Navajo Fry Bread

Years ago when my now husband and I were dating he spent time living in Arizona.  The first time I visited him there, it was monsoon season…I had never seen anything like it.  Thunder, lightning, and bucket-loads of water would fall from the sky, and in an instant it would all be over.  After the skies had cleared, the beauty of the dessert would be most breathtaking.  For a city girl from LA, it was a fascinating thing to see.

On one of the weekends I visited, we wanted to check out some authentic Native American food, and made our way over to The Fry Bread House in Phoenix.  The restaurant is totally unassuming and plain, concealing the fact that it has actually won an America’s Classics Award from the James Beard Foundation.  The Fry Bread House puts out some amazing variations of fry breads, from Red Chile Tacos (with fry bread shell) to chocolate and butter fry bread…crazy, I know!!

I was inspired make this Navajo Fry Bread recipe after I tried Yanabah Navajo Tea, also called Greenthread tea, which grows wild on reservations lands in parts of Arizona.

Greenthread tea is herbal tea from the sunflower family, made from the ultra thin leaves of the Greenthread plant.  As with many types of tea, drinking Greenthread tea is a cultural experience, something to be respected and admired.

Fry Bread is Navajo soul food.  It’s very versatile, matching well with both sweet and savory tastes.  In the Navajo tradition, it’s common to serve fry bread along with a hearty mutton (lamb stew) or to just drizzle them with honey and a dusting of powdered sugar.

Making fry breads is actually a really rustic and relaxing experience.  Maybe it’s the hands-on touching of soft dough or the faint gurgling of oil that reminds you that you’re taking part in a beloved tradition.  The first time I made these I used my stand mixer, rolling pin, and cookie cutter to make uniform, even little breads.  The second time, I made these the organic way, just with my hands.  The second method had far better results than the first, so take my word for it and don’t bother getting fancy when making fry bread…the natural approach is best.

Whichever way you choose to enjoy these snacking fry breads, have fun and get creative when making them!  You can pile a mound of yummy ingredients on top of them, use them for dipping, or serve them appetizer style with some tasty bits on each piece.  Serve them with pride, knowing that this recipe comes tried and true from a Navajo grandmother who once made these over a wood-burning stove.

Navajo Fry Bread

Makes 12-4″ pieces.

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups flour

1 Tbsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 egg, beaten (at room temperature)

1/2 cup milk (at room temperature)

1/4 cup of warm water

vegetable oil for frying

Equipment:

hands!

mixing bowl

baking sheet

wire rack or paper towels

large pot for frying

thermometer for oil

tongs or wire sieve for handling fry bread

work surface for kneading

Directions:

1.  Mix dry ingredients together in large mixing bowl.  Add wet ingredients and knead until you get a shaggy dough ball.  Move to a work surface to continue kneading until you get a pizza dough-like consistency.  If the dough looks dry, add more warm water a tsp at a time.  If the dough looks too wet add a bit of flour in.

2. Cut dough into 12 equal pieces, then roll into balls and flatten into 4″ circles, about 1/4″ thick.  Set aside.

3.)  Meanwhile, pour oil to a depth of 1 1/2″ in a large pot.  Set on medium heat and let come to 375 degrees F.  Rip a slight hole in the center of each dough piece to prevent the dough from becoming one large bubble during frying.

4.)  When oil has come to temperature, place 2-3 flattened dough pieces into the oil.  The dough will start to float shortly.  Using the tongs or wire sieve, press down on the dough pieces alternately.  Pressing them below the oil surface will help to create bubbles in the dough.  Cook for about 30 seconds on each side, or until each side is a light golden brown.  Place fry breads on a wire rack or paper towels (with baking sheet underneath) to drain, then serve immediately!

Much thanks to Kent Lyons for sharing this recipe with me!

Leave a Reply to bonnieeng Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

bonnieeng

I hope you can try them sometime! I had a very fun time making these. If you do, sneak one in within a few minutes after taking them out of the hot oil. Very yummy while still warm, and the cook deserves the best bite! 😉

Reply
bonnieeng

Thanks Sadia! And yes, they are very delicious! I will have to try Indian batura sometime.

P.S. My husband took the last of your Louisiana Chicken Pasta to work to day…we finished every last bit! 😉

Have a nice weekend!

Reply
miss mochi

Indian Tacos (tacos made with fry bread) are delicious! Part of my family is from the Choctaw nation in Oklahoma, and Indian tacos always make an appearance at their pow wows. I’d eat them more often if I wasn’t so lazy to fry things up. I’ll have to make a mental note to make some for my blog, thanks for reminding me of these delicious treats!

Try fry bread with prickly pear syrup, it’s amazing!

Reply
bonnieeng

Ooooo….prickly pear syrup! I’ve never had—will have to get some. Look forward to when you get around to that blog piece…and thanks for the tip!

Reply
Catherine Vidinha

My mom is mostly Native American from upstate New York (Mohawk, Mohegan, & Iroquois), but her family had a similar fried bread recipe. I would love to share what topping or filling was traditional with them, but honestly, when they were freshly made we children usually snatched them up still finger-scaldingly hot and devoured them like a wild pack of coyotes, so there was never time for the civilized notion of toppings.

Reply
Bonnie Eng

Haha! I can totally see why that would happen!I wonder if your mom has ever has greenthread tea? It’s really delicious and the perfect drink for washing down hot pieces of fry bread. 🙂

Reply
Lauri

thanks for sharing this, the first teaching job I had was on the Hopi Res. ( next to the Navajo one) and I fell in love with this bread with beans, lettuce, tomato, and cheese on top…miss the children and rich culture

Reply
Bonnie Eng

Thank you so much Lauri! I love this recipe, and I think the tea is a really special way to connect with Navajo culture. Have you ever visited the Fry Bread House in Phoenix? Seriously, the best fry bread…ever. 🙂

Reply
スーパーコピーブランド格安販売店はこちらへ!品々の激安価格に持ったスーパーコピーブランド 代引きの新作はお客様に提供されます。安心、迅速、確実、お客様の手元にお届け致しま

日本ロレックス時計コピー品ロレックスレプリカ、日本ロレックス時計のロレックスコピー品ロレックス時計,ロレックスレプリカ,ロレックスコピー,日本ロレックス,ROLEX,ロレックスオーバーホール,ロレックスレプリカ ,ロレックス修理,ロレックスミルガウス,ロレックス中古,ロレックスサブマリーナ,ロレックスデイトナ,ロレックス中古,ロレックスアンティーク,ロレックス買取”弊社はROLEXの商品特に大人気のロレックスデイトナシリーズのロレックス時計の種類を豊富に取り揃えます。日本ロレックス時計とロレックスレプリカのロレックスコピー品の品質よくて、激安税込み価格でご提供します。
スーパーコピーブランド格安販売店はこちらへ!品々の激安価格に持ったスーパーコピーブランド 代引きの新作はお客様に提供されます。安心、迅速、確実、お客様の手元にお届け致します。★弊社は9年の豊富な経験と実績を持っております。★一流の素材を選択し、精巧な作り方でまるで本物のようなな製品を造ります。★品質を重視、納期も厳守、お客様第一主義を貫きは当社の方針です。★驚きの低価格で商品をお客様に提供致します!★早速に購入へようこそ! http://www.gowatchs.com/brand-258.html

Reply
エルメス ボリードスーパーコピー.ブランド直営店.ブランド,エルメス激安通販,業界で最高な品質に挑戦します!"ブランドN級品ブランドコピー 代引き,スーパーコピー時計,ブランドN級品,

2015年の新素材-新作!高品質 腕時計高品質の追求 超N品を良心価格で提供詳しくは以下のようなブランドがあります。HERMES(バッグ、財布、時計) CHANEL(バッグ、財布、時計)LOUIS VUITTON(バッグ、小物、財布、時計) BVLGARI(財布、時計)Christian Dior(バッグ、財布) COACH(バッグ、財布)GUCCI(バッグ、財布) ROLEX(時計)OMEGA(時計) IWC(時計)FRANCK MULLER(時計) HUBLOT(時計)クロエ CHLOE バッグなどです。ご不明点が ございましたらお気軽にお問い合わせください
エルメス ボリードスーパーコピー.ブランド直営店.ブランド,エルメス激安通販,業界で最高な品質に挑戦します!”ブランドN級品ブランドコピー 代引き,スーパーコピー時計,ブランドN級品,楽天コピーブランド,,偽物ブラン日本最大級の最高のスーパーコピーブランド財布激安代引き販売店,スーパーコピー時計の激安老舗.!国内No.1時計コピー工房,アフターサービスも自ら製造したスーパーコピー時計なので、技術力でお客様に安心のサポー トをご提供させて頂きます。スーパーコピー 代引きN品をご 購入の方は、こちらへ.弊社は正規品と同等品質のコピー品を低価で お客様に提供します!すべての商品は品質2年無料保証です。100%実物写真ですし、品質が完璧です!”スーパーコピーブランド財布激安 偽物財布激安コピー ルイヴィトン財布偽物,偽物財布コピー http://www.bestevance.com/cartier/index.htm

Reply
100%実物写真ですし、品質が完璧です!"スーパーコピーブランド財布激安 偽物財布激安コピー ルイヴィトン財布偽物,偽物財布コピーエルバーキンコピースーパーコピー財布ブランド財布コ

ブランド激安市場コピーブランドコピー,スーパーレプリカ,ブランド激安市場 女社長 激安 シャネル 財布(CHANEL),グッチ 財布 (GUCCI) 激安,ヴィトン(lv) 新作 財布 激安 ルイヴィトン財布コピー,新作 ブランブランドを特別価格で提供中!ルイヴィトン財布、ルイヴィトンバッグ、ルイヴィトンベルトブランド激安市場ブランドコピー,大人気のルイヴィトン,スーパーコピー,様々な高品質ーパーコピー時計,ブルイヴィトン コピー ブランドレプリカ 激安 ブランド激安市場 ロレックス コピー スーパーコピー ルイヴィトン、シャネル、グッチ、エルメス、クロエ、ブラダ、ブルガリ ドルチェ&ガッバ―ナ、バレンシアガ、ボッテガ.ヴェネタ偽物ロレックス、ブルガリ、フランク ミュラー、シャネル、カルティエ、オメガ、IWC、ルイヴィトン、オーデマ ピゲ、ブライトリング、
100%実物写真ですし、品質が完璧です!”スーパーコピーブランド財布激安 偽物財布激安コピー ルイヴィトン財布偽物,偽物財布コピーエルバーキンコピースーパーコピー財布ブランド財布コピーブランドコピー激安バレンシアガ スーパーコピー激安ロレックス スーパーコピー時計ブランド財布激安 偽物財布激安コピー ルイヴィトン財布偽物,偽物財布コピーブランド激安市場-jck35販売:ブランド財布コピー,激安ブランド,財布コピー,偽ブランド,偽 ブランド財布,偽物ブランド財布,ブランドコピー,ヴィトンコピー,ルイヴィトン財布偽物, シャネル財布コピー,グッチ財布コピー,エルメス財布偽物,D&G 財布コピー,ボッテガ 財布 .2013年新作スーパーコピーロレックス,スーパーコピーロレックス時計通販スーパー コピー品その他の世界一流ロレックススーパーコピー時計品を扱っています。 ホームページをクリックして商品をご覧下さい.ロレックスコピー,業界No.1人気スーパーコピーロレックス腕時計専門販売ロレックスコピー(ROLEXスーパーコピー)のロレックス レプリカ販売専門店です。すべての商品は品質2年無料保証です,ロレックス デイトジャスト 偽物,人気満点ロレックス コピーn級品新作大特集 http://www.bagkakaku.com/hermes_bag.html

Reply
Joaquin Clark

The fried bread was awesome! Couldn’t find half eggs, went a whole egg and everything worked out fine!
P.S. Bonnie is super cute.

Reply
<< PREVIOUS POST NEXT POST >>