American Indian Frybread 
NOTE – I didn’t stress during the stream that I was making these intentioanlly thicker – more like giant dumplings, instead of the traditional much thinner version. Traditionally, these are pulled/stretched, or rolled out very thin, like the thickness of 2 quarters. This is how to make (pick-your-tribe) tacos. Seriously, I’ve heard of Navaho tacos, Apache tacos, Comanche tacos, Objibway tacos, I’m sure there’s many more! The thinner style is only fried to a light golden-brown.
I did mention that rolling dough very thin is basically impossible unless you let the dough rest for a while. 30 minutes is barely enough time.
Here’s my research notes.
Original suggested recipe that I tested a few days ago, and while it was decent as a pita, this just isn’t a frybread.
2.5 cups of flour, 1 cup warm milk, this gives a hydration of around 80%
In general, the pan should not be anywhere near smoking, and this is more of a flatbread/pita recipe than a frybread because it’s cooked flat on a pan with a bit of oil. 2.5-ish minutes per side is good, and make sure the rounds are no more than 1/2″ thick otherwise the middle will be wet unless you lower the heat and cook it longer, which doesn’t work for anyone. I made some that were perfectly golden-brown, but ended up a bit wet in the middle. I made 4 rounds from this recipe, each being equivalent to about 3 slices of bread. As far as quick&easy recipes go, I give this one a 3/5. Also, the milk might bring too much colour too quickly from the extra sugar, and if you want to make the final bread more rich and moist, add 1-2 tbsp of butter or your favourite fat to the mix.
Much better version from Matt Taylor
2 cups of all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp of salt
1 tbsp of baking powder (some versions call for as little as 1/2 tsp)
2 tbsp of shortening, oil, lard (optional)
3/4 to 1 cup of water. Start with 3/4 cup.
Oil, shortening, or lard for frying (vegetable, canola, coconut, avocado, etc.)
1 cup of flour is around 120g, so this recipe is anywhere from 75-100% hydration. Start with 3/4 cup of water and optional fat, stir it all togetherm and start kneading. Add water as needed to create a smooth ball of dough. This will take a good 5-10 minutes of kneading. When done, cover with a clean towel and let rest for “30 minutes” and I’m all like … Matt, seriously? 30 minutes? Otherwise, I like this recipe, because it’s almost identical to …
Each cup of flour = 3 servings.
Quick pan bread
Ingredients
- 2/3 cup flour (106g) Don't worry if it's not exact.
- 2/3 cup warm water
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
Instructions
- Preheat a deep pan with at least 1/2" of oil to 350F
- Whisk the dry ingredients together.
- Add the water, and stir until completely combined. This makes a wet dough, and I don't see a point in working this into a normal dough because I'd have to drop the "quick" part of the name.
- I recommend rolling out the batter on a piece of parchment paper that will fit inside the pan, and roll the dough no more than 1/2" thick. If the dough is sticky, you should lightly flour the work surface and the top of the ball before you roll it out.
- Slide the parchment paper into the oil. The dough will pull apart from t he paper as it starts to fry, and you can safely remove the paper with tongs.
- When the bottom is golden-brown, flip the bread and fry until it's all golden-brown. Approximately 4 minutes for the first side, and another 3 for the other side.
- If you want to work the dough into something easier to manage, keep kneading until a smooth ball forms, cut into pieces, form those into balls, and then roll out to 1/2" thick. Fry as above.
Notes
- Baking soda helps with browning, baking powder helps with floofiness, and both together balance out the flavor. If you just use baking soda, you'll get that pretzel vibe, which begs the question why you're not just making pretzels. If you do want something that tastes more pretzel-like, you can double the soda, skip the powder, and cook these to a shade darker than golden-brown. Pan frying in just a tablespoon of oil is also recommended if you want that pretzel-like crunchy finish. You'll need to add some more oil after you flip it.
- I've skipped straight from the bowl to placing half the dough into my pan, and quickly shaping it with high-temp silicone spatulas, but I don't recommend it unless you're confident this will work for you.
- If you want a traditional frybread, you'll need to form a ball of dough, and let it rest for a minimum of 30 minutes, 45-60 is ideal. You might need to add a bit more flour to form a ball. Divide into small balls, form them into smooth balls, lightly flour, and gently roll them out with a rolling pin, or pull/stretch them out like you would hand-form a pizza crust. The resting time is required to be able to roll it out very thin, max 1/8" (about 2 quarters).