Fried Dough (Grandma's fry bread recipe) (2024)

This fried dough recipe comes from my grandmother, and it makes fried yeast bread that is crispy on the outside with a soft, yeasty interior. They were known in our house as “puffs,” We would have them for breakfast with butter and jelly. Made with yeast, the dough for this fry bread needs to rest overnight, then make the deep-fried dough the next morning.

The best part of every visit to my grandparent’s house as a kid was Sunday morning, enjoying this fried dough. My grandmother, Myne, would make up the yeast dough the night before, so it would be ready to fry for breakfast after church.

I still remember her cast iron pan bubbling with oil as she’d pull the edges of the dough to make a flat disc and deftly release it into the hot grease. She would fry the bread dough for a few minutes on one side before flipping it to brown on the other.

Myne worked in an assembly line fashion, piling the deep-fried dough onto a rimmed sheet pan lined with paper towels to soak up excess grease and tucking them into a warm oven until we were ready to eat.

My Dad and Uncle Buck always snuck in to nab some before the rest of us.

Why you’ll love this recipe:

• The make-ahead recipe takes about 10 minutes to assemble the night before.
• No kneading or rolling is necessary. Just mix the dough and let it rise.
• It’s inexpensive to make and feeds a crowd.
• This fluffy fried bread recipe will make you famous with friends and family.
• Kids love this homemade fried dough with butter and sweet jam or preserves.
• You can use leftover yeast dough to make dinner rolls (that’s what Myne would do).

Ingredients for fried dough recipe:

• Instant Yeast
• All Purpose Flour
• Lukewarm Water
• Granulated Sugar
• Salt
• Shortening (Myne recommends Crisco)

Making foolproof dough

My grandmother punk’d us before that was a thing.

Without fail, each time she made up the fried bread recipe with yeast, and it had rested overnight — my grandmother would remove the towel from the bowl of dough and, with an alarmed look, pronounce that “the puffs didn’t rise.”

Panicked at the prospect of no puffs for breakfast, we would rush to the kitchen — only to find that Myne was making it up – the dough had risen.

Her prank was repeatedly (and flawlessly) executed every time she made a batch.

How to make fried bread dough

1. In a large bowl, combine lukewarm water and yeast and swish until the yeast is dissolved. (Note: my grandmother and my mother, who made this batch used their hands to swish the water and yeast together — instead of a spoon — old school style.)
2. Add the shortening and break it apart with your fingers.
3. Stir in the sugar and salt, swishing and stirring until dissolved.
4. Add the flour a little bit at a time, stirring and kneading until the dough is smooth and elastic.

Yeast dough has to rise

Once the yeast dough is combined, form it into a ball, then place the dough in a lightly greased bowl and cover it with a clean towel to rise for at least two hours or overnight.

Then lock yourself in the bathroom and practice your “the puffs didn’t rise” line while trying to look sufficiently innocent in the bathroom mirror.

How to make fried dough

1. Fill a heavy cast iron skillet with deep sides or a dutch oven with about 2″ of vegetable oil or Crisco to fry the dough. (I know it’s not the healthiest ingredient, but it’s fried bread.You didn’t think it would be good for you. I make no apologies – Crisco was big back in the day, and in this recipe, it produces crisp, light puffs).
2. Heat over medium-high heat until the temperature is about 350°-375°. (Use an Instant Read thermometer {affiliate link} to check).
3. Make a “tester” with a small pinch of yeast dough. Stretch it out and gently place it in the hot oil. You’ll know that the grease is hot enough if it bubbles furiously from the beginning. If the bubbles are smaller and more “genteel,” the oil must heat more.
4. Pull off a golf ball-sized piece of dough, flatten it and pull the sides until the dough is about ¼ to ?” thick and 3″ in diameter (Note: it will never be a perfect circle, so don’t even try).
5. Gently place the dough in the hot oil – releasing it away from you to avoid splatters and burns.
6. Cook for a few minutes until the underside is golden and brown.
7. Use tongs or a long-handled fork to gently turn the pan-fried bread and cook it for an additional minute or so until crispy and golden.
8. Transfer to a paper towel-lined baking sheet.
9. Keep warm in a hot oven while you make the rest — or serve them as soon as they come out of the fryer (the best way).

Pro-tips:

The fried dough cooks in just a few minutes, so don’t step away from the fryer. You don’t want to risk scorching them.

I strongly advise keeping small, curious children out of the kitchen while you’re frying. Hot oil can splatter, and we don’t want anyone getting burned.

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What is fried dough called?

“Puffs” are our moniker for this fried yeast bread recipe.

Though it might sound unfamiliar to you, I’m sure you’ve seen something similar to my grandma’s fry bread because deep-fried bread dough is popular worldwide.

You’ll find variations of this recipe under other names like:

• Indian fry bread, Navajo fry bread or Navajo bread – the difference is this is usually made with baking powder instead of yeast)
• Fried Bannocks – A Scottish dish (my grandmother is a Scot, so maybe that’s where her recipe evolved from).
• Italian fried dough – is a dessert that’s more puffed and softer like a doughnut also known as zeppole or pizza fritta.
• Fried pizza dough – a street food served with chimichurri sauce, sour cream and cheese.
• Fried elephant ears – are found at many fairs and carnivals, they’re sold at numerous vendors brushed liberally with butter and coated in cinnamon sugar.
• Puff Puff – African doughnuts seasoned with nutmeg (I’ve had them and they’re excellent).
• Vetkoek – also African, this is a savory stuffed “fat cake”.
• Beignet – a French version of deep-fried dough buried under an avalanche of powdered sugar. Beignets from Cafe Du Monde are a must when you visit New Orleans.

FAQ’s

How does my grandma’s fry bread recipe taste?

In a word… divine. It is crackly outside with a puffed, hot, yeasty dough inside.

On their own, her fried bread is savory, not sweet. So we treat them like toast or biscuits and liberally smear them with butter and jam.

Others may prefer powdered sugar or maple syrup, but my grandmother wouldn’t approve of those substitutions, so if you do it, keep it to yourself.

What goes with yeast fry bread:

• Peach Jam with Pectin
• Easy Homemade Guava Jam
• Spiced Pear Butter with Honey
• Red Berry Chia Seed Jam
• Calamansi Lime Marmalade
• Pumpkin Apple Butter

More breakfast breads you might like:

• Gluten Free Apple Buckwheat Muffins
• Cranberry Orange Scones
• Blueberry Banana Bread
• Onion Poppy Sesame Seed Bialys

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