4 cups flour (or 2 cups regular and 2 cups whole wheat)
1/2 tbsp. salt
1/2 tbsp. baking powder
1 1/2 cups hot water (hot enough to mix the dough with your hand)

MIX DOUGH:

Combine flour, salt and baking powder in a large bowl. Mix well. Add hot water - gradually - as you knead the dough in the bowl. Knead the dough until it begins to form a soft ball. Continue kneading the dough for an additional 3 to five minutes.

Cover with Saran or plastic wrap or a tight container for at least ten to fifteen minutes. You may also cover for up to thirty minutes to an hour if you have the time as this gives a softer, more fragrant dough.

PREPARE SURFACE AND PREPARE DOUGH:

Lightly sprinkle a clean, flat surface with flour (as if you are working with pie dough). Roll a fistful of dough between your hands. Form a uniform ball. Do the same with the rest of the dough mixture. Cover with plastic wrap or bowl to prevent drying.

PREPARE OIL:

Pour oil in an iron medium to large iron skillet. Make sure the oil is at least halfway up the sides of the pan at all times. USE EXTREME CAUTION WHEN COOKING WITH HOT COOKING OIL!

Gradually heat up the oil until it begins to heat up on medium-high. You may increase to high - ONLY IF THE FRYBREAD IS NOT COOKING. This requires experimentation as all stoves heat up at different temperatures. You will just have to find your happy medium.

To test oil, you may get a small round of dough and carefully place in the hot oil with a spoon. If the dough cooks to your desired consistency - should be a nice golden brown - you may proceed to the next step.

SHAPE FRYBREAD:

Place one piece of dough on the flat surface and push down evenly on all sides. Lightly sprinkle dough with flour and roll out evenly. Flip the dough over and do the same until the dough is rolled out to your desired thickness (too thick and the dough will not cook evenly. Too thin and the dough will come out crispy. Uneven and you will get unevenly cooked dough).

Place circular, rolled out dough against your hand and even out into a circular shape. Poke a hole in the middle of the dough to ensure that it will cook from the center as well.

COOK FRYBREAD:

Take your rolled out dough and place it in the hot oil AWAY from you by laying it from the side of the pan closest to you and AWAY from you to the other side. Take a long barbecue fork and rotate the bread in the pan a couple of times. This will help the baking powder work rise.

Check to see if the bread has cooked to the desired color and turn over to cook the other side (I usually tap the bread a few times just inside the edge of the pan to get the excess oil off before turning).

When both sides are brown, lay the finished frybread on top of a few papers towels to help absorb the excess oil.

Return to SHAPE FRYBREAD and continue to COOK FRYBREAD until all pieces of dough are cooked.

We Navajos like to use the following:

 • Bluebird Flour
 • Morton Salt
 • Clabber Girl Baking Powder
 • Morrell Lard (due to cholesterol - I now use healthier oils like peanut oil, olive oil, etc.)

NAVAJO BURGERS:

Wrap a frybread around your hamburger in place of your regular hamburger buns. Add lettuce, tomatoes, onions... as usual and slap on some green chile... et voila! A Navajo Burger!

NAVAJO TACOS:

Lay the frybread flat on a plate. Add plain beans or chile beans (if you can't make beans ahead of time - try Bush's Chile Beans) as your first layer. Then layer on fresh lettuce, tomatoes, onions and top with cheese. You may add sour cream and olives or whatever topping you so desire to spruce up your Navajo Taco. Eat with a fork and knife or roll up like a taco and enjoy!

Happy Eating!

Submitted by: Vee