This soft and fluffy Cherokee fry bread is a delicious treat that means a lot to me. This indian deep fried bread is versatile, filling, and so easy to make!
Recipe: $0.70 | Per Serving: $0.07 | Yields: 10 pieces
What's remarkable about Indian fry bread recipes is their diversity across families and tribes. Some incorporate water, sugar, or fats like shortening or lard. Most rely on estimations rather than precise measurements, often using the palm of the hand as a guide.
This traditional method adds to the challenge of replicating fry bread's unique flavor and texture. Each batch varies based on the cook's interpretation of measurements.
This Native American fried bread recipe offers measured quantities, departing from the traditional hand-measured approach. I hope you like it!
Pair your fry bread with taco meat using my DIY Taco Seasoning and Crockpot Chicken with Enchilada Sauce. Alternatively, serve it with chili and cheese—my Tomato Soup Chili and 5 Ingredient Instant Pot Chili would be perfect accompaniments.
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🍯 Why This Recipe Works
- Simple ingredient. You only need 4 ingredients to make fry bread at home (plus some oil for frying them in). You most likely have the necessary ingredients in your pantry right now.
- They're cheap to make. The reason why fry bread became popular in the first place is because it was cheap and convenient. Given food rations from the US government, Natives had to make do with what they had.
- They're easy to make. You can easily grab the kids and have them give you a hand with the mixing and shaping. My kids love to help out. Of course, I do all of the frying (for obvious safety reasons).
🥘 Ingredients
Ingredient Notes:
Flour- The gluten structure and base of this fry bread recipe is all purpose flour.
Water- You will need water or milk to moisten the dough. Water is more traditionally used, but milk adds a richer flavor.
Baking powder- To help the fry bread puff and rise as it cooks, you'll want to use baking powder.
Oil- For frying the fry bread, you'll need some vegetable oil, canola oil, or similar. You'll need at least 1 inch of oil in a large pan.
For specific ingredients and measurements, please see the recipe card below.
🔪 Instructions for Cherokee Fry Bread
Step 1: Preheat a large pot of oil over medium heat. The oil should be 1 inch deep (or more).
Step 2: In a mixing bowl, add the flour, baking powder, and salt.
Step 3: Whisk together to combine.
Step 4: Slowly add in your milk or water, just until the dough comes together (you may not need all of the milk).
Step 5: Take a ball of dough and knead it a little between your hands to make it smooth and elastic. It helps to have your hands covered in flour or to use a lightly floured surface depending on how sticky the dough is.
Step 6: Make the dough into a round ball and then press it flat. Make it as big as you can without getting the dough to tear or "become so thin that you can read through it."
Step 7: Slowly lay your dough into a prepared pan of oil starting with the end closest to you and working away from yourself to avoid any oil splashing in your direction.
Step 8: When you see the bottom edges of the fried dough turn a golden brown, flip it over and repeat until that side is cooked too.
Step 9: Remove the frybread and place it onto some paper towels to rest while you finish the rest of the batch.
Serve as desired and enjoy.
🍴 Recipe Tips
- Recipe Forgiveness: This fry bread recipe is forgiving; if you add too much liquid, simply incorporate more flour, and vice versa.
- Careful Oil Placement: When placing the fry bread in the oil, proceed slowly. Adding it too quickly can trap air bubbles underneath, causing it to take a bowl shape instead of staying flat. While this doesn't affect the taste, parts of the fry bread may remain white instead of turning golden brown.
- Oil Absorption: After frying, place the Cherokee Indian fry bread on paper towels to absorb excess oil until the entire batch is finished.
- Handling Frybread Dough: Unlike biscuit dough, frybread dough doesn't require delicate handling. It doesn't need to be kneaded like yeast dough but can withstand some rough handling.
👩🏻🍳 Author Note
Every year, I eagerly await September's Labor Day weekend, not for sales or camping, but for the big pow-wow! As a Cherokee tribal member, along with my kids, I cherish our Native American heritage.
Labor Day weekend hosts the grandest Pow Wow, with dance competitions, teepees, and food vendors. While I always try to attend for a few hours to savor some delicious frybread, sometimes I can't make it.
Thankfully, I can recreate it at home. This frybread recipe is a comforting treat, perfect for any time of year or when I'm feeling homesick.
💭 Fry Bread FAQs
Popping the air bubbles that come up is an optional choice. You do not have to, but you can if you want. Fun fact: Some tribes will purposefully pierce a hole in the center of their fried dough after putting it in the oil because they believe that it will help to let the evil spirits out.
Again, this is a personal choice. That said, soft and fluffy has always been a winner in my books. It makes it easier to convert into a sweet treat, Indian tacos, and more.
You will flatten the dough before cooking, and it will puff up while being cooked, so as long as you don't make it paper thin while you're flattening it you will still get some natural puff to your fry bread.
After making your delicious Cherokee fry bread you can use it however you want. Serve it with honey, butter, jam, cinnamon sugar, or even powdered sugar if you're looking for a sweet treat.
You can also top it with seasoned taco meat, lettuce, cheese, and your other favorite taco toppings for an Indian taco (basically an open-faced taco). My school served it with chili and cheese once a week.
❤️ More Delicious Dinner Recipes
If you tried this Cherokee Fry Bread Recipe, please leave a ⭐️ star rating and share your feedback in the 📝 comments section below. I would truly appreciate it!
📖 Recipe
Cherokee Fry Bread
Ingredients
- oil *for frying
- 3 cups all purpose flour ($0.39)
- 2 Tablespoons baking powder ($0.30)
- 1 ½ teaspoon salt ($0.01)
- 2 cups water or milk (you may not need all of it!) ($0.00)
Instructions
- In a large skillet (one with taller sides) heat 2 inches of oil on the stove over medium/high heat.
- In a mixing bowl combine your flour, baking powder, and salt. Slowly add in the milk or water, you won't need all of it, just enough to get the dough to combine.
- Take a ball of dough about half of the size of your palm and roll it between your hands like you're kneading the dough. Get it smooth and elastic feeling. It helps to have your hands or your work surface lightly floured to avoid sticking.
- Roll the dough into a ball the final time and then flatten it out between your hands trying to make it as big as you can without making it so thin that it tears.
- Slowly add your dough to a prepared pan, only do one at a time unless there is room for both to be in there without touching. Add the dough in by slowly laying it in the oil closest to you and working your way backwards, like you're tucking in a bed of oil under a banket.
- When you can see the bottom edge of the dough turn a golden brown, flip the dough using tongs and wait for the other side to do the same. Remove and place on paper towels to rest.
- Finish repeating the steps with the rest of the dough and then serve your fry bread as desired.
Thresa Johnson says
I have made this frybread several times and can't get enough of it! It's so so good. If you haven't tried this recipe, you definitely should. You won't regret it. It's so versatile and yummy that my husband and I actually crave this fry bread a lot. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe! Love love love it!!
Evelyn says
My mother in law used to make a bunch of these when she was alive,when my husband and I had our children, I started making them,kids loved them,and always a big hit especially when you are out of regular bread,used them for alot of recipes
Pamela J. Bell says
I Love Love Love fry bread with honey!! We my husband and I are in Cherokee I always have to get a fry bread. I'm so happy you shared this recipe. I'm going to make it .
Tamra says
Can they be frozen after cooking for later? I do meal prep and freeze some of my meals.
Nicole Durham says
Hi Tamra, glad you asked. I have had success at freezing frybread in the past. I recommend letting it cool completely before placing into an airtight container and freezing for up to 3 months. I usually let it sit at room temperature for a few hours to thaw, but you can leave them in the fridge overnight. then the following day pop them in the air fryer for a minute or two at 350F or use the microwave instead. Of course frybread always tastes best when freshest, but reheated is still pretty delicious! 🙂
Kechi says
Making this recipe was my first time making fried bread, and we all devoured it! I loved it with homemade orange jam!
Bintu | Recipes From A Pantry says
This sounds so delicious - I've never tried it before but you've got me intrigued, I think I might have to now!
rika says
I have everything I need to make this fry bread! I love simple recipes like this!
Beth says
I loved reading the backstory and history of this delicious recipe! This is a family favorite around our home!
Jeannette says
What an incredible treat! Love how I can add anything on top, including leftovers from the fridge. Win-win, I say!
NicoleDurham says
It really is great with anything <3