Indian Fry Bread

Lupton, Arizona - Best Ever Fry Bread

 I have never made Indian Fry Bread.  I have eaten it, and the most memorable one was in a +Speedy's Truck Stop/Travel Center in Lupton, AZ.  It was Mother's Day.  The waitress was very sweet and gave us chocolate dipped strawberries and told us, "Happy Mother's Day!".  But before she did that, she gave us the most delicious Navajo Taco I have ever eaten.  I am not sure what most people look for in a fry bread, but this was the ultimate.  My mouth is watering remembering it.  The edges were chewy and yet somewhat crispy.  The center was more crispy and went perfectly with the chili beans, lettuce, cheese and tomato piled on top.

We were told by the little shop down the way that this place was the best place for the BEST Navajo Tacos. We should have known it was a good place to eat by all the trucks stopped out front.  I have heard that the truck drivers know all the great spots, and in this case, it was very true.  The iced tea was delicious and went perfectly with my food.  The people were all very nice, including the patrons.

I asked how they made their fry bread, expecting a mysterious answer like, "Oh, it's secret." or "It's an ancient family recipe and I am not at liberty to reveal it."  But we were told it was flour, baking powder and salt fried in Manteca in a blue container.  I had thought that it was a yeast bread.

My mother used to make stuffed fry bread called empanadas but she used frozen Bridgeford bread and vegetable oil.  She would stuff the dough with browned hamburger, walnuts, plumped raisins and a little sugar.  She would then fry them up and somehow kept them from opening up while frying.  I have tried her method and only met with disaster.  Mine fall apart in the hot oil and I end up burning myself.  My mother's empanadas were delicious.  She called them mince meat.  The mixture doesn't sound great, but believe me IT IS!  She would always have bits of dough left over and she would fry it up in odd shaped little pieces.  We loved those almost as much as her fried empanadas.

So this Indian Fry Bread (that was the best ever) was fried in what I believe to be tallow or beef fat.  I have used lard, which is pork fat, many times for frying and for making tamales.  This fat that they used did not have that distinctive lard flavor at all.  Also, the french fries they served were fried perfectly and deliciously beyond description, as they come from a heavenly realm, and reminded me of how fries used to be when I was a kid, before everyone started using politically correct oils.

I failed to ask them if they used water or milk in their recipe (the recipes I looked for online used either water or milk).  So, I will have to try both ways to see which comes out tastier.  I will let you know.  First I have to find some beef tallow.  I used to get it at a local supermarket, but can't seem to find it anymore.  I know you can get grass fed beef tallow online though, so I may try that.

I am excited to try making some Indian Fry Bread, even though I really detest frying things.  I always end up getting burned, and I hate getting burned!  I will post more when I make some and in the mean time if anyone has a good fry bread recipe, please comment.