Cinnamon Sugar Fry Bread

Why This Cinnamon Sugar Fry Bread Works

As the dough comes together, the flour, salt, and baking powder mix with the warm water and start to form a soft, stretchy ball. Kneading works the flour so the dough becomes smooth and elastic instead of crumbly. Baking powder is spread all through the dough at this point, so when the discs hit the hot oil, tiny bubbles form inside and puff the bread up.

Once the dough discs go into the warm oil, the outside cooks fast and firms up, so the bread holds its shape. The surface browns and turns crisp while the inside stays soft and a little chewy. Not too much oil is used, so the bread fries instead of soaking up a lot of grease. Right after it comes out of the pan, the bread is still hot and a bit oily on the surface, so the cinnamon sugar sticks right away and clings to all the little bumps and edges.

Mistakes To Avoid

Letting the oil get too hot makes the outside of the fry bread brown almost instantly while the inside stays doughy and raw. The bread looks done, but when torn open it shows a gummy center instead of a fluffy one.

Using water that is cold instead of warm often leaves the dough tight and hard to work with. The dough doesn’t relax or stretch well, so the discs stay thick and fry up dense instead of puffing and getting light.

Rolling or pressing the discs too thick means the centers need more time to cook than the outside gets in the oil. The surface turns dark and hard while the middle stays heavy and undercooked.

Skipping the kneading or stopping after just a minute keeps the flour from fully absorbing the water. The dough stays rough and patchy, and the finished fry bread comes out uneven, with tough spots and random air pockets.

Letting the fried bread sit too long before adding the cinnamon sugar causes the coating to slide off. Once the surface cools and dries, the sugar mixture no longer sticks well and falls off in patches.