Navajo Fry Bread (AKA Navajo Tacos)

Navajo Tacos was one of my favorite meals growing up!  My Mom would make these with her usual white bread dough recipe, which was delicious and it worked great for these, however you have to plan ahead a bit when using regular bread dough to give it time to double in size.  The awesome thing about this recipe is that it comes together in under 20 minutes! The bread still puffs up beautifully and tastes delicious but cuts down on the meal prep time.  What you'll want to do is mix up the bread dough (no mixer required) and let it sit while you start heating up the oil and making the taco meat.  By the time the oil reaches the right temperature the dough is ready to be cut into pieces and rolled out.  I like to make my tacos with re-fried beans (warmed up), taco meat, olives, cheese, lettuce, and sour cream.  So yummy, and one of those rare meals that no-one complains about!  This recipe makes 8 scones, so if you have extras you can always spread some honey butter or Nutella on them for a delicious dessert.  

Navajo Fry Bread

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp rapid rise or active dry yeast
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup warm milk (110 degrees)
2 Tbsp butter or shortening, melted
Vegetable oil, for frying


In a mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, yeast and salt.  Warm butter and milk together until butter is melted at the edges, then wait until butter is mostly melted and milk is warm /not hot,  and pour milk mixture into dry ingredients.
Stir until mixture comes together and slightly forms a ball, dough should be fairly sticky (if needed you can add in a little more flour or a little more water to reach a good consistency but try not to overwork the dough).
Cover dough with plastic wrap and allow to rest 5 - 10 minutes.
Heat 1 inch of oil in a large cast iron skillet to 350 - 360 degrees over stove top.
Divide rested dough into 8 equal pieces.
Working with floured hands and one piece of dough at a time (keep other pieces covered with plastic wrap), pat dough out on a lightly floured surface into a 6-inch circle and gently drop into hot oil, and cook until golden brown, then flip and cook opposite side until golden brown.
Remove from oil and drain onto a plate or baking sheet lined with paper towels. 

Tip:  If you don't have a food thermometer to tell you when the oil is hot enough you can do a test by sticking the handle of a wooden spoon into the oil . If lots of little bubbles start to form around the handle and float up the oil is ready for frying.  If it is bubbling hard, your oil is too hot.