We make fry bread in honor of Native American Heritage Month. Inspiration comes from the book Fry Bread by Kevin Noble Maillard.
We'll share our results, our recipes, and a little bit about our chosen stories on this blog.
AND we invite YOU to bake along with us.
Share what you make by tagging us with #DPPLBakes, send us your favorite recipes, or just enjoy reading our entries.
The Book
Fry bread is food. it is warm and delicious, piled high on a plate.
Fry bread is time. It brings families together for meals and new memories.
Fry bread is nation. It is shared by many, from coast to coast and beyond.
Fry bread is us. It is a celebration of old and new, traditional and modern, similarity and difference.
This may be a children's picture book but it is also an excellent vehicle for us to raise awareness in our families of Native American culture.
Fry bread is an important dietary staple for them and it's very tasty!
Reserve the book here | Stream the video and read along on Hoopla.
The Make:
Fry bread is exactly what it states and is often found by other names around the world. Call it zeppole, paczki, samosa or sopapilla; it can be sweet or savory but one thing is for sure, it is delicious!
I've never made anything like this before and I was a bit daunted by the directions.
It turned out to be really easy and absolutely worth it! I just used the recipe in the back of the book and it worked like a charm.
Once they are done you can top them however you like.
It's often served as a "Navajo taco" by adding ground meat, beans, cheese, lettuce and tomato.
I simply sprinkled cinamon and sugar on mine.
Ingredients for Kevin's Fry Bread
1 pint boiling water
1 cup cornmeal
1 1/2 cups cold water
1/2 oz. of dry or instant yeast (approximately 2 packages)
1 cup raw sugar (I just used regular white sugar)
1 tsp. sea salt
3 1/2 cups flour
32 oz. unrefined coconut oil
Note: Read the directions several times to make sure you notice all the little things. I didn't and it could have turned out badly.
Directions
Bring one pint of water to a boil. Add the cornmeal and stir slowly until it is smoth. Reduce the heat to medium. Add the cold water and cook while stirring until the mixture is thick. Remove from th heat and let cool. At this point make sure the dough isn't lumpy. A few lumps are okay but try to get them out.
When the mixture is cool transfer it to a large bowl and add the yeast, sugar and salt. You'll need to add sprinkles of water every so often to moisten the mixture. Using a whisk or potato masher, gradually add the flour. Again, check for lumps during this step. Sprinkle some water to keep the dough moist but not so much that it isn't thick. Cover the bowl with a damp cloth or towel and let it rise for three hours.
When the dough is ready (it should be sticky and springy to the touch) heat the oil to medium in an iron skillet. The oil should sizzle when you drop a bit of dough in but not splatter. Make golf ball sized balls (I found making them a bit smaller than this allowed me to cook 3 at a time) using two oiled spoons. Gently drop dough into the oil. Be sure to leave some room in the pan becasue the ball will expand as it cooks.
Fry the dough until it looks good to you; about 3 minutes. Flip it over using tongs and cook the other side. When you are satisfied with the color (you may like it lighter or darker) transfer it to a plate lined with paper towels. Separate each layer with paper towel as you go.
My batch made about 30 pieces of fry bread. They were crispy on the outside and soft and fluffy on the inside. It was a little like a mix between fried dough and cornbread and they were absolutely delectable. They are definately best eaten fresh (after they've cooled a bit) but were good up to two days later (I stored them in an air tight container).
