I was in Missouri for the first time. It was by accident. We were returning from Iowa, driving back into Chicago. There must have been a patch of highway without network connection and the phone maps dropped. My husband and I were in deep conversation and did not notice until he saw the “Welcome to Missouri” road sign. We easily added two hours to that trip.
As we drove back the correct direction, I noticed a scenic area with a river running and rustic homes. I recall a sign for Lost River. I am hoping to look up more information about the place because it was beautiful.
This got me thinking more about perspective. Sometime our destination becomes so important to us that we ignore the meaning in the journey. Tomorrow night is my final presentation for my master’s degree. It is a fantastic destination, reaching this milestone. I would miss out on a lot if I did not recognize the journey that has gotten me here – especially the time spent staying at home with the boys while completing my studies. Time with the little boys is wild, lively, and demands a constant state of remaining in the present. Respecting all of this experience, I cannot find a way to separate the journey of studying, being present with my boys, and completing this degree. My time with the boys has been my lost river – my expected journey.
Back to the reason we were on the road to begin with, we had just visited my in-laws. My other mom is the one who gifted me the adorable bee themed honey pot from the pictures in this post.
The recipe I am sharing with you today is for fry bread. This is a treat that my great-grandmother would make for us, and later my mother. It is a quick bread recipe that finds it’s origins and broad use in Native American cooking. The dough is fried and then covered in sweet or savory toppings. As a child, I usually enjoyed these covered in melted butter and granulated sugar. Recently, I have made them for my family to cover with chili, tacos, or jam and honey. In these pictures, the bread is covered with vegan orange curd and drizzled with honey.
Below is the recipe. The base recipe for these is vegan and can be topped with a variety of vegan sweet and savory options, as well.
Yields 8 pieces of bread
Fry bread with a slight crisp to the outside and tender inside. This quick bread is fantastically versatile. Top with your choice of sweet or savory - taco, chili, honey, jam, curd...it's up to you.
10 minPrep Time
10 minCook Time
20 minTotal Time
Save RecipeIngredients
- 3 cups flour
- 4 ½ tsp baking powder
- 1 ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp sugar (for savory use) or 3 tsp sugar (for sweet use)
- 1 ⅓ cup warm water
- Oil for frying
Instructions
- Fill a skillet with enough oil for the bread to not touch the bottom of the pan. Turn oven to medium high heat.
- Mix dry ingredient. Make a well in the center and slowly add the water. You many not use all the water, just add enough to get a shaggy dough. Mix until well combined with a wooden spoon. Let the dough rest for 2 minutes.
- Separate the dough into 8 pieces onto a floured surface. Sprinkle flour over the dough and form to a thick circle. Don’t overwork the dough.
- Place the dough, one at a time into the pan setting them away from yourself so as to splash the oil. Cook 2 minutes on each side. If you have space, you could cook 2-3 at a time.
- Place cooked bread onto a rack to allow excess oil to drain.
- Add toppings while the dough is warm.
Notes
Topping Ideas
Sweet:
Butter and granulated sugar
Honey and jam (honey fig jam is awesome)
Maple syrup
Savory:
Taco
Chilli
Vegetable heavy hot dish
Calories
Fat
Carbs
Protein
