# does anyone have a good Recipe for Native fry bread.



## gnubee (Feb 27, 2010)

I get fry bread every summer at the Omak stampede every year but sure would like a recipe and instruction on how to make it. 



It is a deep fried flat bread , the good ones are light and fluffy sprinkled with sugar and cinnamon. Yum!!


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## chefrob (Feb 27, 2010)

we have a lady make it at our work but at home i do more of a soppapilla product and i just use my standard bread dough. here are some navajo versions:
1 C flour  
1 t baking powder  
1/4 C powdered milk  
1/4 t salt  
warm water  
Combine the ingredients and slowly add enough warm water to form dough. On a lightly floured surface, knead dough until it is smooth soft and not sticky. Cover and let rest 1 hour. Shape into small balls and pat into flat circles about 1/4-1/2 inch thick. Set aside.

In skillet, heat 1/2 inch vegetable oil. Brown dough circles on each side and drain on paper towels.

Serve with chile beans and your favorite taco toppings for "Navajo Tacos." 

or
3 cups unbleached flour
 sifted 
1/2 cup dry powdered milk 
1 Tbs. baking powder 
1/2 tsp. salt 
1/2 cup warm water or milk 
2 quarts oil for deep frying 
Combine the first 5 ingredients in a large mixing bowl and knead until smooth and soft, but not sticky. Depending on the altitude and humidity, you may need to adjust the liquid or the flour, so go slowly and balance accordingly.  Be careful not to overwork the dough, or it will become tough and chewy. Brush a tablespoon of oil over the finished dough and allow it to rest 20 minutes to 2 hours in a bowl covered with a damp cloth.  After the dough has rested, heat the oil in a broad, deep frying pan or kettle until it reaches a low boil (375º).  Pull off egg-sized balls of dough and quickly roll, pull, and path them out into large, plate-sized rounds.  They should be thin in the middle and about 1/4 inch thick at the edges.  Carefully ease each piece of flattened dough into the hot, boiling oil, one at a time.  Using a long-handled cooking fork or tongs, turn the dough one time.  Allow about 2 minutes cooking time per side.  When golden brown, lift from oil, shake gently to remove bulk of oil, and place on layered brown paper or paper towels to finish draining.Serve hot with honey, jelly, fine powdered sugar, wojape, or various meat toppings.Hint:The magic is in frying the bread quickly!  The hotter the oil, the less time it takes to cook.  The less time it takes to cook, the lighter the texture and lower the fat content.


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## mulepackin (Feb 27, 2010)

4   cups flour 
1   Tbsp. powdered milk
1   Tbsp. baking powder 
1   tsp. salt  
11/2   cups warm water 
Oil   for frying  
Mix   all dry ingredients thoroughly. Add water. Knead until soft, then set  aside   for one hour. Shape into small balls. Flatten each ball into a circle  with or   rolling pin or by hand. Fry in a skillet half-full of oil until golden  brown   on both sides.


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## mgwerks (Feb 27, 2010)

Here's my recipe - got it from a friend's abuelita on the rez.

1 cup unbleached flour 
1/4 teaspoon salt 
2 teaspoon powdered milk
2 teaspoon baking powder 
1/2 cup water, more as needed 
Vegetable oil for frying 

Sift together the flour, salt, powdered milk, and baking powder into a large bowl. Pour the water over the flour mixture all at once and stir the dough with a fork until it starts to form one big clump. Flour your hands. Using your hands, begin to mix the dough, trying to get all the flour into the mixture to form a ball.  

NOTE: You want to mix this well, but you do NOT want to knead it. Kneading it will make for a heavy frybread when cooked. The inside of the dough ball should still be sticky after it is formed, while the outside will be well floured.  Cut the dough into two to four pieces, depending on the size frybreads you want to make. Using your floured hands, shape, stretch, pat, and form a disk of about 1/4" inches thick.

NOTE 2: Don’t worry about it being round. As Grandma Felipa would say “it doesn’t have to roll into your mouth.”   Heat the vegetable oil to about 350 degrees F.

NOTE: You can check by either dropping a small piece of dough in the hot oil and seeing if it begins to fry, or by dipping the end of a wooden spoon in and seeing if that bubbles. Your oil should be about 1-inch deep in a large cast-iron skillet or other large fryer.  

Take the formed dough and put a hole in the center about the size of your index finger. This has a spiritual significance, but the reason to do it is that it evens out the oil heat and prevents the frybread from bubbling up in the center. 

Now gently place it into the oil, being careful not to splatter the hot oil. Press down on the dough as it fries so the top is submersed into the hot oil. Fry until light golden brown, and then flip to fry the other side. Each side will take about 3 to 4 minutes. 

Indian Fry Bread can be kept warm in a 200 degree F. oven for up to 1 hour. They refrigerate well and can be reheated in a 350 degree F. oven for 10 to 15 minutes before serving.


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## cliffcarter (Mar 5, 2010)

I am sure that the recipe that you are looking for is one of the variations already posted. Indian fry bread prepared with these recipes is delicious, my Navajo SIL uses it for Indian Tacos. There is another way to prepare Native fry bread that doesn't use the "deep fry" method. My wife grew up with this kind of fry bread and we both prefer it to the western type. The recipe is simple- 2 cups of flour, 1tsp salt, 3 tsp baking powder and enough water to make a batter the consistency of pancake batter. Cook just as if you are cooking pancakes. This is great with beans, dipped in molasses, with BBQ, spaghetti, with eggs for breakfast, by itself with butter- I think you get the picture
	

	
	
		
		



		
			






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## white cloud (Mar 5, 2010)

I seen Cowgirl thread this dish in the past. Allrecipes.com is a great place for hard to find recipes with ratings even.


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## walle (Mar 5, 2010)

GnuBee,
Like Chefrob, we just use our basic white bread recipe, pinch off a chunk of dough and kinda stretch it out by hand - Don't roll it out.  The thinner it is, the lighter and more "airy" it will be with good hot oil.  The thicker it is, the heavier it is.

Course I use this same recipe for cinnimon rolls, loaf bread, rolls, and pizza crust with various shakes of seasoning depending on what it is.

I've also had the "truer" flatbreads, so just try them till ya find one you like.

Trick on regular bread - Once you have it mixed and kneaded, put it in the microwave on LOW (I select 20 on mine) for three minutes for a single batch four minutes for a double batch.  That essentially replaces the first thirty minutes to an hour raise.  For fry bread - you can go right into it, for loaves or rolls, re-knead, place in pan and either re-microwave or let it raise on it's own again.  Then into the oven.

Give it a try some time, when you're outta time!
Tracey


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## gnubee (Mar 5, 2010)

Thanks all. I made a couple batches that at first were not really great but I finally have perfected it to the point where I am ready for a throwdown. 
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





I love the stuff. In Omak the normal way they sell it is buttered with cinnamon and sugar sprinkled on it. But it is very versatile and can be used with any type dip, salsa, melted cheese , etc the combinations are endless. It even makes good taco's.


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## chefrob (Mar 6, 2010)

sweet.....i like it with honey
as a "navajo taco" i like it with beans, beef, and letuce and tomato..........


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## fourthwind (Mar 6, 2010)

When I helped a friend at his restaurant, we brushed the finished fry bread with clarified garlic butter, and sprinkled with parmesian.  Yummmmm.  been a long time.  Might have to make myself some.


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