Native American Indian 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.

INDIAN FRY BREAD

Steps:

• Put flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Mix well, add warm water and stir until dough begins to ball up. On a lightly floured surface knead dough. Do not over-work the dough. After working dough, place in a bowl and refrigerate for 1/2 to 1 hour.
• Heat oil to 350 degrees in a frying pan or kettle. Lightly flour surface and pat and roll out baseball size pieces of dough. Cut hole in middle with a knife (so the dough will fry flat) to 1/4-inch thickness and place in oil and cook until golden brown and flip over and cook opposite side until same golden brown. Dough is done in about 3 minutes depending on oil temperature and thickness of dough.
• After fry bread is done top with favorite topping or, chile and cheese first, then cover with lettuce and tomatoes, onions, green chile and you have an Indian Taco.

AUTHENTIC NAVAJO INDIAN FRY BREAD (TACO BREAD)

Steps:

• In a heavy large frying pan heat the oil to 365 degrees; Oil is hot enough if a small test piece of dough dropped in the oil begins cooking almost immediately and rises to the top.
• Mix together dry ingredients in a large bowl; *see note about salt.
• Gradually add warm milk and mix to make a soft dough.
• When the dough has pulled together, cover and let sit in a warm place for 10 to 15 minutes.
• Break off a golf ball sized piece of dough and pat it out flat in your hand, no thicker than 1/4 inch.
• Place 2 or 3 flats at a time into the hot oil and when they begin to bubble flip them over and fry until they're a nice light golden brown.
• Remove and drain on paper towels then serve hot (keep them covered in a bowl until you're done frying).
• You can make larger flats; just make sure they're no thicker than 1/4" and fry one at a time.

AMERICAN INDIAN FRY BREAD

Steps:

• Heat oil in skillet til hot over med-high heat, but not smoking.
• In a large bowl, Combine the rest of the ingredients to make dough.
• Shape into round disks.
• Fry shaped dough in hot oil til brown and crispy.
• Serve hot.
• Traditionally you would eat this with stew.
• Or top with some honey.
• I personally like to spread a little butter on it.
• Two other popular choices, make chili.
• Pile Chili on top and add a little cheese, lettuce and tomato for a"Navajo Taco" Or use the round as your base for a Tostada, add taco meat, beans, cheese, lettuce, tomato and Guacamole.
• See my Creamy Guacamole recipe.

INDIAN FRY BREAD

Steps:

• Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Stir in cold water and vegetable oil until dough comes together into a ball.
• Set dough on a floured surface. Pinch off ten pieces the size of golf balls, roll into balls, and flatten each into a round. Make a small hole in the center of each round.
• Fill a deep skillet with oil to 3/4 inch; heat over medium-high heat. Add dough rounds in batches and fry until golden brown, about 20 seconds per side. Drain on paper towels.

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.

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.

NAVAJO FRY BREAD - TRADITIONAL

Steps:

• Mix the flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Gradually stir in the water and work it in, adding more water a little at a time, if needed.
• Knead by hand until soft but not sticky. Form the dough into a round ball, cover and let stand for about 30 minutes. Shape into 2" balls.
• Heat shortening or cooking oil in a 1 1/2 " deep frying pan until hot.
• Flatten each ball of dough by patting and stretching into a pizza shape. Carefully place the dough into the hot oil.
• Fry until edges of the bread are golden and turn to cook the other side. Makes 4-5 pieces.
• Layer the beans, chilis, onion, tomato,lettuce, cheese and if desired sour cream dollops on top of each piece of fry bread to make Navajo (or Indian) Tacos
• Fry bread may be served with stews or drizzled with honey or powdered sugar for dessert. Many Navajo cooks prefer to use "Bluebird" a high-gluten flour, in this recipe. Variations: The Navajo Nation in Window Rock serves a taco topped with chicken, chili beans without the beef and the remaining ingredients.