Fry bread is as quintessentially native as the buffalo used to be. I have been served fry bread in a Miccosukee village in the Everglades and also been told by my Yu'pik student that fry bread is a great favorite in Alaska. However unlike the buffalo, this Native American staple became a “traditional” food only post-contact. The reason for that is it is the only thing you can make with flour, oil and beans—the commodity foods that many indigenous peoples are forced to eat or go hungry. The dangerous rise of obesity and diabetes within the native population can be laid to this poverty diet which they eat every day.

So, having told you that fry bread can kill you if you eat too much of it, it is still good to eat occasionally. And sometimes—shared with others-- it can be a simple sacrament. (See Sherman Alexie's movie Smoke Signals.)

The Science

2 cups flour (Blue Bird, I think, is the brand used at Pine Ridge)

1 cup dried milk

1 Tablespoon baking powder

1 Tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1.5 cups (or more) water, very warm

The Art

There are as many ways to combine these simple ingredients as there are individuals who make it. This is my way.

Use fresh oil and heat it to about 375 degrees. I use a hot fat fryer.

Put all the dried ingredients into a large bowl and stir them around. I then put the very warm water in and stir it up. This will look like too much water and it should—you are making a “sponge” so put in a bit more warm water if it isn't kind of too wet. Cover the bowl and let it sit for awhile until it bubbles up nicely.

Wash your hands (if you haven't already) and be prepared to have your hands messy for at least an hour. (Here's where we fix the “too much water” problem.) You take handfuls of flour and sprinkle it on top of the nice bubbly dough. Then you grab out a small handful and spread it in your floured hands, patting it from hand to hand, until it covers your hand and is quite thin. (You will need to keep flouring your hands—and the dough-- until your hands get good and caked.) The dough should not feel like bread dough; it should feel kind of spongy and light. Sprinkle a little more flour on the dough if it is so fragile that it won't stay together. Your hands should be gentle with the dough. Place it gently in the hot oil and cook until golden brown on both sides. Drain on paper towels. Best served hot. Serve with chili or ground beef and onions or honey or powdered sugar.

I thank all of the women who have given me hints and shown me how to do this. And of course, I thank my students on whom I perfected this recipe.

Blessings from the four directions.