Recipe for Navajo Indian Fry Bread and a Family Feast

Navajo Indian Fry Bread is a favorite meal of ours that's perfect for the Fall, Thanksgiving weekend or to enjoy with the family outside even in the summer time. It also is versatile and can go well with a sit down meal or a serve-your-own buffet-style with a crowd. We would make this a family event in cooking.

Stir into a bowl:
4 ½ cups flour
½ tsp. salt
2 tsp. baking powder

Stir in:
1 ½ cups water
½ cup milk

Knead dough with hands. Pat or roll into circles approximately 5" inches diameter. With fingers make small hole in center. Fry in several inches hot oil at 400˚. Dough will puff and bubble. Turn when golden brown. Drain on absorbent paper and serve hot with honey, powdered sugar or cinnamon sugar.

The amount of ingredients in this recipe will make about 8 pieces of fry bread.

After the bread is cooked, it becomes crispy although not completely like a tortilla since the fry bread is thicker and chewier.

Here's a way to turn the Navajo Fry Bread into a feast.

Cook ground beef to layer on top or even strips of sirloin. For a unique flavor, grill the hamburger on a barbeque and add favorite flavorings like diced onions or diced green peppers. If the ground beef is cooked on a stove then drain it thoroughly.

If sirloin is used, cut it up into thin strips like it would be cooked for fajitas.

Grilled zucchini is also a good way to enjoy the bread and adds vegetables to the meal.

Use shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, shredded cheese as toppings and offer salsa as an optional dressing. Our kids usually chose Ranch dressing.

So here are the options:
Layer the fry bread with ground beef or sirloin strips, onions, lettuce and cheese and serve to guests.

Or put each item on separate plates and let people have the chance to serve themselves:
stack the fry bread on a plate, have one dish with ground beef, a separate one with sirloin and each of the toppings in their own dishes.

Since there are few dishes used in cooking, cleaning up is relatively easy.