Navajo Fry Bread Tacos
I honestly have no idea if this kind of taco was eaten by Navajo’s but this is what we called this type of taco in my house growing up. If you eat this fry bread without the taco toppings, you can put honey on them, or butter and cinnamon sugar, or butter and powdered sugar. This was one of my favorite meals growing up. We called them elephant ears when eating the sweet version and to this day my grandma can make them way better than anyone else in the whole world.
PrintNavajo Fry Bread Tacos
Pillowy fry bread with a delicious meat sauce and all your favorite taco toppings!
- Prep Time: about 1 hour 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 45 minutes
- Yield: feeds 6-8 1x
Ingredients
Dough-
¾ cup warm water
2 ¼ teaspoon yeast
½ teaspoon sugar
3 tablespoons melted butter
¼ cup dry milk powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups flour
Oil for frying
Meat Mixture-
1 tablespoon oil
1 medium onion, diced small
4 cloves of garlic, minced finely
2 ¼ teaspoon cumin
1 tablespoon chili powder
¼ teaspoon pepper
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dried oregano
¾ – 1 pound lean ground beef
1 can black or pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup jarred salsa
Taco topping options-
Shredded lettuce
Shredded cheese
Diced tomatoes
Sour cream
Olives
etc
Instructions
Dough-
In the bowl of a stand mixer combine the water, yeast and sugar and slightly mix with a spoon. Let sit for 5-10 minutes until starting to foam. Add melted butter, dry milk powder, and salt and mix again lightly with a spoon.
Attach bowl to the stand mixer fitted with a dough hook and add the flour. Knead the dough on medium speed for 5-7 minutes till the dough is smooth and comes together, scraping the sides of the bowl if needed. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise till doubled, about 30-60 minutes.
Lightly grease 2 rimmed baking sheets and set aside.
After risen, punch dough down lightly and divide into 8 pieces. Roll dough out on a non-floured surface into roughly a 6-inch circle and then place on tray, making sure to not overlap the dough. Cover with plastic wrap and let the dough puff up, about 15-20 minutes.
Pour oil into a 8 quart pot till about 2 inches deep and heat over medium high heat. Once oil is heated slice a one-inch slice in the middle of each dough round to prevent giant bubbles in the middle. Cook 1-2 dough rounds at a time, flipping once lightly golden brown. When cooked through, remove to a wire cooling rack. If the bread is cooking too fast, lower heat a little.
Meat Mixture-
While dough is on its second rise, you can start on the meat mixture.
Pour one tablespoon of oil in a medium-large pan and add onion. Cook onions till soft, about 4-5 minutes and then add all the seasonings in. Continue cooking for about 30 seconds to 1 minute and then add the ground beef. Brown meat till cooked through, breaking up meat while cooking. Add salsa, remove from heat and stir to combine.
In a small bowl pour drained and rinsed beans. With a fork, smash the beans till about half of them appear to be smashed.
Add the beans into the meat mixture, return to heat and stir till heated through.
Serve fry bread with a scoop of the meat mixture and your favorite taco toppings.
Keywords: Navajo Fry Bread Tacos
