Fry Bread

Fry Bread is a flatbread made with easy-to-find ingredients you probably have at home. You make the dough, then fry it in oil. You can eat it plain, or add sweet or savory toppings.

Our Favorite Fry Bread Recipe

Different variations and versions of Fry Bread can be found in different cultures and countries all around the world. Ingredients can vary a bit, but a unifying trait is how basic it is to make. The ingredient list is typically short — featuring simple, everyday ingredients. 

However, don’t be fooled by the short and simple ingredient list, because this is truly the best Fry Bread I’ve ever tried! It has a lightly crisp exterior from being fried. The interior is soft, chewy, and so flavorful.

Another nice thing about fried bread dough is how quickly it comes together. Unlike when you’ve got to wait for white bread, honey whole wheat bread, or dinner rolls to rise, this recipe doesn’t require any rising time!

What Is Fry Bread?

Also called Navajo Fry Bread or Indian Fry Bread, this is a quick-to-make flatbread that is deep fried in oil, shortening, or lard. The bread puffs up as it’s fried, creating a golden brown dough with a phenomenal texture — crisp on the outside, soft and chewy on the inside.

There are numerous ways to enjoy it:

• Right out of the fryer (It practically melts in your mouth!)
• Sweet fry bread: Top it right out of the fryer with honey, honey butter, jam, syrup, and/or a sprinkle of powdered sugar (we call this sweet treat Utah Scones!).
• Dredge in cinnamon sugar: Right out of the fryer, dredge both sides in a mixture of 1/2 cup granulated sugar and 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
• Top with savory toppings such as shredded beef, pork, chicken or seasoned ground beef
• Use as a flatbread or a replacement for bread (make sandwiches with the fried bread)
• Use to replace tortillas in a taco-like meal (like Navajo Tacos)
• Dunk in your favorite crockpot chili or soup recipe

How To Make Fry Bread

The dough for this basic Fry Bread comes together quickly and doesn’t require rising time — score! The dough does rest for a little bit which is the perfect time to heat up the oil for frying.

Once the dough has rested, it’s time to fry. A couple of different options here:

1. Use a deep fryer (We love this deep fryer). It makes frying very easy and less messy than using a pot– thanks to the deep fryer lid. It also ensures the temperature stays consistent (you can set a temperature and forget about it!), which is important for even frying.
2. If you don’t have a deep fryer, you’ll want a heavy-bottomed deep pot (I recommend using a large (5 quart) cast iron pot) and thermometer to gauge the temperature of the oil and ensure it maintains the right heat throughout frying. We want to ensure the temperature stays consistent and doesn’t get too hot (or too cool) which affects how the bread fries.
   1. If you don’t have access to a thermometer, try this trick: stand a wooden spoon handle in the hot oil. When bubbles gather around the stick, the oil is ready to fry.

Recipe Notes

• Yeast. There is yeast in the dough, but it does not require rising time. We do rest the bread for 15-20 minutes to allow the gluten to relax; this makes it easier to form pieces of dough before frying.
• Kneading. No kneading is required for this dough! In fact, the less you touch the dough, the better.
• Dough texture: It should be slightly sticky but workable. Add extra flour sparingly if needed, and a bit more milk if too dry. Variations can occur due to climate, humidity, and measuring differences.
• Rustic is the goal. The more bubbles and bumps on the bread, the better! This is the perfect surface area to add lots of toppings! Roughly press the dough out with your hands — don’t use a rolling pin– it’s not needed!

More Fried Foods To Love

• Churros with two different dipping sauces
• Air Fryer Donuts with only four ingredients
• Cronut sweet croissant-donut pastries made simple (in 35 minutes or less!)
• Churro Ice Cream Sandwiches two churro rounds with ice cream in the middle
• Air Fryer Dutch Baby with a vanilla syrup

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5 from 2 votes

Fry Bread

By Chelsea Lords

Fry Bread is a flatbread made with simple and accessible everyday ingredients. The dough is deep fried in oil and can be enjoyed right out of the oil or with various toppings -- sweet or savory. 

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 8 minutes minutes

Resting Time: 20 minutes minutes

Total Time: 43 minutes minutes

Servings: 8 fry breads

Equipment

• Deep fryer OR a large/deep pot with thermometer (Note 1)

Ingredients 

USMetric

 

1x2x3x

• ▢ 2 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
• ▢ 2-1/3 cup white, all-purpose flour
• ▢ 2 teaspoons baking powder (NOT soda!)
• ▢ 2 teaspoons white, granulated sugar
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon instant or active dry yeast
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
• ▢ 1 cup milk (we use whole)
• ▢ 1 tablespoon vegetable oil + more for frying

Instructions 

• DOUGH: Melt butter in the microwave. Let the butter cool back to room temperature (it's important it's not hot!). Microwave the milk until just warmed (Note 2), but not hot. Mix together melted butter and milk and set aside. In a large bowl, add the flour, sugar, baking powder, yeast, and salt. Whisk to combine. Add the milk mixture to the dry ingredients and stir with a wooden spoon until the dough comes together.
• DOUGH CONT.: Dough should be rough, shaggy, and fairly sticky, but not so sticky you can't work with it. Lightly flour your hands and knead the dough just a few times to shape it into a ball, being careful not to overwork/over-handle the dough. In the same bowl you used for mixing, drizzle a tablespoon of vegetable oil in the bowl. Rub oil on the bottom of the bowl and slightly up the sides. Add the dough ball back into the bowl and turn the dough to coat in the oil. Cover the bowl with a damp kitchen towel. Let it rest for about 15-20 minutes. We don't need the dough to rise, just the gluten to relax!
• PREPARE FOR FRYING: Add 1 inch of oil to a large cast iron pot and heat to 350 degrees F. Divide the rested dough into 8 equal portions (cut the ball of dough in half then half again to get 4 large triangle pieces. Cut each triangle into 2 pieces to get 8 equal triangles). Lightly flour your hands and work with one piece of dough at a time (keep the rest of the dough portions covered). Holding the piece of dough with your hands, gently work the dough into a circle pressing it out with your fingers. (Don't roll out the dough with a rolling pin or flatten on the table.) The dough should make a thin 5- to 6-inch circle and doesn't need to look pretty -- it's supposed to be rustic looking! The thinner the pieces, the better; keep working the dough outwards, being careful to not rip it.
• FRY: Gently drop only one piece of dough at a time into the fully heated oil. Fry about 30 seconds to 1 minute per side (if not using cast iron pot, it will be longer) -- fry pieces to a dark golden brown color, flipping the dough with 2 forks (or tongs) halfway through. Use a large slotted spoon (or tongs) to remove the dough onto a paper-towel-lined plate. Repeat to fry the remaining dough.

Video

Recipe Notes

Note 1: Frying equipment options:

1. 1. Use a deep fryer.
   2. If you don’t have a deep fryer, you’ll want a heavy-bottomed deep pot (I recommend using a large (5 quart) cast iron pot) and thermometer to gauge the temperature of the oil and ensure it maintains the right heat throughout frying. We want to ensure the temperature stays consistent and doesn’t get too hot (or too cool) which will affect how the bread fries. If you don't have access to a thermometer, try this trick: Stand a wooden spoon handle in the hot oil. When bubbles gather around the stick, the oil is ready to fry.

Note 2: Test milk temperature: Drizzle a few drops of the warmed milk onto the inside of your wrist. If it is warm and comfy it will be perfect for the yeast. If it feels hot, it will be too hot for the yeast. Too cold and the yeast will simply remain dormant.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 200kcal | Carbohydrates: 33.7g | Protein: 5.2g | Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 8.2mg | Sodium: 16.4mg | Fiber: 1.2g | Sugar: 2.7g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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