Fry bread is an unusual bread that not many have heard of, which is a shame. This bread is delicious and can be a sweet or savory treat. Not every grocery store will stock this bread, so you will likely have to make it yourself, but how do you make fry bread?
Fry bread is relatively easy to make at home, and it requires some easy-to-find ingredients that you probably already have in your cupboard. These ingredients include all-purpose flour, baking powder, salt, and milk. You can serve this bread sweet with cinnamon sugar or savory with chili.
This article will give you one of the best recipes for fry bread to ensure you have the best experience. The recipe is easy and requires few ingredients, so keep reading to make the best fry bread you will ever have!
What the Fry is Fry Bread?
Fry bread (or frybread), is a deep-fried flat dough bread first made by the indigenous people of North America. When the dough is fried, it turns into gorgeous puffs of sweetness. Many fry lovers describe them as pillows of happiness.
These puffs can be served with various toppings to ensure you enjoy them. You can serve fry bread with jams, honey, and butter, or you can even treat it like a doughnut and cover it with cinnamon sugar. Alternatively, you can serve this bread savory, with gravy or chili.
You need to try this sweet treat if you haven’t already. The great thing about fry bread is that you can make it yourself. It is relatively easy to make at home, so let’s go through how you can make your own.
Ingredients Needed To Make Fry Bread
To make fry bread, you will need some easy-to-find ingredients. Most of these ingredients you should already have in your kitchen cupboard, but if you don’t, they can be found at your local grocery store.
Most of these ingredients are shelf stable, so you don’t need to worry about buying a large quantity and only making one batch of fry bread. You can keep the ingredients and make more later if you enjoy it. Below is what you need to make a good batch of fry bread.
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ teaspoons of baking powder
- ½ cup of milk with 2 tablespoons of extra
- Oil for deep frying
- Your topping of choice (honey, cinnamon sugar, butter, chili, gravy, or whatever you feel like)
Method To Make Fry Bread
You can begin making your fry bread when you have all the required ingredients above and have measured them out. Here is how to make fry bread:
Step 1: Mix the all-purpose flour, salt, and baking powder with a whisk in a medium bowl.
Step 2: Once the dry ingredients are mixed, add the milk to the dry ingredients. Add all the milk, including the tablespoons, ensuring the dough is wet enough and easier to work with. Mix the milk into the dry ingredients with a rubber spatula, as this will help incorporate the milk easier, without the dough sticking to the tool.
Step 3: When the dough is combined, place it onto a floured surface and knead it for about 5 minutes. This will make the dough easier to work with later.
Step 4: When you are done kneading, place the dough into a bowl and leave it in the fridge for around 30 minutes to help the dough bind, preventing it from becoming too sticky.
Step 5: When your fry bread dough has chilled, place it back onto a floured surface and cut the dough into four identical sections.
Step 6: Form each section of dough into a ball. Take one dough ball and set the rest aside. Roll the section of dough into a disc that’s around ¼ inch thick. With a knife, create a hole in the middle of the disc. This will help the dough stay flat when you fry it. Do this for all the other sections of dough.
Step 7: Now, you need to heat your oil in a deep pan. Heat the oil to 350˚ F. This is the perfect temperature to fry the bread, so keep the oil at this temperature throughout the frying process.
Step 8: When the oil reaches the correct temperature, carefully place a dough disc into the hot oil. Let the fry bread cook for 3 minutes or until the side that’s in the oil is golden brown. Then turn the dough carefully with tongs and allow the other side to cook for the same amount of time.
Step 9: When the fry bread is golden brown, carefully remove it from the oil with a pair of tongs and place it on a plate lined with a paper towel. Repeat steps 8 and 9 with the other dough discs.
Step 10: When the fry bread is cooked and drained on the paper towel, you can move it to a clean plate and top it with your topping of choice. Serve the bread warm for more enjoyment.
How Long Does It Last?
The recipe above makes four portions of fry bread, which can be too much for some people if you have the self-control to not eat this delicious treat all in one day. However, four pieces can be too much, depending on how many people you are catering to.
If you have leftover fry bread, you might wonder how long you can keep it before it starts going off. While it is best eaten fresh and warm from the oil, you can keep leftover fry bread for quite a while. If you plan on eating it within a day or two of cooking, you can keep it in an airtight container in the fridge.
Alternatively, if needed, you can freeze the fry bread to extend its shelf life. Place the fry bread into an airtight container and place it in the middle of your freezer to avoid freezer burn. The fry bread can last in the freezer for 2-3 months.
To warm up your fry bread after storing it, wrap it in aluminum foil and bake it at 375˚ F for between 10 to 15 minutes. You can then serve your fry bread with your favorite toppings.
Conclusion
Fry bread is a delicious treat that can be served alongside savory meals or as a sweet treat, depending on what topping you use. This bread is fluffy and light, and it’s easy to make yourself if you cannot find it in your grocery store. The recipe in this article is a traditional fry bread recipe, so you know it’s the real deal and will taste amazing. Good luck, and have fun making your fry bread!
