Frybread with Wojapi
Pillowy fried-bread disks served with a thick Lakota berry sauce of chokecherries and maple. A powwow plate.
Overview
A simple yeasted dough, flour, baking powder, milk, salt, a touch of sugar, rests until soft and pliable. Each portion stretches by hand into a 15 cm disc, then drops into hot oil for 90 seconds per side. Wojapi simmers berries, water and maple syrup to a thick sauce; thickens slightly with a small amount of cornflour. The hot frybread piles on a plate; warm wojapi spoons over.
Ingredients
Frybread
- 500 g plain flour (plus more for dusting)
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons caster sugar
- 350 ml warm milk (or water)
- Vegetable oil for shallow frying
Wojapi
- 600 g mixed berries (blueberries, blackberries, raspberries - fresh or frozen)
- 200 ml water
- 4 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar (adjust to fruit's natural sweetness)
- 1 tablespoon cornflour (mixed with 2 tablespoons cold water)
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- A small pinch of salt
To finish
- Icing sugar for dusting
- Whipped cream (or vanilla ice cream, optional)
Method
Stage 1 - Wojapi
- Combine the berries, water, maple syrup, brown sugar and salt in a heavy saucepan.
- Bring to the boil; reduce to a steady simmer.
- Cook 12-15 minutes, mashing occasionally with a wooden spoon, until the berries break down and the mixture is jammy.
- Stir the cornflour slurry; pour in slowly, stirring constantly. The sauce thickens within seconds.
- Cook 1 minute more; off the heat, stir in the vanilla.
- Keep warm.
Stage 2 - Frybread dough
- Whisk the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar in a wide bowl.
- Add the warm milk gradually; mix to a soft, slightly tacky dough.
- Knead briefly - 2-3 minutes - until smooth.
- Cover; rest 30 minutes (lets the gluten relax for easier shaping).
Stage 3 - Heat the oil
- Pour 2 cm of oil into a wide heavy pan.
- Heat to 180°C (a small piece of dough should sizzle vigorously and float).
Stage 4 - Shape and fry
- Divide the dough into 6 equal pieces.
- On a floured surface, flatten each into a 15 cm disc, about 6 mm thick.
- Make a small hole in the centre with your finger (helps the bread cook evenly).
- Slide carefully into the hot oil; cook 60-90 seconds per side until each is deep golden and puffed.
- Lift onto kitchen paper.
Stage 5 - Serve
- Place each frybread on a plate; spoon warm wojapi generously on top.
- Dust with icing sugar.
- Add a scoop of whipped cream or ice cream if liked.
- Eat immediately while the frybread is still hot.
Notes
- Frybread's history: Worth knowing. It comes from a period of forced relocation and rationing - many Native cooks have a complicated relationship with it. Today it stands as a symbol of resilience and community.
- Hot oil, fast cook: Soft, undercooked frybread is heavy. Pull when it's deep golden; it cooks fast.
- Wojapi traditions: Lakota chokecherries are the original ingredient; the sauce was originally thickened with chokecherry pits or a cornflour-like starch. Modern recipes use whatever berries are available.
Storage
- Frybread is best fresh; reheat at 200°C for 4 minutes if needed.
- Wojapi keeps 5 days refrigerated; reheats gently.
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