Light and Fluffy Fry Bread

The Dough – Te Pokenga

• Add the miraka (milk), wai wera (hot water) and huka (sugar) in to a large bowl. Stir until the huka (sugar) has dissolved.
• Sprinkle over the īhi horo (instant yeast). Stir and leave for 5 minutes until the yeast has activated.
• Add the puehu parāoa (flour), pata kua rewaina (melted butter) and tote (salt). Stir until a rough dough forms.
• Tip on to a lightly floured bench and knead.

  Watch the video for reference on how to knead it. If you are kneading it by hand, it will be sticky but try not to add too much extra flour. This helps the parāoa parai (fry bread) to stay light and fluffy.
• Knead for 5 minutes by hand or 4 minutes in a stand mixer.
• Clean out the bowl you used to make the dough and return the kneaded dough to it. Cover with a tea towel and leave it in a warm place (think humid day temp).

  Rise for 30 minutes.
• After 30 minutes, stretch and fold it 12 times.

  Pull the dough from the side of the bowl, stretch it high and place it in the middle. Turn the bowl a quarter turn and repeat that process 12 times. This helps the dough stay light. Reference the video for a visual aid.

  Cover and rise for 45 minutes.
• Lightly oil a bench and tip the risen dough out. Gently deflate it by pressing it gently with your hands to 3 cm thick.

  Cut the pokenga (dough) into squares or use a 8 cm cookie cutter to cut out 18 small round shapes. Mould any dough scraps back in to roughly 3cm thick and cut them out, making sure you use all of the dough.

  Spread all the cut out pieces out on the bench with enough room for rising.
• Leave to rise for 20 minutes.
• Pour all of the noni (oil) in to a cast iron pan or a pot.

  Heat the noni (oil) to 165 °C. My stove top has the highest heat of 9, I heat the oil on number 8 and turn it up or down according to how hot the oil seems.
• If the oil starts over heating, remove from the heat for a minute or so to bring the heat down. If you don't have a thermometer, eye ball it.

  As a guide, if one side of the fry bread browns before a minute of being in the oil, it is too hot and may result in the middle being under cooked.
• Test one piece of the risen fry bread to gauge if your oil is at the right point.

  If you the test is a winner, fry four or five pieces at a time for 2-3 minutes on each side.
• Remove them from the noni (oil), shake off any excess oil and place on a cooling rack.

  Eat as you wish and let me know how you enjoy eating them!