Cairne's Fry Bread

Leetah's post about semi-homade donuts had me thinking about other tasty fried foods that I hadn't tried in a while. One of my childhood favorites was Navajo Fried Bread that my aunt used to make all the time. The fry bread was great because it served as a base for both dinner and desert! I tweaked the recipe a tad to make it less complicated and renamed it in honor of my favorite Horde leader, Cairne.

I know, I play Alliance, but Cairne was the only Horde leader I truly respected. Most people are all 'Thrall this' and 'Thrall that'. Yeah, Thrall is cool and all but even he said at Cairne's grave, "...to my mind, you always held the heart of the Horde...You and the tauren. You were our heart, our true spiritual center."

So because the styles of the Tauren in World of Warcraft were heavily influenced by the Native Americans we know, I've chosen to call this recipe Cairne's Fry Bread in his honor. It's fairly simple to make if you know something about dough and frying techniques. And it's versatile in what kind of toppings you put on it.

You can do chili and cheese and cabbage or go taco salad style. Then for desert you can have honey, butter and powdered sugar or butter and syrup or just some of your favorite jam.

Cairne's Fry Bread

2 Servings | Total Time: 30 Minutes | Artisan

Mats:

• 1 cup Flour
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 1 tsp Baking Powder
• 1/2 cup Milk
• Canola Oil

Craft: Fill a large pan with 1 inch of Canola Oil and place on medium heat. You will want the temperature to be between 350° and 375° for frying. While the oil heats, mix together all the dry ingredients until combined, then add milk. Mix gently until combine. Do not knead the mixture or your bread will come out tough. With well-floured hands, divide the dough into four equal portions. Take one portion and stretch it out into a rough disc shape. It does not need to be round, just stretched out 4-7 inches.

When the oil is ready, gently drop the disc into the oil and hold down with heat-proof tongs. Cook until golden brown on one side (3-4 minutes) then flip and let cook on the other side (2-3 minutes). When the bread is done, remove from the oil then place on paper towels to soak up excess oil. Keep warm in the microwave or in the oven set at 200°. Repeat for other pieces of dough. While you're frying, you can also be cooking up whatever toppings you are going to use, just keep an eye on the bread so you don't overcook it or it will get tough!

Strategies: You can divide the dough into smaller portions and smaller discs too but remember that it will cook just a bit faster. Use a digital candy thermometer to keep a close eye on your oil temperature. If you're in a hurry, you can speed up the cooking by having two pans of oil going at once so you can cook twice as much bread in the same amount of time.

Cost:

• Flour | $2.00
• Milk | $1.50
• Canola Oil | $2.00
• Toppings +

Total Cost: $5.50+
Cost Per Serving: $2.75+

Category: Casual, Phat Loot

*This meal contains staple items such as spices that you may or may not have in your pantry so your cost may vary.