I LOVE to bake. It’s pretty obvious. But… I. Do. Not. Like. To. Cook. Dinner. Our house goes on auto-pilot in a repeated loop of what’s for dinner. Beef, pork, chicken, beef, chicken, fish, chicken… Rewind, repeat. Most of the time, the recipes here are old-standby’s we can fix in our sleep. But, occasionally, we change things up!
Instead of using hard-shells or soft tortillas for your Tuesday night tacos, try quick, pillowy fried bread! Mmmm…fried bread. Just the thought of this makes my mouth drool and mind wander…
Fry bread found me. When I wasn’t tearing the butt out of my jeans sliding down the buttes in the Badlands of South Dakota, I was chumming around with a childhood friend. You’re probably thinking, yeah so…most kids hang out with each other. But, did your childhood buddy have parents who packaged and sold fry bread?! Mine did. Let me introduce you to the WoodenKnife family and their scrumptious fry bread!
The WoodenKnife family, along with grandma Mrs. Green, operated the WoodenKnife Cafe in sleepy Interior, South Dakota (population of 105 in 2017). Interior is about three miles outside of Badlands National Park (North Unit) on Highway 44. Two bars, a gas station, small grocery store, several churches, Interior Elementary (grades K through 8th) and the WoodenKnife Cafe make up this town in the shadow of the Badlands. The Cafe was the hub for hungry tourists looking for authentic eats, and locals hungry for the latest gossip over lunch. You could even rent videos here at one time…think pre-Blockbuster and pre-pre Netflix!
What drew everyone to the Cafe, including me, was Ansel WoodenKnife’s fry bread recipe. Pillowy, crispy, tender, deliciousness! One of the only secrets Ansel would divulge about their fabulous mix is it contains timpsula, commonly known as the prairie turnip or breadroot. This starchy root serves as the backbone for many traditional Lakota Sioux recipes, including fry bread. Timpsula makes WoodenKnife’s unique recipe absolutely heavenly! If you’re curious about how timpsula is harvested, check out this YouTube video from Dakota Life.
For a short time, in a room behind the restaurant, I helped Ansel’s daughters bag and box their famous mix. Afterwards, we’d go into the kitchen to fry up a treat. The Cafe menu served fry bread several ways–beef taco, chicken taco, veggie taco, plain, cinnamon sugar, or ice cream sundae. Yummm…. It’s embarrassing to admit, but let’s just say I probably ate as much finished product as I helped package. You can order WoodenKnife Fry Bread mix online or pre-made dough here. Thank you WoodenKnife family for an amazing friendship and fantastic food!
Fast forward several decades, two cats and another dog later…
When we moved from Wyoming to Mississippi a few years ago, I wanted to take the boys on an epic road trip. The moving truck showed up and whisked away our worldly possessions, except for several suitcases with busting-at-the-seam zippers, a half-dozen houseplants, two large Labrador Retrievers, and our science-room reject rabbit named Tulip. Desert Southwest in June here we come!
The main goal of this trip was simple. Don’t roast the rabbit! Sure, we didn’t want the dogs to croak either. But they’re well-traveled having survived a move from Virginia to New York state (and back), and from Virginia to Wyoming. They’d be fine. The rabbit?! Not sure… So crammed in amongst the houseplants and slobbery, hairy hounds sat Tulip, cage outfitted with a cooling fan and sun-shade.
Four days and nine major tourist stops later, our gypsy caravan pulled into Monument Valley Tribal Park, Arizona. Home to the Navajo people, this iconic park was the backdrop to many famous John Wayne movies, the National Lampoon’s Vacation comedy, and a scene from our family favorite…Forrest Gump. Run Forrest run!!
To really get a sense of Monument Valley’s grandeur, one needs to drive the rough, wash-boardy dirt road through Monument Valley. Our resident Forrest Gump’s car wasn’t exactly off-road worthy, so what did we do?! Piled into my car! Two drooling dogs, a duo of deodorant-needing teenagers, one very white-knuckled grandma, an overzealous driver and a caged rabbit (complete with cooling fan, thank you very much!) were off!
At the end of this very dusty, bouncy, hot rainbow, sat a Navajo taco. Forrest’s first! Slightly fancier than the ones I grew up eating, Forrest’s fry bread taco was just as scrumptious. Memories. That’s what the mention of fry bread is for me and my family.
If you have never had fry bread before, it’s a simple dough to make, using flour, water, salt and baking powder. The fry bread toppings can be a range of many things…fry bread with…taco meats, roasted veggies, fajita veggies, assorted cheeses, chili (with or without beans), a salted caramel dipping sauce, vanilla ice cream, cinnamon sugar, shrimp…now I’m starting to sound like Bubba from Forrest Gump.
This recipe is titled Fry Bread Taco Trifecta for the three ways my family and I have gobbled up fry bread over the years. Included is a basic Taco Seasoning Blend recipe good with both chicken or beef tacos. Feel free to use whatever taco seasoning blend or store-bought packet you prefer. Enjoy!
PrintFry Bread Taco Trifecta
Update your Taco Tuesdays with fry bread! Easily prepared with unlimited flavor combinations, fry bread can be eaten for dinner and dessert!
Ingredients
Fry Bread:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup warm water
Vegetable oil, for frying
Taco Seasoning Blend (For Beef and Chicken):
2 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. salt (kosher or table)
1 tsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. cayenne powder*
1/4 tsp. cumin
Beef Tacos:
1 pound ground beef
1 medium onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, diced
Taco Seasoning Blend (above)
Fry Bread (above)
Roasted Chicken Tacos:
3–4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1 pound)
2 tbsp. olive oil
Taco Seasoning Blend (above)
Fry Bread (above)
Toppings of your choice: refried beans, sliced black olives, chopped lettuce, sour cream, shredded cheddar cheese, diced tomatoes, chopped onion/green onion…
Fry Bread Sundaes:
Fry Bread (above)
Favorite Ice Cream (We like plain vanilla!)
Toppings of Choice: hot fudge, caramel sauce, marshmallows, chopped nuts, whipped cream, fresh fruit, sprinkles…
Instructions
For Fry Bread:
Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Gradually add warm water and knead until dough becomes soft, but not sticky. Cover and let stand for 15 minutes. On a floured board, roll out large egg-sized balls to 1/4 inch thick. Cut a hole in the center of the dough round to allow steam to escape and dough to puff. Heat about 1 inch of vegetable oil in a large skillet to about 350 degrees F. Gently place dough rounds into oil. Fry until bubbles rise on dough, turn and fry until golden brown on both sides. Remove from heat. Briefly place fry bread on a cooling rack or paper towels to let oil drain. Serve immediately with toppings of choice.
For Taco Seasoning Blend:
Combine all ingredients in a small bowl. Mix with cooked ground beef or shredded chicken.
For Beef Tacos:
In a skillet over medium-high heat, brown ground beef, onion, and garlic until the beef is cooked through and no longer pink. Drain fat from beef mixture. Mix Taco Seasoning Blend with cooked mixture. Serve immediately on prepared Fry Bread and with toppings of choice.
For Roasted Chicken Tacos:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper (for EASY clean-up). Coat chicken breasts with olive oil. Sprinkle both sides of the chicken breasts with about 1/2 of the Taco Seasoning Blend. Bake chicken for about 15 minutes or until chicken juices run clear. Allow to cool slightly. Dice or shred with forks. Mix remaining Taco Seasoning Blend with chicken. Serve immediately on prepared Fry Bread and with toppings of choice.
For Fry Bread Sundaes:
Prepare Fry Bread according to directions above. Top Fry Bread with ice cream, toppings of choice, and enjoy!
Notes
*Adjust the heat in the Taco Seasoning Blend by substituting cayenne for a hotter or milder spice. Ground ancho or chipotle would be tasty too!
It’s important vegetable oil is hot enough to fry the dough. If the temperature is too low, the dough will absorb oil giving you a soggy sponge instead of crisp, puffy fry bread. I rely on a digital candy thermometer to ensure the oil is at the right frying temperature.
IMNPB
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