Fried Bread (Grandma’s Southern Yeast Fry Bread)
Inside: What makes Southern fried bread different · frying in a skillet, no deep fryer · the tester trick for oil temperature · rising the dough overnight · turning leftover dough into dinner rolls.
Say “fried dough” and most people picture funnel cake or elephant ears under a pile of powdered sugar. In my family, fried bread meant Sunday mornings at my grandparents’ house. My grandmother, Myne, made the yeast dough the night before, then fried “puffs” assembly-line style in a cast iron pan bubbling with oil while my Dad and Uncle Buck snuck in to nab the first ones. They come out puffed and golden with craggy tops, made for a melting pat of butter and a spoonful of jam.
My grandmother would typically make the dough on a Saturday night and cook it Sunday morning, after it had risen. She would routinely prank us by looking and sounding truly distraught that “The puffs didn’t rise!”
Kids and grandkids would rush to the kitchen in a panic, only to find the perfectly risen dough and my grandmother standing there with a Cheshire cat grin. She got us every time.
What is Southern fried bread? A yeast dough, risen for 2 hours or overnight, then stretched into 3- to 4-inch rounds and fried in hot oil in a cast iron skillet until golden and puffed. They aren’t sweet per se, until you add a pat of butter and jam.
Why you’ll love this recipe:
- The make-ahead recipe takes about 15 minutes to assemble the night before.
- No kneading or rolling is necessary. Just mix the dough and let it rise.
- It feeds a crowd, so it’s perfect for big gatherings and holidays.
- You can use leftover yeast dough to make dinner rolls (that’s what Myne would do).
Ingredients for fried bread:
- Active Dry Yeast–Active dry needs to bloom in lukewarm water to activate. Instant doesn’t. Use one package (2¼ teaspoons).
- All-Purpose Flour–I use King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour.
- Lukewarm Water–about 110°F; warm tap water works.
- Granulated Sugar
- Salt
- Shortening (Myne recommends Crisco)
- Frying fat (Vegetable oil or Crisco) for frying the dough.
How to Make Fried Bread in a Cast Iron Skillet or Dutch Oven
1. In a large bowl, combine lukewarm water and yeast, and swish until the yeast dissolves. (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. Stir in the sugar and salt, swishing and stirring until dissolved.
3. Add the flour a little bit at a time, mixing it in with your hands and adding more flour in ¼-½ cup increments and working the flour into the yeast mixture.
4. Continue adding flour and working it in until the dough starts to come together and you can form a shaggy ball of dough.
5. Place the fry bread dough into a greased bowl and cover with a clean dish towel. Set the bowl in a draft-free area to rise for at least 2 hours or overnight. I usually rest it in a cold oven (turned off).
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.
6. This is what the dough looks like after it’s risen; it’s less of a ball of dough and more of a puffy mass of dough.
7. 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. Heat over medium-high heat until the temperature is about 350°F-375°F. 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.
8. Pull off a golf ball-sized piece of dough, flatten it with your fingers and pull the sides until the dough is about ¼ to ½” thick and 3-4″ in diameter (Note: it will never be a perfect circle, so don’t even try).
9. Gently place the dough in the hot oil, releasing it away from you to avoid splatters and burns. Cook for 1-2 minutes until the underside is golden brown.
10. 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.
11. Transfer to a paper towel-lined serving dish or baking sheet. To keep them warm as you make the fried bread in batches, spread them on a baking sheet in a low 225°F oven and add more as you cook.
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.
What is fried dough called?
Every culture that bakes bread has a fried version. What sets this one apart is that it’s plain yeast dough, made to be eaten hot with butter melting on top and a spoonful of jam and thought to be an Appalachian or Depression-era recipe. Here’s a rundown of some others.
| Name | Dough or batter | Leavening | Sweet or savory | How it’s served |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southern fried bread / Puffs (this recipe) | Plain yeast dough | Yeast only | Not sweet | Hot, a pat of butter melted on top, then jam |
| Native American fry bread | Flour dough | Usually baking powder | Either | Honey, or as the base for tacos |
| Elephant ears | Stretched dough | Usually yeast | Sweet | Cinnamon sugar (fair food) |
| Funnel cake | Batter, piped | Baking powder | Sweet | Powdered sugar |
| Beignets | Enriched dough (egg, milk) | Yeast | Sweet | Powdered sugar |
| Zeppole / pizza fritta | Yeast dough | Yeast | Either | Sugar, or tomato and cheese |
| Appalachian fried bread / dough gods | Bread or biscuit dough | Varies | Not sweet | Butter, syrup or gravy |
Make ahead:
- This fried bread recipe is ideal for make-ahead because the dough has to rise before frying.
- Make it the night before and let it rest to rise; fry up the puffy dough the next morning for breakfast.
Storage:
- Store leftover fried bread in an airtight container or zip-top bag at room temperature for one day, or in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.
Reheating:
- Warm leftovers on a baking sheet in a 350°F oven for 7-10 minutes until hot.
Freezing:
- I don’t recommend freezing the dough; however, you can freeze them after frying.
- Let them cool to room temperature and wrap them well in freezer-safe bags. Freeze for up to 1-2 months.
- Defrost before reheating.
Leftover dough?
- Make dinner rolls. Pinch off golf ball-sized pieces of dough and roll into balls.
- Place on a greased baking sheet and cover with a clean dish towel. Let the dough rise for 20-60 minutes or until puffed and nearly doubled.
- Brush with an egg wash (1 egg + 1 tablespoon water, mixed).
- Bake at 350° for 25-30 minutes, until golden brown.
FAQs
Depends where you are: beignets in New Orleans, zeppole in Italy, elephant ears at the fair, fry bread out West. In my family, they’re puffs.
Yes. Nearly every culture does. They vary by ingredients, toppings, how they’re served, and the occasion.
Make a soft yeast dough and let it rise. Stretch balls of dough into a disc and fry them in hot oil until golden, flip and fry the other side, then drain the fried bread on paper towels.
Some people fry slices of day-old bread. This recipe fries raw yeast dough, which puffs and stays soft inside. See the table above for more variations.
Sort of. Fry bread is usually made with baking powder instead of yeast.
Yes. This one uses only yeast, so it’s chewier and more bread-like than baking-powder fry bread, and it needs time to rise.
Yes. Use a deep cast iron skillet or Dutch oven with about 2″ of oil. Fry 3 to 4 at a time.
Yes. Reduce the salt in the dough to 1½ teaspoons. After frying, transfer the fried dough to a zip-top bag of sugar, cinnamon sugar or powdered sugar and shake to coat. Transfer to a serving plate. The fried bread will also take on sweetness from butter and jam. My Uncle George used to pour maple syrup over his, though my grandmother didn’t approve.
Some recipes use both. This one doesn’t need it, because the rise does the work.
How does my grandma’s fry bread recipe taste?
In a word… divine. It is crackly and crisp outside with an audible crunch. Inside is puffed, chewy and yeasty. They aren’t naturally 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:
We always served this with butter and jam. Try one of these jams or breakfast spreads.
- 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
Fried dough (Grandma’s fry bread recipe)
SPECIAL EQUIPMENT:
- heavy pot, cast iron skillet or dutch oven for frying.
- Instant Read Thermometer To take the temperature of the hot oil.
INGREDIENTS:
- 2 cups lukewarm water about 110°F on an instant read thermometer
- 1 rounded tablespoon vegetable shortening (Myne uses Crisco) about the size of an egg
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 2¼ teaspoons Active Dry Yeast (one packet)
- 4½-5 cups all-purpose flour
- vegetable oil or Crisco, enough to fill your cooking vessel 2-inches high for frying.
DIRECTIONS:
To Make The Puff Dough
- Add 2¼ teaspoons Active Dry Yeast to a large bowl and stir in 2 cups lukewarm water. Let the yeast dissolve and bloom for a few minutes.
- Add 1 rounded tablespoon vegetable shortening and swish and break it apart in the water with your fingers.
- Stir in 1 tablespoon sugar and 1 tablespoon salt until dissolved.
- Add 4½-5 cups all-purpose flour, a little at a time, mixing with your hands until the dough is well combined and elastic with a bit of a shaggy appearance. Form the dough into a ball.
- Lightly grease or oil a large bowl with vegetable shortening and place the dough in the bowl. Flip the dough once or twice so it gets a light coating of grease (this prevents it from forming a "skin"). Cover the dough with a clean dish towel and place in a draft-free area to rise. (I usually stick it in a cold oven – turned off).
- Let the dough rise for 2 hours or overnight.
MAKE A TESTER:
- Place a wide, deep cast iron skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat and add about 2 inches of vegetable oil or Crisco. Heat the oil to about 350°F-375°F.
- Pinch off a dime-sized piece of dough and stretch it, so that it's very thin (about ¼").
- Carefully place the dough into the hot grease. This is your tester– and it will determine if your oil is hot enough. If the oil rapidly bubbles around the dough, it should be the right temperature.
- Cook the tester for about 1-2 minutes until golden on the bottom, then flip it and cook an additional minute. The bread should be crisp and golden. You can eat this piece to determine if the oil should be hotter or if it's just right.
FRY THE YEAST DOUGH:
- Line a sheet pan with several layers of paper towels and set near the pan of oil. Pinch off a golf ball sized piece of dough and flatten it to a disc in your hands. Hold the edges of the dough and work it in a circle to stretch and enlarge the circle until it's about 3" to 4" in diameter.
- Lay the dough into the oil away from you: dip the near edge in first, then lower the rest toward the far side of the pan to prevent splashes.
- Fry for 1 to 2 minutes until golden, flip over and continue to cook for another minute or so until the puffs are crispy and golden.
- Depending on the size of your pan, you can make 3-4 at a time.
- Transfer the fried dough to the paper towel-lined sheet pan and continue frying batches.
- You can keep them in a low oven (225°F) while you're cooking in batches and serve all at once. Good luck keeping people from snatching them off the plate, though.
NOTES:
NUTRITION:
Nutritional Disclaimer
Nutritional information is an estimate only and is provided as a courtesy. Values are calculated automatically based on the ingredients and quantities in each recipe and may vary depending on specific brands, exact measurements, and substitutions made. For precise nutritional guidance, especially if you have a medical condition or dietary restriction, please consult a registered dietitian or run the ingredients through your own nutrition calculator.Pin it for later!
I lived in Alaska for several years. Alaska Natives know how to make Fry Bread. This recipe took me way back. Loved the recipe. I sub’d salted butter for the shortening and cut back on the salt. Served the bread with Beer Battered Catfish and Slaw. I just made dessert with a dollop of Orange Marmalade…..
These cooked up well and we’re easy to make, but they were a little salty. Next time, I will use 1 teaspoon of salt instead of the 1 Tablespoon the recipe calls for.