Native American Fried Squash Bread Recipes

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 BREAD

Steps:

• Begin by making an open fire oven with coals.
• In a small bowl, dissolve the yeast in the warm water and let stand for 5 minutes. In a separate large bowl, mix together the flour, salt, and lard. Knead thoroughly, and then add the yeast mixture and continue to knead until it has reached a dough consistency.
• Cover dough with a clean kitchen towel and set in a warm dark place to let rise for 45 minutes.
• Divide dough in half and knead again to remove any air pockets. Place each half in a separate aluminum pan and press the dough down.
• Push the coals and ashes of the fire to one side, but do not put fire out. Place the aluminum pans on the clean ground of the open fire oven, and bake for 45 minutes.
• Slice and serve with butter.

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.

NAVAJO FRY BREAD I

Steps:

• In a large bowl mix together flour, non-fat dry milk powder, baking powder, and salt. Cut in 5 tablespoons of the lard into the dry mixture until it resembles fine crumbs. Add the ice water and mix until the dough pulls cleanly away from the sides of the bowl.
• Cover with a towel and set aside for 2 hours.
• Divide the dough into two large pieces. Shape each piece into a circle. Roll each piece out on a lightly floured board to 1/4 inch thick. Make 2 parallel cuts through the dough without cutting all the way through. Let the dough rest briefly.
• Heat the remaining lard in a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Once it is hot, add the first shaped dough. Fry for 4-5 minutes on the first side, until golden, turn over and finish cooking on the second side for 3-4 minutes. Remove the bread from the skillet and drain onto paper towels. Sprinkle with sea salt, if desired. Keep warm while second section cooks.
• Cut bread into wedges. Serve warm.

OJIBWE ZAASAKOKWAAN (NATIVE AMERICAN FRIED BREAD) RECIPE - (4/5)

Steps:

• Heat your electric skillet to 400 and fill with vegetable oil 1/2" deep. A deep fryer might also be used. Mix dry ingredients together well in a medium sized bowl. Beat egg separately and add to dry ingredients. Heat milk for 45 sec to a minute in the microwave and add slowly to the mixture. Begin kneading in the bowl and once it seems a little more uniform, turn it out onto your "flour'd" kneading surface and knead for a minute or two. Role the dough out until it is (ideally) 1/2 an inch thick. Once the dough is a uniform thickness, cut it into 2″ wide strips. A pizza cutter would be perfect for this. Next cut a slice through the middle of each piece of dough. Leaving the ends intact. You are then ready to fry your bread! Place them in the oil carefully, and let them brown for a minute or two before turning and doing the same to the other side. Remove from the oil and let drain on a paper towel laden platter.

NATIVE AMERICAN SWEET FRY BREAD RECIPE - (4/5)

Steps:

• Mix ingredients 1-4 in a large bowl; then let "sponge" for 15 minutes or so until foamy. Mix remaining dry ingredients in another bowl, and alternate adding dry stuff and water to the first mixture, allowing mixer to work ingredients before adding more. WARNING: You may need the extra 1/2 cup of flour--the dough should NOT be sticky when finished. Knead the dough, working in the remaining flour as you knead. Grease a large glass or plastic bowl; shape dough into a large ball, place in bowl--turning to grease all sides; cover loosely with plastic and place in a warm place; let rise until doubled. Heat about a half-inch of oil in a large frying pan (375°F to 400°F). While the oil heats, remove dough from bowl and divide into 4 balls. Each ball will make one dozen (12) balls (so a total of 48 balls). Flatten each small ball into a thin disk (about 4 inches), make a little hole in the center of each. Keep a uniform shape, but these don't have to look "perfect.". Carefully drop into hot oil; fry until bottom is golden brown, flip with a spatula in one hand and a fork in the other to prevent oil from splashing out. Serve with chili or use as a taco shell Or Serve as a pastry by sprinkling with powdered sugar and topping with jam or marmalade.

NATIVE AMERICAN INDIAN FRY BREAD

Steps:

• Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl. Slowly add enough water to make a stiff dough.
• Place dough on a floured surface and knead just till smooth and not sticky.
• Let it rest for 30 minutes , or go right to next step.
• Divide the dough into large enough balls to make a 4" round.
• Preheat oil in a frying pan or deep frier, enough oil to float the risen bread. When the oil 'spits' upon sprinkling a few drops of water into it then it's ready.
• Flour the hands and put a ball in the palm of one hand while pressing it flat with the palm of the other hand, then reverse having the dough in the other hand and pressing with the other hand, till it is about 1/2" thick.
• Poke a little hole in the middle with the tip of the little finger.
• Place the flattened dough into the hot oil and fry on one side until golden and then flip and fry the other side.
• Remove fried dough from the oil and place on a plate with a paper towel on it to absorb excess oil.
• Serve hot and let each person add their own topping.

NATIVE AMERICAN FRIED SQUASH BREAD

Steps:

• Put diced squash in a large pot. Boil until cooked tender. Drain (saving 11/4 cups of water from the pot). Put squash and water into pot.
• Put remaining ingredients into the pot and mix together.
• Put oil in a skillet and when hot, put batter into skillet and fry until golden brown.
• This recipe comes out two ways (unless you make adjustments) 1. Depending on the moisture of the squash, it comes out like a dough that can be formed into patties. 2 Depending on the moisture of the squash, it comes out like more of a batter like making pancakes... Try it both ways, and adjust the recipe to your liking.