Classic Native American Fry Bread Recipes

NATIVE AMERICAN FRY BREAD

Steps:

• Mix ingredients together with a fork in a medium bowl. (will be sticky).
• Liberally grease your hands with vegetable oil and shape dough into a ball. Leave dough in bowl and cover with a towel and set in warm place for atleast 20 minutes, but leaving longer makes the bread fluffier.
• When you are ready to make the bread, heat vegetable oil, atleast 1 inch deep or deeper in a frying pan or electric skillet. (around 375 degrees) Test a small ball of dough in grease, it should float in grease, not sit on the bottom, if it doesn't immediately float, oil is not hot enough.
• When oil is ready, grab a ball of dough a little bigger than a golf ball and stretch out in your greased hands until dough is flattened out about the size of a large cookie. Poke a small hole in the center of the dough with your fingers, and carefully lay in the hot oil.
• Let dough brown to a golden brown before turning over and frying other side.
• Drain on paper towels and serve immediately.

NATIVE AMERICAN FRY BREAD

Steps:

• Mix flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl. Make a well in the center of the mixture.
• Dissolve yeast in the warm water in a small bowl. Pour into the middle of the flour mixture. Mix together lightly and rapidly until dough is moist and soft. Allow dough to rise slightly, 15 to 20 minutes.
• Heat oil in a deep-fryer or large saucepan to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Pinch off a 2-inch piece of dough with well-floured fingers. Stretch it into a round 5 to 6 inches in diameter, working in more flour if needed.
• Deep-fry dough until golden brown, about 2 minutes per side. Drain on paper towels. Repeat with remaining dough.

NATIVE AMERICAN FRY BREAD

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• In a deep, 10-inch cast-iron skillet or heavy saucepan, heat about 1 inch of oil to 350 F. If you don't have a deep-fry thermometer to attach to the pan, dip the handle end of a wooden spoon in the oil. The oil should bubble around it fairly steadily when it's ready. The popcorn method is another option: Place a kernel of popcorn in the oil, and it will pop when the oil reaches 350 to 360 F.
• Meanwhile, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Mix well to blend.
• Add the milk and stir until the dough holds together.
• Knead 3 or 4 times on a floured surface.
• Divide the dough into 4 uniform pieces and shape each into a ball.
• Using a lightly floured rolling pin, roll each ball of dough into a circle that's about 1/4- to 1/2-inch thick. Make a depression in the center of each round of dough (it will puff up while frying).
• Carefully slide 1 or 2 pieces of dough into the hot oil. Fry for about 1 to 2 minutes on each side, or until lightly browned.
• Remove the fried dough to paper towels to drain.

FRY BREAD

Steps:

• Whisk together flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Add milk and water, stirring with a fork until a sticky dough forms. Transfer to a floured work surface and knead a few times with floured hands just until smooth (do not overwork or bread will be tough). Return to bowl and cover with a kitchen towel; let stand 30 minutes.
• Heat 1 inch of oil to 365 degrees over medium-high in a heavy pot or deep-sided skillet. Pinch an egg-sized piece of dough with your fingers and flatten to an approximate 6-inch round (keep remaining dough covered and dust hands with flour if dough sticks). Cut a small slit in center of round with the tip of a knife (this will ensure the bread cooks evenly). Carefully lower into oil and fry, turning once, until puffed in places and golden brown on both sides, about 4 minutes. Drain on paper towels and repeat with remaining dough (return oil to 365 degrees between batches). Serve warm or at room temperature with butter, honey, jam, and confectioner's sugar.

INDIAN TACOS WITH YEAST FRY BREAD

Steps:

• Mix yeast, sugar, and 1/4 cup warm water in a large mixing bowl and set aside until the yeast mixture forms a creamy foam layer on top, about 5 minutes. Whisk flour, 1 teaspoon salt, and baking powder in a bowl. Stir flour mixture into yeast mixture by thirds, alternating with 1 cup warm water in thirds, and beat to make a firm dough.
• Cut the dough into 6 pieces and roll each piece into a ball on a floured work surface. Roll out the dough balls into flat round tortillas.
• Heat vegetable oil in a deep-fryer or large saucepan to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Gently place tortillas, one at a time, into the hot oil and fry until golden brown on both sides, turning once, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Drain on paper towels and set aside.
• Cook and stir ground beef with 1 large minced onion in a skillet over medium heat until the meat is browned and crumbly, about 10 minutes. Drain excess grease and stir in diced tomatoes with their juice, tomato paste, basil, oregano, salt, black pepper, and chili powder. Bring the chili to a boil and reduce heat to low; simmer until thickened, 30 to 40 minutes.
• Place a piece of fry bread onto a plate and ladle a generous portion of chili onto the bread. Transfer Cheddar cheese, lettuce, 1 cup finely chopped onion, and mild green chilies into separate bowls and top each portion with about 1 tablespoon of Cheddar cheese and desired amounts of lettuce, onion, and chilies.