How to make Native American Frybread

Frybread (also spelled fry bread) is a Native American food, found throughout the United States. Frybread is a flat dough fried or deep-fried in oil, shortening, or lard. The dough is generally leavened by yeast or baking powder. Frybread was created in the 1800s, when Native Americans were forced onto reservations and given rations of flour and lard by the government. Native Americans did what they could, and fried bread in lard.

Topped with additions such as beans, ground beef, or shredded cheese, frybread is served as Indian tacos or Navajo tacos. If sweetened, or served with sweet toppings such as honey or powdered sugar, frybread is very similar to an elephant ear or to the confection simply known as fried dough.

Frybread has a significant (if perhaps stereotyped) role in Native American culture. It is often served both at home and at gatherings like pow-wows and state fairs. Frybread was named the official "state bread" of South Dakota in 2005 [1]. Also in 2005, frybread became the center of a controversy involving its role in obesity and diabetes among Native Americans. [2] The U.S. Department of Agriculture reports that a plate of fried bread consists of 700 calories and 27 grams of fat.

Source:
http://www.answers.com/topic/fry-bread

My recipe:
4 cups self rising flour, add water as needed to make dough. Let sit for about 10 minutes while heating oil in pan. I usually put about a 1/2 inch of oil in the pan. Pull dough into small balls and flatten out with your hands. Place in oil until each side is nice golden brown. Remove from oil and put on paper towels or in a paper bag to soak up oil.

Indian Fry Bread
* 3 cups flour
* 1 tablespoon baking powder
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1 cup warm water
Combine dry ingredients in a bowl. Add warm water in small amounts and knead dough until soft but not sticky. Adjust flour or water as needed. Cover bowl and let stand about 15 minutes.
Pull off large egg-sized balls of dough and roll out into fairly thin rounds. Fry rounds in hot oil until bubbles appear on the dough, turn over and fry on the other side until golden.

Traditional
1 pkg. dry yeast
3 cups warm water
1 tbsp. salt
1 tbsp. sugar
6 cups flour
2 tbsp. oil
1/2 cup cornmeal
Dissolve yeast in warm water then add salt and sugar. Let stand for 5 minutes covered with a towel. Add flour and oil to liquid mixture. Mix and put on floured bread board and knead until mixture is smooth. Put dough in a greased bowl, cover with towel and let it rise for 1 1/2 hours. Remove from bowl and put on bread board, knead in the 1/2 cornmeal. Make dough into 2 balls rolling each into 12 inch circles 1/2 inch thick. Cut into 2 inch squares and drop into hot cooking oil. (Works best with cast iron skillet.) Fry 5 to 6 pieces at a time for only a few moments. Drain on paper towel and sprinkle with white powdered sugar.

Blackfeet
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.

Cherokee
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. baking powder
3/4 cup milk
Mix ingredients adding more flour if necessary to make a stiff dough. Roll out the dough on a floured board till very thin. Cut into strips 2 X 3 inches and drop in hot cooking oil. Brown on both sides. Serve hot with honey.

Chickasaw
2 cups sifted flour
1/2 tsp. salt
4 tsp. baking powder
1 egg
1/2 cup warm milk
Stir first three ingredients then stir in the beaten egg. Add milk to make the dough soft. Roll it out on floured bread board, knead lightly. Roll dough out to 1/2 inch thick. Cut into strips 2 X 3 inches and slit the center. Drop into hot cooking oil and brown on both sides. Serve hot.

Pumpkin Fry Bread
2 cups fresh pumpkin or 1-16oz. can pumpkin
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tbsp. milk or water
3/4 cups brown sugar
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. vanilla
Drop into hot cooking oil and brown on both sides. Serve hot with butter or powdered sugar.

Creek
2 cups flour
1 cup buttermilk
1 tbsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
Sift flour,salt and baking powder then add milk and more flour to make dough stiff. Roll out onto floured bread board and cut into 4 X 4 squares with a slit in the center. Fry in hot cooking oil until golden brown. Drain on plate with paper towels.

Navajo #1
*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."

Navajo #2
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.

Osage
4 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp salt
1 tbsp and a half baking powder
1 tablespoon melted shortening
2 cups warm milk
Shortening for deep frying
Sift flour, salt and baking powder into bowl. Stir in shortening and milk. Knead the dough into a ball. Roll out dough on lightly floured board. Cut into diamond shapes and slice a slit in the center.
Heat shortening in deep fryer to 370 degrees. Fry 2 or 3 at a time until golden brown on both sides. Drain on paper towels.

Seminole
2 cups flour
3 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 cup milk

Mix flour, baking powder and salt. Add milk gradually making sure the dough is stiff. Put on floured bread board and pat it out with your hands until it is 1/2 inch thick. Cut into strips with a slit in the center. Fry in hot oil until both sides are golden brown.

All recipes that are not mine found here:
http://www.manataka.org/page180.html

You can eat it straight up and warm from the pan.
You can dip it in honey. Not matter what you do, eat it with style.

Here is the most known way to eat frybread, as an Indian Taco. Cover it with meat, beans, onions, lettuce, tomatoes, salsa, and cheese and you have your self a meal.


You can also cover it with powdered sugar for a more sweet treat. It tastes like a funnel cake this way.


Some people like to cover it with fruit and whipped cream, making a little frybread pie.


Or you can just eat it with your favorite soup or stew. It makes for great dipping.