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This high protein cottage cheese fry bread recipe is a lighter, (and dare I say tastier?) protein packed twist on the classic fry bread recipe. Made with just four ingredients including protein-rich cottage cheese, it fries up crispy and golden on the outside with a soft and chewy center. Recipe includes gluten free, dairy free and vegan options. It is equally at home as a sweet treat topped with butter and jam or honey, or as a heartier savory option with taco toppings.
No matter how you top it, it is an easy recipe for anyone craving comfort food with a protein boost.
What is fry bread?
Fry bread, also known as Indian fry bread, or Navajo fry bread, is a type of flat, deep fried bread with Native American origins. This recipe uses just a few ingredients and comes together easily.
Served with either sweet with toppings such as butter and honey or jam, or savory in meals such as, "Indian tacos" where the fry bread serves as a base for taco fillings.
Recipes generally include flour, water and salt, as well as a leavening agent such as baking powder or yeast. In this recipe, we also use cottage cheese which makes it a high protein bread. Cooks fry it in oil until it is golden and puffed with a crisp exterior and soft, doughnut like inside.
If you have never before experienced fry bread, you are in for a treat!
Why do Native Americans eat fry bread?
Fry bread is generally understood to have originated in the 1860s when the Navjao people were relocated to New Mexico. The people created the fry bread recipe after the government gave tribes rations of ingredients such as flour and lard, to keep the indigenous population from starving.
They demonstrated their creativity by creating fry bread and it grew into a beloved comfort food. Today, people serve fry bread at powwows, family gatherings, and cultural events, where it carries deep cultural significance.
Ingredients
It really is one of the easiest bread recipes you can make, and one of the tastiest too! As a bonus, the cottage cheese adds a ton of protein, making it a delicious high protein bread option.
- Flour- this recipe calls for all-purpose flour, but feel free to substitute your preferred gluten-free flour.
- Cottage Cheese- Use any kind you like.
- Baking Powder- This acts as a leavening agent which helps to make the fry bread light and airy.
- Salt- For flavor.
- Water- Just a little to help the dough come together.
- Oil- Use your favorite oil with a high smoke point. Canola oil and Avocado oil are both good options. Or see notes about using the air fryer!
How to make the dough
There really isn't much to it.
Simply whisk the dry ingredients together in a large bowl.
Blend the cottage cheese in a food processor or high powered blender until it is smooth and then add it to the dry ingredients with a spatula or wooden spoon.
Slowly add water a little at a time and mix until it forms a shaggy dough. Be careful not to add the water too quickly or too much, or it will be sticky. If this happens, add a small amount of flour in until it becomes manageable again.
Knead it on a generously floured surface until it comes together and form it into a smooth and slightly firm ball.
Cover it with a dish towel, or plastic wrap and allow it to sit for 10 minutes. While it rests, fill a cast iron, or other heavy saucepan with oil and heat the oil to 350ยฐF.
After it has rested, flatten the dough ball until you have a thick puck shape. Cut it into 8 pieces, similar to how you would cut a pizza.
Before you fry it, flatten each piece of dough so that it is about ยผ inch thick. It should be about a 5 inch piece of dough. The shape isn't important, part of the fun is that every one will be a little different. The important part is to make sure to smash and stretch it so that it is fairly thin.
How to Cook Fry Bread Dough
Use a thermometer to make sure the oil reaches 350ยฐF. If the oil is not hot enough, it will cause the fry bread to be heavy and greasy rather than light and crisp. So make sure it is 350ยฐF before you fry each round of dough.
When you are ready to fry the dough, gently lay it into the oil and set the timer for 3 minutes. After 3 minutes, gently turn the dough over so that the other side has a chance to get golden and crisp.
Set the timer for 3 more minutes and once the fry bread is golden, pull it from the oil and place it on a cooling rack on a baking sheet and into a 200ยฐF oven to stay warm until ready to serve.
How to serve Fry Bread
I don't know which is my favorite, Indian tacos style, or elephant ears style. Both are ridiculously delicious.
What I like to do is make a batch for dinner and use it to make Indian tacos, or Navajo tacos as they are also known. Then in the morning, throw the remaining fry bread in the air fryer and crisp it up. Then add lemon and powdered sugar, or raspberry jam, or cinnamon sugar, or even top it with an egg for a delicious and easy high protein breakfast!
However you decide to serve it, you can't go wrong!
Air Fryer Option
Let's be honest- fried dough is the best. There's just no way around it. But, we live in an age where we have frying options! The air fryer provides a great option to eliminate the oil and make this cottage cheese fry bread even healthier.
To use this option, preheat your air fryer to 350ยฐF. Depending on the size of the air fryer, you may have to work in batches, so preheat your regular oven to 200ยฐF so that you can pop the cooked fry bread in there to stay warm while you finish frying the rest.
Follow the recipe directions to cut and flatten the dough, then either spray or brush each piece of dough with a little olive oil before air frying.
Place as many pieces as will fit in the fryer without crowding. Set timer for 10 minutes and flip pieces halfway through.
Top them any way you like!
Frequently asked questions
The quickest way is to pop it in the air fryer for about 5 minutes at 400ยฐF. You can also wrap it in foil and warm it in a preheated oven for 15 minutes. Microwaving will warm it, but won't crisp it.
Yes! The cooked fry bread freezes really nicely. Place pieces in a large ziploc bag, with as much air as possible removed. Freeze for up to 6 months and follow reheating instructions when you are ready to eat it!
You can! It just won't have the added protein. If you don't have cottage cheese, increase the water until the dough comes together in a soft, (not sticky) ball.
Yes! Absoutely. King Arthur Gluten Free Flour or Bob's 1:1 Gluten Free Baking flour are both great options in place of regular flour.
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I hope you have fun with this fry bread recipe! I would love to hear from you in the comments below. How did you top your fry bread? Thank you and thank you for visiting Mollie in Montana~*! โฅ๏ธ
๐ Recipe
Fry Bread
Ingredients
- 2 cup All purpose flour (250 grams)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 cup cottage cheese
- 1 cup water
- oil for frying
Instructions
- In a bowl, whisk together the flour, salt and baking powder.
- Place the cottage cheese in a high powered blender or food processor and blend for 30 seconds on low to medium speed, scraping the bowl halfway through, until the cottage cheese is creamy and lump free.
- Make a little well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the cottage cheese.
- Mix it with a spatula or wooden spoon until it forms a shaggy dough.
- Add water ยผ cup at a time and mix. Continue adding water slowly until the dough comes together into a soft ball.
- Knead the dough for a few seconds until it becomes smooth and slightly firm.
- Form it into a a ball and then press it down so it is like a thick puck and then cover and let it sit for 10 minutes.
- While the dough is resting, heat about one inch of oil in a cast iron skillet, or other heavy sauce pan, to 350โ (180โ). Be careful not to overfill the pan.
- Cut the dough into 8 pieces, as if you are cutting a pizza.
- Flatten each piece so that it creates about a 5 inch diameter round. The shape isn't important, just make sure it is flattened to about 14 inch or so. Don't worry, it is not an exact science!
- Depending on the size of your pan, fry 2 rounds at a time. Fry for about 5-7 minutes, flipping the dough halfway through (be careful not to splatter) so that it is evenly browned on both sides.
- Place fried dough on paper towels to drain and then place in a warmed oven to stay warm while you fry the remaining dough.
- Serve fry bread warm with butter and honey, or jam, or as a savory dish with taco toppings! Enjoy!
Notes
Notes:
- You can skip the oil and use an air fryer if you'd like! Preheat your air fryer to 350ยฐF and place your flattened dough into the fryer, being careful not to crowd the pieces. Air fry for 10 minutes, flipping the dough halfway through.
- The air fryer is also a great way to reheat fry bread. Preheat air fryer to 400ยฐF and then pop fry bread in for 5 minutes. It will warm and crisp right back up!
- This recipe freezes really well. After frying dough, let it cool and then place it in a zip lock back, making sure to squeeze as much air out as possible. It can be frozen for up to 6 months.
- Use Bob's 1:1 Gluten free flour or King Arthur's 1:1 Flour in place of all purpose flour.
- To make these dairy free and vegan, eliminate the cottage cheese and increase the water amount, adding it slowly in โ cup increments until the dough to comes together.
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