Fry Bread Tacos
By Alli BerkeyPublished on June 5, 2018
Time
1½ hours, plus 50 minutes to 70 minutes rising
Yield
Makes 8 tacos
Ingredients
Fry Bread
2 cups (10 ounces/283 grams) all-purpose flour ¼ cup (¾ ounce/21 grams) nonfat dry milk powder 2¼ teaspoons instant or rapid-rise yeast 1 teaspoon salt ¾ cup warm water (110 degrees)3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted2 quarts vegetable oilTaco Meat
2 teaspoon vegetable oil 1 large onion, chopped fine2 tablespoons chili powder 3 garlic cloves, minced2 teaspoons ground cumin 1 teaspoon dried oregano 1½ pounds (90 percent lean) ground beef Salt and pepper 1 cup jarred mild salsa, plus extra for servingShredded Monterey Jack cheese Shredded iceberg lettuce Sour creamBefore You Begin
Once rolled, the dough rounds can be transferred to rimmed baking sheets, covered, and refrigerated for up to 24 hours. Let the rounds come to room temperature and rise until slightly puffy before frying, about 1½ hours. Use a Dutch oven that holds 6 quarts or more.
Instructions
- Whisk flour, milk powder, yeast, and salt together in bowl of stand mixer. Fit mixer with dough hook. With mixer running on low speed, slowly add warm water and melted butter until dough comes together, about 1 minute, scraping down bowl as needed. Increase speed to medium and continue to mix until dough is smooth and clears sides of bowl, about 5 minutes longer.
- Transfer dough to lightly greased bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature until doubled in size, 30 minutes to 1 hour.
- Grease 2 rimmed baking sheets with vegetable oil spray. Turn out dough onto unfloured counter and pat down to deflate. Divide dough into 8 equal pieces. Working with 1 piece of dough at a time, roll dough into 6-inch rounds, about ⅛ inch thick. Transfer dough rounds to prepared sheets (4 rounds per sheet). Restretch dough if it shrinks during transfer. Cover dough rounds with plastic and let sit at room temperature until slightly puffy, about 20 minutes. Using paring knife, cut 1-inch slit through center of each dough round.
- Add oil to large Dutch oven until it measures about 1½ inches deep and heat over medium-high heat to 375 degrees. Line large platter with triple layer of paper towels. Using your hands and working with 2 dough rounds at a time, gently lift and place dough rounds into hot oil. Fry until puffy and golden brown, about 1½ minutes per side. Adjust burner, if necessary, to maintain oil temperature between 350 and 375 degrees.
- Using tongs or spider, lift fry breads out of oil, allowing excess oil to drip off briefly before transferring to prepared platter. Return oil to 375 degrees and repeat with remaining dough rounds in 3 batches. (Do not stack fry breads on platter.)
- Heat oil in 12-inch skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion and cook until softened and beginning to brown, about 4 minutes. Stir in chili powder, garlic, cumin, and oregano and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Add beef, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Increase heat to medium-high and cook until beef is no longer pink, about 5 minutes, breaking up meat with spoon. Stir in salsa and cook, stirring often, until slightly thickened, about 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Top each fry bread with ½ cup taco meat, followed by Monterey Jack, lettuce, sour cream, and extra salsa to taste. Serve.
for the fry bread
for the taco meat
Time
1½ hours, plus 50 minutes to 70 minutes risingYield
Makes 8 tacosIngredients
Fry Bread
2 cups (10 ounces/283 grams) all-purpose flour
¼ cup (¾ ounce/21 grams) nonfat dry milk powder
2¼ teaspoons instant or rapid-rise yeast
1 teaspoon salt
¾ cup warm water (110 degrees)
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 quarts vegetable oil
Taco Meat
2 teaspoon vegetable oil
1 large onion, chopped fine
2 tablespoons chili powder
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1½ pounds (90 percent lean) ground beef
Salt and pepper
1 cup jarred mild salsa, plus extra for serving
Shredded Monterey Jack cheese
Shredded iceberg lettuce
Sour cream
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Fry Bread
2 cups (10 ounces/283 grams) all-purpose flour
¼ cup (¾ ounce/21 grams) nonfat dry milk powder
2¼ teaspoons instant or rapid-rise yeast
1 teaspoon salt
¾ cup warm water (110 degrees)
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 quarts vegetable oil
Taco Meat
2 teaspoon vegetable oil
1 large onion, chopped fine
2 tablespoons chili powder
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1½ pounds (90 percent lean) ground beef
Salt and pepper
1 cup jarred mild salsa, plus extra for serving
Shredded Monterey Jack cheese
Shredded iceberg lettuce
Sour cream
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Fry Bread
2 cups (10 ounces/283 grams) all-purpose flour
¼ cup (¾ ounce/21 grams) nonfat dry milk powder
2¼ teaspoons instant or rapid-rise yeast
1 teaspoon salt
¾ cup warm water (110 degrees)
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 quarts vegetable oil
Taco Meat
2 teaspoon vegetable oil
1 large onion, chopped fine
2 tablespoons chili powder
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1½ pounds (90 percent lean) ground beef
Salt and pepper
1 cup jarred mild salsa, plus extra for serving
Shredded Monterey Jack cheese
Shredded iceberg lettuce
Sour cream
Test Kitchen Techniques
Why This Recipe Works
Fry bread, a rustic, round fried dough, is native to the Navajo people. By relying on the right combination of pantry-staple ingredients to build a leavened dough, we were able to maintain the golden-brown chew of the exteriors of the breads while keeping the interiors soft and flexible enough to make foldable tacos. Yeast provided the right amount of lift before the dough hit the hot oil for a quick deep-fry. Fry bread doughs are often very wet, but we controlled the stickiness by using dry milk powder, which gave the fry bread a slightly sweet flavor without any added liquid. Once the dough was leavened and shaped, we made a small cut in the middle of each round to ensure even browning while frying and a better puff, creating the perfect vessel for a simple ground beef taco filling seasoned with chili powder, cumin, and oregano and accompanied by the usual garnishes of shredded lettuce, cheese, and sour cream.
Before You Begin
Once rolled, the dough rounds can be transferred to rimmed baking sheets, covered, and refrigerated for up to 24 hours. Let the rounds come to room temperature and rise until slightly puffy before frying, about 1½ hours. Use a Dutch oven that holds 6 quarts or more.
Instructions
- Whisk flour, milk powder, yeast, and salt together in bowl of stand mixer. Fit mixer with dough hook. With mixer running on low speed, slowly add warm water and melted butter until dough comes together, about 1 minute, scraping down bowl as needed. Increase speed to medium and continue to mix until dough is smooth and clears sides of bowl, about 5 minutes longer.
- Transfer dough to lightly greased bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature until doubled in size, 30 minutes to 1 hour.
- Grease 2 rimmed baking sheets with vegetable oil spray. Turn out dough onto unfloured counter and pat down to deflate. Divide dough into 8 equal pieces. Working with 1 piece of dough at a time, roll dough into 6-inch rounds, about ⅛ inch thick. Transfer dough rounds to prepared sheets (4 rounds per sheet). Restretch dough if it shrinks during transfer. Cover dough rounds with plastic and let sit at room temperature until slightly puffy, about 20 minutes. Using paring knife, cut 1-inch slit through center of each dough round.
- Add oil to large Dutch oven until it measures about 1½ inches deep and heat over medium-high heat to 375 degrees. Line large platter with triple layer of paper towels. Using your hands and working with 2 dough rounds at a time, gently lift and place dough rounds into hot oil. Fry until puffy and golden brown, about 1½ minutes per side. Adjust burner, if necessary, to maintain oil temperature between 350 and 375 degrees.
- Using tongs or spider, lift fry breads out of oil, allowing excess oil to drip off briefly before transferring to prepared platter. Return oil to 375 degrees and repeat with remaining dough rounds in 3 batches. (Do not stack fry breads on platter.)
- Heat oil in 12-inch skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion and cook until softened and beginning to brown, about 4 minutes. Stir in chili powder, garlic, cumin, and oregano and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Add beef, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Increase heat to medium-high and cook until beef is no longer pink, about 5 minutes, breaking up meat with spoon. Stir in salsa and cook, stirring often, until slightly thickened, about 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Top each fry bread with ½ cup taco meat, followed by Monterey Jack, lettuce, sour cream, and extra salsa to taste. Serve.
for the fry bread
for the taco meat
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