little olive oil (or ghee), and seal the aluminum foil closed to keep the naan warm and hydrated while you cook the remaining pieces, and Enjoy!

Whole Wheat "Everything" Naan Bread step-by-step recipe photos

32 in-process photos of each step in making homemade whole wheat naan bread with everything bagel spice in it.

Whole Wheat "Everything" Naan Bread tips & FAQ's

Why doesn't my whole wheat naan bread dough bubble up as much as regular all-purpose flour naan? When cooking the whole wheat naan it tends to not bubble up quite as much as the regular all-purpose naan, but it still has a super soft, "floppy" texture, and the taste is amazing because of the nuttiness of the whole wheat. Whole wheat flour is actually a more dense flour and full of minerals and nutrients intact so it is a bit heavier than white all-purpose flour in general.
What is naan bread? Naan bread is a leavened bread that typically uses yeast or a natural starter to make a simple flatbread that's cooked in a tandoor.
When was naan first made? The first recorded history of Naan can be found in the notes of the Indo-Persian poet Amir Kushrau in 1300 AD.
Where does naan come from? Naan comes from South Asia areas of Bangladesh, Pakistan, Iran, and the surrounding areas.
Does naan use yeast? Yes, naan uses yeast to leaven the bread, but it's easier than most yeast doughs to make.
What's the difference between naan and pita bread? Naan and Pita bread are both flatbreads, but naan is typically made using yogurt, eggs, milk, and even sometimes butter giving it a different texture once cooked, whereas pita bread is a more basic dough that typically uses ingredients like flour, salt, yeast, and water to make.
Is naan healthier than pita bread? Although naan and pita bread both taste great, pita bread is considered to be somewhat healthier than naan because it contains less fat and calories. This is because naan usually contains added yogurt and eggs and may even contain more oil or added butter than pita bread.
Is naan the same thing as roti bread? Naan is not the same thing as roti bread. Naan is a leavened bread that uses yeast and fats to make a soft, airy bread, whereas roti bread is unleavened and typically uses whole wheat flour. Sometimes roti bread uses baking powder to give it a little lift, but it's not as fluffy as naan and does not share the same texture.
Can you freeze naan bread? Yes, you can freeze naan bread by allowing it to completely cool to room temperature, stacking it, wrapping in plastic, and placing it in an airtight freezer bag. Allow it to thaw in the fridge overnight or on the countertop and reheat it in a sealed aluminum foil packet in a preheated oven for a few minutes. You can also steam it, or heat it in a covered skillet for a few minutes until warmed through.
What's "Everything Bagel" seasoning or "Everything Bagel" spice blend? Everything bagel seasoning is a spice and seed blend that is a combination of toasted sesame seeds, toasted black sesame seeds, dried garlic, dried onions, poppy seeds, and salt and can easily be made at home out of these common pantry items found in most cupboards.
Who invented Everything Bagel seasoning? There's a bit of controversy about who invented the Everything Bagel, but it's likely that David Gussin of Queens, NY invented it around 1980 when he began work at the Howard Beach bakery. After a day of baking bagels, it was time to clean out the ovens, and instead of throwing away all the sesame seeds, etc. that had fallen off of all the bagels while baking, he scooped them up and said to his boss, "Hey, Charlie, instead of throwing them away, put this on a bagel and call it the "everything." And they did. And customers went crazy for it.

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