Fry Bread Recipes From Various Tribes
Tribal Variations of the Basic Fry Bread Recipe
From Sacred Springs Powwow Blog ~ Nov 18, 2020
Fry Bread Recipes From
Various Tribes
Tribal Variations of the Basic
Fry Bread Recipe
From Sacred Springs Powwow Blog ~ Nov 18, 2020
Indian fry bread recipes may vary from region to region and from different tribes. It can be found in its many ways at state fairs and pow-wows, but what is served to the paying public may be different from what is served in private homes and in the context of tribal family relations. A typical frybread recipe consists of flour, water, salt, a small amount of oil, and baking powder. The ingredients are mixed and worked into a simple dough and covered with a cloth for 30 minutes to an hour, until the dough rises. It is then formed into small balls and are either rolled or pulled into flat discs prior to frying in hot oil. We offer the following fry bread recipes from various tribes for you to try. One thing for certain, they will all taste great!
By 1890, the Lakota people, once powerful and free, were entirely dependent on the U.S. government. The U.S. had forcibly removed our people from our homeland, confined them to reservations and cut their rations by half.
That ‘ol Indian Fry Bread made of lard & flour ~
“Do you know where the ‘idea’ of frybread comes from, young one?”, asked the Elder…
Everyone sat back and looked so eager to hear the story this beautiful Elder was about to tell, all smiles…
“Buggy flour and rancid lard”, he said softly with his head down… Flour, you know, with bugs in it, and lard that had gone bad… that was all we got from the Indian Agent.
That was all we had to cook with, it was all we had to eat… Buggy flour and rancid lard… And so, we ‘cooked’ with both… That is how this European mystical and wonderful idea of ‘frybread’ came about… I just thought I would tell you.”
Courtesy of Claudette Johnson
Pine Ridge Agency
South Dakota, 1891
Denver Public Library Digital Collection
Acknowledgement
Our thanks to the Indigenous Cultures Institute, sponsor of the Annual Sacred Springs Powwow in San Marcos, Texas for permission to reprint their blog article “Frybread Recipes”.
Scroll to the end of our “Fry Bread Recipes From Various Tribes” article to see more information about the Indigenous Cultures Institute and the Sacred Springs Powwow.
FRY BREAD RECIPES FROM VARIOUS TRIBES!
Old Fashioned Fry Bread Recipe
INGREDIENTS
- 4 cups flour
- 2 tbsp. baking powder
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1/2 cup shortening
- 1 cup warm water
DIRECTIONS
Mix flour, baking powder and salt. Gradually add in the shortening and water. Add only enough water to make dough stick together. Knead dough until smooth, make into fist-sized balls. Cover them with a towel for 10 minutes then pat them out into circles about the size of a pancake. Fry in hot cooking oil in cast iron skillet until brown on both sides. Drain on paper towels, serve with jam.
Traditional Fry Bread Recipe
INGREDIENTS
- 1 pkg. dry yeast
- 3 cups warm water
- 1 tbsp. salt
- 1 tbsp. sugar
- 6 cups flour
- 2 tbsp. oil
- 1/2 cup cornmeal
DIRECTIONS
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 Fry Bread Recipe
INGREDIENTS
- 4 cups flour
- 1 Tbsp. powdered milk
- 1 Tbsp. baking powder
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 1/2 cups warm water
- Oil for frying
DIRECTIONS
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.
Chickasaw Fry Bread Recipe
INGREDIENTS
- 2 cups sifted flour
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 4 tsp. baking powder
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup warm milk
DIRECTIONS
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 Recipe
INGREDIENTS
- 2 cups fresh pumpkin or 1-16oz. can pumpkin
- 1 tbsp. milk or water
- 3/4 cups brown sugar
- 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp. nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp. vanilla
DIRECTIONS
Drop into hot cooking oil and brown on both sides. Serve hot with butter or powdered sugar.
Cherokee Fry Bread Recipe
INGREDIENTS
- 1 cup flour
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 2 tsp. baking powder
- 3/4 cup milk
DIRECTIONS
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.
Creek Fry Bread Recipe
INGREDIENTS
- 2 cups flour
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 tbsp. baking powder
- 1/4 tsp. salt
DIRECTIONS
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 Fry Bread Recipe #1
INGREDIENTS
- 1 C flour
- 1 t baking powder
- 1/4 C powdered milk
- 1/4 t salt
- warm water
DIRECTIONS
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 Fry Bread Recipe #2
INGREDIENTS
- 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
DIRECTIONS
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 Fry Bread Recipe
INGREDIENTS
- 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
DIRECTIONS
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 Fry Bread Recipe
INGREDIENTS
- 2 cups flour
- 3 tsp. baking powder
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 cup milk
DIRECTIONS
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.
Navajo Fry Bread Recipe
By Glenda Longhorn
INGREDIENTS
- 4 ½ Cups Flour
- 1 Tbsp baking Powder
- 1 ¼ cup Warm Water
- 2 Tbsp Powdered Milk
- 1 Tsp Salt
DIRECTIONS
Mix and knead then let stand 30 minutes. Roll to about 1/8-inch-thick on lightly floured board. Cut into any shape desired. Fry in deep fat (vegetable oil) at 400 – 450 degrees until crisp.
Indian Frybread History: Explore a Complex & Fascinating Story
Navajo Innovation, Reservation Rations & the Mexican Tortilla
By Crazy Crow Trading Post ~ September 24, 2021
While finishing research on this Indian frybread history article, there were certain issues we were trying to cover, including the similarity of the tortilla and frybread, wheat flour vs. corn meal, etc. Every article about the history of Indian frybread (including this one) describes how it originated in 1864 as a result of the “Long Walk” and the minimal rations issued for survival, yet we found no references, except for a food expert and editor and a university professor who studied the topic, whose work we include. Judge for yourself.
It makes sense that after hundreds of years of contact with the Spanish (and subsequently Mexicans) that the Navajo would have been familiar with the flour tortilla. White flour had been introduced into the northern Mexican by the Europeans in around 1650, and corn tortillas had been replaced by white flour in that area for decades before 1864. So the tortilla of these bordering northern Mexican states already included white flower. Then, instead of cooking in a fry pan or griddle without grease (or just a coating), you deep fry it in the lard provided by the government agents for a fluffier, dense, filling result. If you are given a handful of ingredients to make some type of nourishment on which to survive, it would be logical (and smart) to ask yourself, “what do I know to make that I could use or substitute some of these available rations with?” If I’m familiar with tortillas and can think of a way to basically just change the way I cook it to produce a much more filling piece of bread (and tastier if you don’t have the usual tortilla fillings), I’d vote for frybread!
About the Indigenous Cultures Institute & Sacred Springs Powwow
Indigenous Cultures Institute
The Indigenous Cultures Institute was founded in 2006 by members of the Miakan/Garza Band, one of the over six-hundred bands that resided in Texas and northeastern Mexico when the Spaniards first arrived. The 83rd Legislature recognized the Miakan-Garza Band as a Texas Indian tribe with “immeasurable contributions to the State of Texas”. Members of the Miakan-Garza Band still practice their traditional ceremonies and maintain long held family ties, including jsponsoring the Annual Sacred Springs Powwow in San Marcos, Texas.
Sacred Springs Powwow
EXPERIENCE MOTHER EARTH’S HEARTBEAT IN THE HEART OF SAN MARCOS, TEXAS. The Sacred Springs Powwow is organized by the nonprofit, Indigenous Cultures Institute. Our physical event typically boasts an attendance of 6,000+. This wasn’t enough to stop our 10-year celebration! In 2020, complete with over 50 competing dancers, 4 danza performances, 16 virtual vendors, and over 13k attendees, we were able to celebrate safely from the comfort of our homes. 2021 may require a similar event, but rest-assured we’ll be celebrating our culture all the same!
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