Fry Bread is a round and flat fried Native American bread Navajo Heritage. Today we want to revisit the traditional recipe and make roast bread with a sourdough starter instead of dry yeast or baking powder.
This sourdough bread is crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside and has the most delicious flavor.
If you love cooking and baking with sourdough, this easy bread recipe is a must. It’s also perfect for using up your sourdough waste.
Read on if you want to learn more about the history of fried bread and how it’s made, or go straight to the recipe below!
The origins of fried bread are tied to a painful event in Navajo history. In the 19th century, the Navajos had to move from Arizona to New Mexico.
They had to make a long, 300-mile journey, remembered as the “Long Walk.”
Unable to grow their traditional staples in New Mexico, the U.S. government provided them with staples like flour, sugar, lard, yeast, and canned food.
From these simple ingredients, fried bread was born: a quick dough of flour, salt and yeast that is sliced ​​and fried in hot oil or lard.
Our recipe is based on the traditional Navajo fried bread but uses sourdough for the leavening.
Feed the sourdough starter with water and flour as usual before preparing the bread. Then let the sourdough bubble and rise until it has doubled in volume and use it to make the flatbread dough.
Then shape the dough into balls and let them rise for a few hours before stretching them into discs and deep frying.
The great thing about this fried bread is that it can be served with sweet or savory toppings.
You can try it with a drizzle of honey or maple syrup, or spread it with jam or cottage cheese. Alternatively, you can use fried bread as the base for a “Navajo taco,” as is done in Oklahoma and Colorado, and top it with salsa, beans, and avocado.
If you liked this recipe and are looking for more delicious sourdough recipes, you’ll love our vegan sourdough waffles and sourdough breadsticks!