Navajo Taco With Indian Fry Bread

Indian Fry Bread, is a very popular deep fried Flatbread that is used to make the Navajo Tacos. This bread is also used to make a simple dessert when drizzled with honey or sprinkled with powdered sugar.

I love going to the fairs. We look forward to the fair time every year and speaking of fairs, the Oklahoma State Fair happens in the month of August. I love the fair for not just the fun and rides but for the amazing food. Fair food is something that cannot be compensated for and we start devouring it the minute we enter the fair grounds. Navajo Taco With Indian Fry Bread is something that we ate for the first time after we moved to Oklahoma.

The best part is, any fair stall that sells this, will happily make it as a vegetarian meal with just the beans instead of the meat. The bread itself is the star of the Navajo Taco and its texture is something that cannot be swapped with anything else. I love watching the stalls making these giant Fry bread and always wondered if I would be able to make this at home anytime.

History of Navajo Taco – 

Thanks to the A to Z International Flatbread theme, that I was able to research into the recipe and make this beautiful Indian Fry Bread at home. Based on what I read, the Navajo’s who are the Native American people created this bread in the 1800’s . They were living in Arizona at that time and were asked to relocate to New Mexico. This was about 300 mile journey that they had to take and the US government provided them with just flour, sugar, salt and lard. The Navajos made this bread with the supplies that was given to them for their journey.

The Navajo Fry Bread needs just the basic ingredient and is so simple to make. Once I make the bread, the toppings for this taco is unlimited. We can make it sweet or savory. I used the Indian Fry Bread to make the Navajo Tacos that I often eat at the fair. The sweet version can be as simple as the bread drizzled with honey or sprinkled with powdered sugar.

My Other recipes in the A-Z International Flatbread Series –

A for Aish Baladi
B for Boulanee Katchalu
C for Chickpea Flatbread / Socca
D for Dhal Puri
E for Emirati Khameer 
F for Fruit Focaccia
G for Gozleme
H for Himbasha

Preparation time – 10 minutes plus 1 hour of resting time
Cooking time – 30 minutes
Difficulty level – Easy

Ingredients to make Navajo Taco with Indian Fry Bread – Makes 8

• All Purpose Flour – 2 cups
• Baking powder – 2 tsp
• Salt – 1 tsp
• Oil – 2 TBSP Plus more to fry the bread
• Water – as needed to make the dough
• Lettuce, beans, tomatoes, cheese, sour cream – to assemble the Navajo Taco

Procedure to make the Navajo Taco with Indian Fry Bread-

To make the Fry Bread – 

• In a bowl, add the flour, baking powder and salt and mix to combine.
• Slowly add warm water to the flour and mixing to combine. Add about 1 TBSP of oil and knead to form a very soft dough. The dough will be a little sticky. We don’t have to knead it too much. Just knead enough to make a soft dough.
• Pour the remaining 1 TBSP of oil over the dough and spread around the surface.
• Cover the bowl and let the dough rest for at least an hour. It is alright to rest the dough longer.

• Heat about 2 inches of oil in a pan to deep fry the bread.
• Divide the dough into 8 equal pieces and roll them into a ball.
• Using your hands, stretch the dough to form a thin circle. I used my rolling pin to slightly roll it and then pulled from all the sides to stretch it thinner.
• Stretch the dough as thin as you can get without tearing it too much.

• Drop a tiny piece of dough into the oil to see if it rises up immediately. If it comes up right away, the oil is ready. If it takes a little time to rise, then wait a few minutes for the oil to heat up.
• Carefully slide the stretched dough into the hot oil and fry on both sides until golden brown. The dough will retract a bit when dropped onto the oil.
• Drain the Fry Bread on a tray lined with paper towels.

• Repeat with rest of the dough.

To assemble the Navajo Taco – 

• When ready to assemble, place the prepared bread on a plate.
• Top with beans, then lettuce, cheese, tomatoes and sour cream and serve.

Navajo Taco with Indian Fry Bread

Indian Fry Bread, is a very popular deep fried Flatbread that is used to make the Navajo Tacos. Indian Fry bread is also used to make a simple dessert when drizzled with honey or sprinkled with powdered sugar.

5 from 7 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Flatbread, Lunch Recipes, Main Course, Street Food

Cuisine: American Indian, Mexican

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Resting time: 1 hour

Total Time: 40 minutes

Servings: 8 Servings

Author: Sandhya Ramakrishnan

Ingredients

• All Purpose Flour - 2 cupsAll Purpose Flour - 2 cups
• Baking powder - 2 tspBaking powder - 2 tsp
• Salt - 1 tspSalt - 1 tsp
• Oil - 2 TBSP Plus more to fry the breadOil - 2 TBSP Plus more to fry the bread
• Water - as needed to make the doughWater - as needed to make the dough
• Lettuce beans, tomatoes, cheese, sour cream - to assemble the Navajo TacoLettuce beans, tomatoes, cheese, sour cream - to assemble the Navajo Taco

Instructions

• In a bowl, add the flour, baking powder and salt and mix to combine.
• Slowly add warm water to the flour and mixing to combine. Add about 1 TBSP of oil and knead to form a very soft dough. The dough will be a little sticky. We don't have to knead it too much. Just knead enough to make a soft dough.
• Pour the remaining 1 TBSP of oil over the dough and spread around the surface.
• Cover the bowl and let the dough rest for at least an hour. It is alright to rest the dough longer.
• Heat about 2 inches of oil in a pan to deep fry the Indian Fry Bread.
• Divide the dough into 8 equal pieces and roll them into a ball.
• Using your hands, stretch the dough to form a thin circle. I used my rolling pin to slightly roll it and then pulled from all the sides to stretch it thinner.
• Stretch the dough as thin as you can get without tearing it too much.
• drop a tiny piece of dough into the oil to see if it rises up immediately. If it comes up right away, the oil is ready. If it takes a little time to rise, then wait a few minutes for the oil to heat up.
• Carefully slide the stretched dough into the hot oil and fry on both sides until golden brown. The dough will retract a bit when dropped onto the oil.
• Drain the Fry Bread on a tray lined with paper towels.
• Repeat with rest of the dough.
• When ready to assemble, place the Indian fry bread on a plate.
• Top with beans, then lettuce, cheese, tomatoes and sour cream and serve.

Tried this recipe?Mention @Sandhya.Ramakrishnan or tag #MyCookingJourney!