Fry Bread

I’ve always loved Fry Bread — it’s one of those things you grow up eating, and take for granted will always be around to get. But since I’ve lived here in NY, I rarely have been able to get this yummy bread. So, I found a good recipe a few years ago, and played around with it a bit, until that same taste…the taste I remembered from my childhood came through.

Growing up in the mid-west — Nebraska — fry bread was easy to come by. It’s a Native American food, that, as far as I know, is found in almost all of the US dating back to the late 1800’s when lack of food on ‘Indian Reservations’ made this a necessity.

Think of Fry Bread as a thick version of a tortilla. The bread be made one of two methods — using either yeast, or baking powder. I have always preferred the baking powder method, as below.

Enjoy!

Fry Bread

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 tablespoons baking powder
4 tablespoons vegetable shortening
2/3 cup milk
Oil for frying

Combine the flour, salt and baking powder and shortening. Mix well, until the shortening is blended in. Add water and mix well again. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured board and knead until smooth – 2-3 minutes. Separate the dough into 6 equal portions and roll out into circles.

If you have a cast iron pan, this is the perfect opportunity to use it. Heat the oil — I suppose around 370-375F, but otherwise, heat the oil until dropping a bit of dough into the oil fries it quickly.

Place each piece into the hot oil, and cook 20-30 seconds on each side — until golden brown. Remove from the oil, and drain.

Now is the fun part ..

You can eat these just as they are, or fill or cover them with /anything/. Like chocolate?

• Nutella.. O.O..mmmmy
• Thick cherry filling, and then sprinkled with powdered sugar.
• Refried beans, diced onions, black olives, sour cream and a bit of taco sauce
• Rice and beans
• Spread with honey
• Sprinkle Cinnamon Sugar on these while hot
• Chili
• Or anything your imagination can come up with.