Indian Fry Bread Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Why is my Indian fry bread tough? ›

Tips for Making Delicious Native American Fry Bread

Don't over-knead—Be careful not to knead the dough too much because the bread will be hard and tough.

Made with simple ingredients, generally wheat flour, water, salt, and sometimes baking powder, frybread can be eaten alone or with various toppings such as honey, jam, powdered sugar, venison, or beef. It is the base for Indian tacos.

Too cool, and the bread absorbs the fat before it fries and makes it soggy. First rule, do NOT use really fresh bread, slightly stale is best. Second rule, get the fat you are using quite hot, not smoking hot, but hot enough to brown a little cube of bread in a few seconds.

Working one piece at a time, roll out the dough into a round about 1/4-1/3 inch thick. Pierce the center of each piece of dough with a paring knife. This hole becomes unnoticeable after frying; it just helps prevent the dough from forming one giant air bubble when it hits the hot frying oil.

All fats coat flour shortening the gluten strands and making the crumb of the bread softer and lighter. Gluten is made up of two proteins called glutelin and gliadin. It is when those proteins connect that gluten is formed. Fats coat the flour inhibiting the formation of long gluten strands.

The best way to brown and crisp your bread's bottom crust – as well as enhance its rise – is to bake it on a preheated pizza stone or baking steel. The stone or steel, super-hot from your oven's heat, delivers a jolt of that heat to the loaf, causing it to rise quickly.

Fry bread is tempting to most people because of the grease/lard/shortening ingredient and therein lies the problem. Not only is fry bread high in fat, it is also caloric. 2 A person who regularly eats fry bread without exercising is probably carrying excess weight.

Credit is given to the Navajo people for creating fry bread after they were forced to make the “Long Walk” from Arizona to New Mexico. Hungry and far away from their traditional foods, they turned U.S. government rations of flour, salt, baking powder and lard into a filling bread that saved many from starvation.

Keep your fried bread warm as you cook the rest by placing them in a 200℉/90℃ oven. You can store fry bread at room temperature wrapped loosely with plastic wrap for 1-2 days.

Try avocado oil, peanut oil, sunflower seed oil, or ghee, which makes a delightful toast that I could eat topped with leftover saag every single day. If you've only got olive oil to work with, consider doctoring the flavor slightly by adding something extra before crisping your bread.

How to fry bread without absorbing oil? ›

Get it really hot, put the bread in carefully and turn almost immediately to get the oil distributed evenly. Then brown each side. Beat an egg and pour onto a dinner size plate, drop the bread in flat and then turn to coat the other side. Then fry as normal, not much oil is absorbed this way.

Overly sticky dough is normally caused by a combination of using the wrong flour and using too much water.

First, make sure your oil is hot enough, but not too hot. You want to achieve the desired toasty brown color on the outside in precisely the same amount of time as it takes to cook the dough all the way through on the inside, and not a second longer.

Holey fry bread? If your fry bread have big pockets of air in them once fried, then perhaps the dough isn't rising long enough, or rising too fast (in too warm a spot).

Fried dough is best served warm and fresh. You can top it with your favorite toppings and enjoy it immediately. My favorite way to serve fried dough is topped with powdered sugar! This sweet treat can also be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 24 hours.

Tough bread is a result of over-kneading/over-mixing. This develops the gluten protein too much, which makes for chewy, tough bread. Remember to only mix the dough until the ingredients are just incorporated, and to let the dough rest for the needed amount of time.

The flour you used may have contained too much protein. Protein is one of the ingredients that help yeast bread brown. Use bread flour that is purchased at a grocery store or a national brand of all-purpose flour.

Wrap the bread in a damp (not soaking) towel, place on a baking sheet, and pop it in the oven for 5-10 minutes. In the microwave: Wrap the bread in a damp (not soaking) towel, place it on a microwave-safe dish, and microwave on high for 10 seconds. Check and repeat if necessary.