Indian Fry Bread - my way

Fry Bread is economical, versatile and delicious! Here is a simple way to also make it good for you.

Ingredients for 4 Fry Breads

1 cup freshly ground spelt flour (or whole wheat)
1/4 teaspoon unrefined sea salt
2 teaspoons Sucanat
1/2 cup sourdough starter
raw milk
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Kettle-rendered lard for frying

2 Tablespoons Sucanat mixed with 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon and pulverized for a moment or two in an electric blender. This will be more than you need, but the extra can be stored in a small lidded jar to use later.

Instructions:

The night before you want to make the Fry Bread (or up to 12 hours before) combine the flour, salt, and Sucanat in a small glass mixing bowl.

Add the sourdough starter and stir.

Add milk, a little at a time, until a stiff, kneadable dough forms.

Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and let it sit at room temperature overnight or up to 12 hours.

Turn dough out onto floured work surface and sprinkle with baking soda. I use unbleached flour for working the dough to prevent sticking.



Knead vigorously for 2 minutes.

Begin heating 1/2 inch of kettle-rendered lard in a cast iron skillet on medium/low heat.



Divide the dough into 4 pieces, make them into little rounds, and roll them out, to about 7 inches in diameter. Use unbleached flour to prevent sticking.





Carefully place one of the rounds into the pan. Let it fry until it is bubbly on top and browning on the bottom, then carefully turn it over with metal tongs and fry the top until it is browning.



Remove the fry bread with tongs and drain on paper toweling.



Sprinkle with the "cinnamon-Sucanat" - (optional)

Serve while warm! These may be topped with many other things as well. You can use them in a similar way as tortillas. Some people like to make a dish like a taco or tosdada using fry bread.



You may also add other things to the dough, like sauteed mushrooms, cooked chopped meats, cooked fresh vegetables, and suitable seasonings for whatever you like.

This recipe may be doubled or made even bigger, depending on how many Fry Breads you need.

You may substitute whole wheat flour for the spelt flour, if you wish. Spelt makes a more tender product.

The history behind Fry Bread is very sad. If you would like to find out more about it, please go HERE to read it.

This post is linked to the Homestead Barn Hop #42