Fry Bread

Every fry bread carries the story of its maker. Shaped by instinct, timing, and the quiet confidence that comes only after a few beautifully imperfect tries.

Fry Bread being Fried

Fluffy, airy, light, crispy, soft on the inside... what more could you want.

If you're looking for a tortilla chip replacement or taco shell replacement or a medium to spread peanut butter and jelly onto or something you can just eat plain then fry bread has you covered!

Fry bread is about as versatile as it comes in the food world. Eat it plain, use it for any of the above and much more. It's delicious. Just be aware that once you make it, you'll want to eat every last one before you get a chance to use them for the intended purpose.

The history of the food dates back to when the US government forced Native Americans to relocate and basically only gave them flour and water to survive. The ingenuity of the people didn't let them lose hope and they alchemized the extremely sparse ingredients into fry bread.

In better news, they're very easy to make but temperamental. A few degrees of heat and a few seconds makes all the difference. If the heat is too low, they won't fluff up. If you're not paying attention, you'll cook them too long and will surely burn them. Once you get the feel for it, they're very satisfying to make. You need to learn to listen to make these properly.

What You Need:

-1 Cup Flour

-1/3 Cup Warm Water

-1 Tsp Baking Powder

-Dollop or two of yogurt (optional, makes it softer and fluffier)

-Rolling Pin

-High heat oil (Avocado or Canola or something else that has a high smoke point)

What You Do:

1) Add high heat oil to a pan and turn burner on to medium heat

2) Combine all ingredients in a bowl

3) Mix ingredients, the resulting dough should be well combined, soft but not sticky. If the dough is crumbly and not quite coming together, add more warm water. If the dough is really sticky, add more flour. The sweet spot is it doesn't stick to your fingers and also isn't falling apart.

4) Break dough apart into 4 to 8 mini balls of dough (amount depends on how large you want them to be depending on what you're making them for, I usually shoot for 6)

5) Flour counter or large cutting board

6) Take first ball of dough, put on top of floured counter / cutting board, press the dough down with your palm to make a mini pancake, flour the top of the dough pancake

7) Roll the dough pancake out with the rolling pin, start rolling up and down, then side to side, then vertically (all sides), so it stays circular(ish). You want it to be pretty thin

8) That one's done, add to the side of the bowl you arranged the dough in so you can roll all the other balls of dough out, roll out all the balls before cooking, they cook very fast. Re-flour the rolling surface in-between each ball of dough

9) Once all the balls have been rolled out into thin, circular sheets of dough, you're ready to cook

10) Add the first one to the oil in the pan - add it to the side that's closest to you then drop it away from you so any oil splatter does not go on you (lets not talk about how long it took me to figure this one out)

11) Start a countdown timer for 30 seconds

12) The dough should immediately start bubbling, if it doesn't, the heat is too low, if it's burning by the end of 30 seconds then the heat it too high

13) Flip after 30 seconds

14) Start 30 second timer again

15) After another 30 seconds, it's done, set aside on a plate

16) Repeat for all remaining dough sheets, one at a time

17) After a few minutes, they'll all be done!

18) Enjoy!

As I said, this is a very versatile recipe but may take some trial and error to get the feel for it down. Once you get it down, they're really fun to make. If you're looking for them to be harder, more tortilla style, bump the heat up slightly and/or cook them for slightly longer (maybe 45 seconds to a minute). If you're looking for them to be softer for tacos, bump the heat down slightly and/or cook them for slightly shorter (maybe 15 or 20 seconds). If you want less fluff for some reason, go with a lower heat. A few seconds and/or a few degrees makes a huge difference with these. The end result is well worth it and can be used for basically anything and cooked up in no-time at all!

May you find a small light today, even if the world feels dim, and may it remind you that your story still matters and your path is still unfolding.

Enjoy and keep it real out there!