Native American Fry Bread

Fry bread is a dish of the indigenous people of North America that is a flat dough bread, deep-fried in oil, shortening, or lard. It can be served with sweet or savory toppings. I’m not sure if it’s the tasty goodness I like the best or perhaps it’s because I usually buy it when I’m on vacation that makes it special to me.

Fry bread is a tradition in many Native American cultures; however, I would like to share a sad and painful history of the Navajo Nation fry bread before sharing recipes.

The Navajo People

The Navajo (they call themselves the Diné) lived off the land as their ancestors had for generations. They were planters and also raised livestock to feed their family. Their homeland, Dinétah, was bordered by the four sacred mountains: the San Francisco Peaks in north-central Arizona, the Hesperus Peak in southwestern Colorado, Mount Blanca in south-central Colorado, and Mount Taylor in northwestern New Mexico.

Map of the four sacred mountains. Courtesy of the Crow Canyon Archaeological Center.

The “Long Walk”

As settlers expanded west, skirmishes and disagreements followed. Around 1864, after peace negotiations went badly, the federal government rounded up the Navajo people. It forced them to walk between 250 to 450 miles from their homeland (depending on their starting location) within the Four Sacred Mountains to eastern New Mexico at Bosque Redondo (near the military Fort Sumner). For many, the Long Walk Trail began at Fort Defiance, an internment camp located in northeast Arizona.

Map of the various Long Walk trails which terminate at Fort Sumner, which is located at Bosque Redondo, New Mexico.

As with most government relocation efforts of the 19th century, most Navajo felt they had no other choice but to comply. Over 8,000 people made the journey and nearly 2,500 died en route or in the squalid conditions of Bosque Redondo. While it was intended to be a reservation, Bosque Redondo functioned as an internment camp and the government stationed soldiers to make sure that the Navajo could not leave.

A U.S. Soldier stands guard over Navajo people during the Long Walk circa 1864, Courtesy of Center for Southwest Research, University of New Mexico.

Life at Bosque Redondo

The Diné were forced onto land that could not easily support their traditional foods. They were hundreds of miles away from lands where they could forage, hunt, and grow familiar crops. To prevent the displaced Native Americans from starving, the United States government provided a small set of staple food items, and among them were flour, salt, baking powder, powdered milk, and lard. At first, the people had never seen these ingredients before and didn’t know how to use them. With ingenuity, they came up with a recipe to create a simple quick bread that was cooked in a pan of hot lard over coals. Fry bread is a symbol of survival and perseverance.

The Return Home

The 1868 Treaty of Bosque Redondo was negotiated with the Navajo, and they were allowed to return to their homeland. On June 18, 1868, the Diné, set off on the return journey, the “Long Walk” home. This is one of the few instances where the U.S. government permitted a tribe to return to their traditional lands. The Navajo were granted 3.5 million acres of land inside their four sacred mountains. The Navajo also became a more cohesive tribe after the Long Walk and were able to successfully increase the size of their reservation since then, to over 16 million acres.

Interesting Facts about Fry Bread

Today, fry bread is most commonly eaten at Native American ceremonial events, feast days, and powwows, intertribal fairs that include traditional dances and vendor markets. Just because it’s not indigenous doesn’t mean that it’s not part of Native American culture. Many tribes other than the Navajo have their fry bread recipes and traditions stemming from similar circumstances. Some tribes received rations that included yeast instead of baking powder and therefore, their recipes use that substitution.

However, due to its dark past, in 2017 the Miss Navajo Nation contest ended the fry bread–preparation portion of the pageant and opted to have participants prepare traditional foods such as blue corn mush instead.

Traditional Fry Bread Recipe

Ingredients:

1 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon powdered milk
1/2 to 1 cup warm water (depending on the humidity)

Canola oil for frying

Instructions:

1. Combine and mix dry ingredients well.

2. Start with 1/2 cup warm water and knead well using your hands or stand mixer. Add more water if necessary to make a smooth and soft dough.

3. Cover and let rest for 15 to 20 minutes.

4. Heat enough oil (about 1 1/2 inches deep) in a wide-bottomed pan to 375 degrees F.

5. Divide into four portions and pat into a disk about 7 inches in diameter.

6. Fry one at a time and flip after the first side is golden brown.

7. Drain on a paper plate lined with paper towels.

8. Top with your choice of sweet or savory toppings.

Fry Bread Toppings

You can top fry bread with pretty much anything. Sweet toppings can include honey, powdered sugar, cinnamon sugar, or your choice of fruit.

You can top it with any savory toppings just like you would a tortilla. I love Navajo Tacos which can include, beans, meat (beef or chicken), cheese, lettuce tomatoes, and onions.