Content

• Ingredients
• Steps
• Part 1 of 3: Making the dough
• Part 2 of 3: Making Toasted Bread
• Part 3 of 3: Serving Toasted Bread
• Tips
• What do you need

Fried bread is a Navajo creation very popular in the American Southwest. This gooey, crispy fried treat can be found in meetings, eateries and roadside cafes, and has become the basis for famous Navajo tacos. The dough is cooked gently and allowed to rest, then fried in hot fat and covered with a sweet or salty filling on top. See Step 1 and follow the directions to make fresh toasted bread at home.

Ingredients

• 3 cups flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons milk powder
• 1 ¼ cup warm water
• Fat, vegetable oil, or vegetable shortening
• Filling: honey, sugar, butter, tacos, lettuce, chopped tomatoes, etc.

Steps

Part 1 of 3: Making the dough

1. 1 Mix dry ingredients. Add flour, baking powder, milk powder, and salt to a large bowl. Use a whisk to mix the ingredients thoroughly. Make a depression in the center of the mixture.
2. 2 Add warm water. Pour warm water into the well.
3. 3 Mix the dough. Use a wooden spoon to stir in the flour until a thin, sticky dough is formed. You can use your hands instead of a spoon if you like. Mix the dough gently - mixing too much can make the finished bread tough.
4. 4 Leave the dough to rest. When the dough is combined, shape into a ball and place in a greased bowl. Cover with a clean tea towel and place in a warm, dry place to rest for about 10 minutes.
   • The dough does not need to be left on for more than 10 minutes. It should be used within an hour or two hours and roasted fresh. Fried bread won't taste as good if you leave the dough overnight.
5. 5 Divide the dough into pieces. Divide the dough into small pieces and form into balls. Flatten the balls with the palm of your hand to make circles of toasted bread about the size of a flatbread.
   • Do not hold the dough in your hands for too long at this stage. Only as needed to form scones.
   • If you want, you can flatten the entire dough, then cut out individual pieces of dough with a knife or a special mold.
   • As you work, place the dough pieces on a plate and cover with a tea towel to prevent drying out.

Part 2 of 3: Making Toasted Bread

1. 1 Heat the fat. Place a significant amount of fat, vegetable oil, or vegetable shortening in a cast iron skillet or any skillet. You need enough fat to rise 2.5 cm from the bottom of the pan.Melt the fat over medium heat. The fat should be heated to 175 degrees Celsius.
2. 2 Try fat. Place a small piece of dough in the skillet to check if it is hot enough. The bread should begin to sizzle and bubble immediately. Make sure the fat is hot enough before you start making bread.
3. 3 Place the dough pieces into the skillet. Make sure they don't overlap or the dough won't cook evenly.
4. 4 Cook for 2-4 minutes on each side. When one side is golden brown and crispy, use the tongs to turn the bread over to finish cooking on the other side.
5. 5 Transfer the bread to a paper towel-covered plate. The paper towels will absorb the excess oil when you finish making the bread.

Part 3 of 3: Serving Toasted Bread

1. 1 Serve immediately. Fried bread tastes best while it is still hot. Eat toasted bread straight from the pan, or top it with one of the following toppings:
   • Honey and butter mixed together
   • Powdered sugar
   • Cinnamon
2. 2 Make navajo tacos. If you're ambitious enough, then use your toasted bread to make a traditional filled treat. Fill your toasted bread with some or all of these taco ingredients:
   • Ground beef cooked with taco seasoning
   • Chopped lettuce leaves
   • Chopped tomatoes
   • Chopped onion
   • Pinto beans
   • Sour cream
   • Green chili
   • Salsa

Tips

• Avoid lumps in the dough.
• The slices of toasted bread can be the size you want.
• Do not knead too much, otherwise the bread will be tough.
• Lower the toasted bread slowly, otherwise the fat may splatter and burn you and cause a fire.
• Place the bowl of dough in the oven (off) and cover with a towel to speed up the process. Watch it so it doesn't come up from the bowl.
• Whisking is much faster and more efficient than using a spoon.

What do you need

• Medium pan
• 2 medium bowls
• Spoon or whisk (whisk is much faster and more efficient)