Indian Fry Bread

Submitted by Chef Joey Z.

"This past weekend my DH and I went up to the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center here in Albuquerque and attended some interesting talks about Native seed gathering and food. This recipe was included in the offerings. It was delicious. The cooks put assorted toppings on the fry bread. It was my first time trying it and I thought it was delicious."

 

• Ready In: 1hr 30mins
• Ingredients: 5
• Yields: 16 fry breads
• Serves: 8

ingredients

• 4 cups flour
• 2 tablespoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups warm water
• vegetable oil (melt for frying) or shortening (melt for frying)

directions

1. Mix the flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Slowly add the warm water to create a soft but not sticky dough.
2. Knead the dough for 5 minutes, then put into a bowl to rest for 30 minutes covered with a clean towel.
3. Once the dough is ready heat up your oil. I used a cast iron skillet and 1 pound or 4 sticks of Earth Balance vegetable shortening that was heated to 375'F.
4. It is crucial to keep your oil at 375'F to prevent the oil from absorbing into the dough as it cooks. The secret is to keep it hot, but not smoking.
5. Once the oil is hot, break off egg sized balls of dough and roll them out to 8-12 inches. You can also roll them smaller if you wish. The thinner they are the crispier the bread will be.
6. Once you roll the dough out put a hole in the center of the bread and gently place it into the hot oil away from yourself so you don't get splashed.
7. The bread will take a short time to turn golden and puffy. Using tongs, check the underside of the bread. If it is a yellowish shade, gently flip it over and do the other side.
8. Set on a plate with paper towels to drain off the excess oil.
9. Keep these in a low oven until ready to serve.
10. Bon Appetit!

Reviews

[Rainbow - Chef 5368]

This is about the best recipe I've seen here for fry bread. Some of the others are very similar, because it is a basic recipe, but you've covered all the bases here in your excellent directions.. from varying the size to poking the little hole in the middle. Now I don't have to put my recipe up,, cuz this is it. :) The only thing I would change is to not knead it so much.