The day is finally here. Next to my Fancy Blue Corn Cupcake recipe (you can find it here), my recipe for making tortillas/fry bread/biscuits is the most requested! Sorry to keep you waiting. Making your own tortilla dough is a rite of passage for any Native cuisine lover. The real test being if you can make bread (tortillas, fry bread, or biscuits) just like your mom and grandma did. That means no measuring cups or spoons. This can be daunting to someone like me, who tends to over complicate the simple things. Today, I’ll be sharing my bread making story.
I have always been fascinated with cooking. Growing up I would see my mom in the kitchen as she magically poured handfuls of flour into a large mixing bowl, a pinch of baking powder, and a dash of salt. No measuring cups needed at all. A white cloud of flour would fill the air as she moved her bowl over to the kitchen sink. The water ran as she peered out the window while she waited for the water to run warm. I always wondered what she was thinking.
She always looked so beautiful in that moment with her cheeks and hair lightly dusted with flour. She let the water stream into the bowl and I was always amazed how she knew when to turn the water off. Seconds later I would hear thudding noises as she kneaded the dough in the bowl. After kneading the dough, she would cover the bowl with a plate and let it sit. It was always a mystery to see what would happen next. This was magic dough. Was shimá (mom) going to make tortillas, biscuits, or fry bread?
Cooking was always a family activity growing up. My mom never let anyone just sit around and watch her cook. Even 5-year-old Alana who was adoringly watching her on the couch was asked to contribute to the meal. By the way, my name is Alana and is pronounced UH-LAWN-UH. Any who back to the story. She would call me over to help her in the next bread making process. This was the exciting part as she announced we were making náneeskaadí (tortillas)!
She handed me a ball of dough, it was so soft, and without any further instruction I knew what to do. No rolling pins were involved, our hands and fingers stretched out the dough. I stood there trying to emulate my shimásáni (grandma) who I remember seeing would effortlessly clap her dough between her palms to make thin round tortillas. My tortillas were far from round and had lumps everywhere. My mom would smile and laugh as I said this one is for YOU. She never reshaped the bread I made and I proudly sat at the table as I saw my lumpy bread make its way onto everyone’s plates.
That’s what I love most about learning to make your own bread. Once you know the basic ingredients, you can make whatever type of bread you want. It always amazed me that my mom used the same recipe for tortillas as she did for biscuits and fry bread. As soon as my mom said I could starting cooking on my own (probably around the age of 7 or 8), tortillas were first on my list. I desperately needed to know how to make my own dough.
My mom and grandma happily showed me and each time I came up with variations of what should have been dough. The dry ingredients were always tricky. I had a hard time understanding the magic of a pinch and a handful of this. I was frustrated but never gave up. A few things would happen. One my dough would always be too dry and tough. Two it would never fluff up. Three my dough was always lumpy. We once had a visitor come unannounced and I was in the middle of making tortillas for dinner that night. He said I made the best tortillas because they were all shaped like different states. He was too kind.
Jump 20 years later and I am still struggling how to make bread. Why couldn’t I get this? Although this didn’t stop me from making bread for my college friends. However, I do regret serving them such tough bread. Ha! But I kept with it. It was then that I met my husband. Our love language is through food and what type of native woman would I be if I didn’t swoon my soon to be hubby with some homemade tortillas. I got lucky the first time I made bread for him. My tortillas turned out great! Ahhh!! YES!! The next time I made bread was a different story. My hubby still ate it and said I just needed practice. I secretly thought this was his way of getting me to make him fresh bread every day. Clever huh? I didn’t make bread every day, but at least once a week and what do you know. Each time I improved.
The hardest part of making bread for me was figuring out how much water to add to the dry ingredients. Add too little water and you end up with tough and dry bread. Add too much water and you end up with sticky flat dough. The number one rule being to always use warm water and never cold. The second rule is to let your dough rest for a good 5-10 minutes. If you want really soft dough, you can add in some olive oil to your dry ingredients. There are all these little trick and tips I learned along the way. If I were to rate my bread making skills on a scale of 1-10, I would say I’m at an 8. I can make biscuits like a pro now. I actually would give myself a 10. But when it comes to tortilla/fry bread dough, I sometimes end up with tough dough.
Thank you so much for reading! Let me know if you try the recipe below and I would love to hear you bread making stories. I also encourage everyone to change up the ingredients. Don’t be afraid to try whole wheat flours or add in different ingredients. I’ve added blue corn to my dough to make blue corn tortillas, it was yummy. Also make cooking a family event. I think it’s important for families to cook together and to understand what goes into their food. If you are struggling with making soft bread dough. Keep at it. All it takes is practice and soon you will be making the best tortillas/fry bread/biscuits in your town.
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Fancy Navajo Magic Bread Recipe: Tortilla, Fry Bread, and Biscuit Dough
Yields 8 – 10 pieces of bread
Ingredients
3 cups All Purpose Flour
1 ½ Teaspoons Baking Powder
½ Teaspoon of Salt (Optional)
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil or Vegetable Oil (Tortilla and Biscuits Only)
1-1/2 Cup Warm Water
*If I am making bread for two people I cut this recipe in half. It makes about 4 pieces of bread.
Directions:
- In a large bowl, mix flour, baking powder, and salt by hand
- Add in olive oil or vegetable oil and mix into dough until evenly combined (Tortillas and Biscuits Only)
- Add in 1 cup of warm water and mix dough until all of the dry ingredients are combined.
- You want your dough to be slightly tacky but not runny as you start to knead your bread. If more water is needed add in a splash more water.
- It’s important not to add too much or too little water. As a rule of thumb, it’s better to add more water than less.
- If your dough is too watery, add in more flour.
- If your dough is tough and dry. Depending on how much you have kneaded your dough, you may be able to add in more water. If not continue to knead your dough and let it sit for at least 10 minutes.
- Let your dough sit covered on the counter for at least 5 to 10 minutes
- If you are making tortillas then at this point you can warm up a skillet and form dough into round flat circles that are 1/4 inch thick and cook for at least 1 minute on each side.
- If you are making fry bread, heat a shallow pan on medium heat. Add in oil so that it fill the pan half way. You know oil is ready when test a small piece of the dough and it turn golden. PLEASE BE CAREFUL. I highly recommend using vegetable or canola oil. Fry on both sides, until golden brown.
- If you are making biscuits, preheat oven to 420 degrees. Form biscuits into flat shaped disks. Arrange onto a baking pan and let cook for 15 -20 minutes or until the tops of the biscuits are golden brown.
