Fry Bread with Cinnamon Honey Butter
Soft and golden fry bread served hot with powdered sugar and cinnamon honey butter.
This treat has many names, but in North America it’s mostly known as fry bread, or frybread. Unless you’re from Utah like me, and then you likely call this a scone.
But regardless of the name you’re familiar with, they’re all pretty much the same— a simple dough rolled or stretched flat and deep-fried till golden. It’s soft, with a slightly crisp outer layer. And though you can serve it either sweet or savory, it is amazing sprinkled with a little powdered sugar and smeared with honey butter.
Sweet is definitely the way to go. (Is anybody surprised?)
Table of Contents
- Ingredients you'll need
- How to make fry bread with cinnamon honey butter
- Can this recipe be made ahead?
- More delicious recipes like this
- Fry Bread with Cinnamon Honey Butter recipe
Ingredients you’ll need
So let’s bake a batch, shall we? Here’s what you’ll need to make this fry bread with cinnamon honey butter (full recipe below):
- All-purpose flour
- Butter
- Powdered sugar
- Granulated sugar
- Honey
- Baking powder
- Ground cinnamon
- Salt
- Vegetable oil, for frying
How to make fry bread with cinnamon honey butter
- Prepare the dough. Mix dry ingredients, then add water and melted butter. Stir to make a wet shaggy dough. Cover with plastic wrap and rest for 1 hour.
- Make cinnamon honey butter. While dough is resting, mix butter, cinnamon and honey together until smooth and uniform. Keep at room temperature.
- Shape dough. Lightly flour hands, a clean surface, and rolling pin. Pinch off rounded tablespoon-sized pieces (no need to be exact) and roll out to about ¼-inch thick.
- Fry in batches. Heat oil to 375°F and fry 2-3 pieces of bread at a time, about 2 minutes on each side until golden brown.
- Drain. Use a slotted spoon or spider strainer to transfer fried bread to paper towels to drain.
- Dust with powdered sugar and enjoy hot. Dust fry bread lightly with powdered sugar, and serve immediately, either dipping it into the honey butter or spreading it on top.
baking tip:Deep frying tips
- Use a heavy-bottomed pot, such as Dutch oven.
- Fill it with at least 3 inches of oil so that everything has enough room to float.
- Use a thermometer so you know the exact temperature of the oil.
- Fry at 350-375°F (per recipe instructions) and adjust heat as needed to maintain that temp. If the oil is too cool, it’ll take longer and your treats will soak up more oil. If the oil is too hot, you risk burning them.
- Work in batches as needed to not crowd the pot or cause the oil temp to drop too much.
- Protect yourself! Wear an apron to protect your clothing from any splatters, and use a slotted spoon to flip them over and remove them.
- When you’re done, turn off the heat and let the oil cool to room temperature completely. Pour through a funnel into a container with a secure lid and discard (or save to use for frying later). Do not pour oil down the drain.
Can this recipe be made ahead?
- The honey butter can be made ahead, and will keep in the fridge for at least several weeks.
- Unfortunately, the fry bread dough cannot be made ahead as the baking powder will lose it’s leavening power over time. Fry the bread no more than 2 hours after mixing the dough for best results.
More delicious recipes like this
This recipe was originally published October 2011.
Fry Bread with Cinnamon Honey Butter recipe
Fry Bread with Cinnamon Honey Butter
Individual pieces of bread fried till slightly crisp on the outside and soft inside. Serve with cinnamon honey butter, or as desired.
Ingredients
- 2 cups (240 grams) all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter , melted
- ¾-1 cup (200-250 ml) warm water
- Vegetable oil for frying
- Powdered sugar
Cinnamon Honey Butter:
- ½ cup (113 grams) unsalted butter , at room temperature
- 2 tablespoons honey
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon coarse salt
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt. Add the melted butter and ¾ cup warm water. Mix with a spoon until dough comes together into a ball. Dough should be moist but not sticky. Add water 1 tablespoon at a time if needed. Cover dough and let rest for one hour.
- Pour enough vegetable oil into a wide skillet so that it's 2 inches deep. Set over medium high heat. Insert a thermometer and heat oil to 375°F.
- Meanwhile, roll out the dough. Pinch off a tablespoon sized ball of dough at a time and roll it out on a lightly floured surface with a rolling pin. Stretch and pull with your hands if necessary. Dough should be about ¼ inch thick.
- Fry bread in batches of 2 or 3 until golden brown, about 2 minutes on each side. Remove from oil with tongs or a slotted spoon and place on a sheet pan lined with paper towels to drain any excess oil.
- Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve immediately with the cinnamon honey butter or other desired topping.
To make the cinnamon honey butter:
- Beat all ingredients with an electric mixer until smooth and somewhat creamy, about 2 minutes. Store any leftovers in the fridge for up to 1 week.
Video
Calories: 264kcal, Carbohydrates: 30g, Protein: 3g, Fat: 15g, Saturated Fat: 9g, Cholesterol: 38mg, Sodium: 222mg, Potassium: 134mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 6g, Vitamin A: 442IU, Calcium: 51mg, Iron: 2mg
Have you tried this recipe?I’d love to hear about it! Leave a rating and review below, or take a photo and tag it on Instagram @completelydelicious with #completelydelicious.
I ALWAYS THOUGHT THAT FRIED SCONES WERE A CALIFORNIA THING TOO! WHEN I FOUND THIS POST, I REALIZED THAT MY UTAH RELATIVES IS WHERE WE GOT THIS RECIPE. MY MOM WOULD USE CANNED BISCUITS FOR SCONES THOUGH. NO WAITING FOR DOUGH TO RISE, AND REALLY QUICK AND EASY! NOT TO MENTION YUMMY!
I was happy to see this recipe. My grandma was from New Mexico and would make these as a treat for us many grandchildren. Thank you for sharing.
You’re welcome! So happy to hear you love fry bread too.
I LOVE THESE!!! Except instead of putting cinnamon sugar on it I put on homemade strawberry jam and it’s absolutely to die for (•‿•)
Sounds amazing!!
Fry bread is served at The Feast of the Hunter’s Moon every year. It’s traditional Native American food from the 18th Century. It’s DELICIOUS!
Yes it is!
I came here looking for a recipe for The Rolling Scone scones in Utah. They were simply the best! I think they put the butter inside before they fried them, though.
Oh wow, that would be amazing!
Well, from the photo these look a lot like the ones my mother used to make. There is nothing like them if made correctly. The last time I had a “scone” was at the Midvale mining company cafe. The dang thing was the size of a dinner plate, and wonderful. I’ll give this recipe a try.
this seems similar to what is called Bake in many parts of the carribean. they are so good when stuffed with fish or eggs
I am 36 years old and from the West (California, Hawaii, Idaho, and now Utah) and today is the first day that I have–in my life–heard that there is another type of scone other than this so-called “Utah scone” … My son brought a biscuit with fruit home from preschool and said “we made scones at school” and I mockingly laughed in his sweet little face.”That’s not a scone!” I declared. “That’s some sort of biscuit thingy. Scones are wonderful deep fried things youdrench with honey butter. I’ll show you a picture of a scone!” Then I Googled it and found that my entire life has been a lie (at least where scones are concerned). My mind is blown. This is like the time I was living in Belgium and they asked me if I had ever tried their little “sprouts” … “Yes,” I said, “but we call them Brussel spr- ooooooh.”
I have been eating and making this bread dough for over 60 years, we call it bannock and it is great in dutch ovens, on a stick over fire coals, Navajo taco’s, scones, etc. Most of the basic ingredients and how to make this bread came from our grandparents here in the west that crossed the plains in the days of the pioneers and brought this basic bread knowledge with them from Europe and the British Isles. As a survival food it is hard to beat.
This post relates to me on so many levels. 1. I ordered a “scone” in Utah, received a Utah “scone” and was mystified! 2. I also met a boy and am now in Utah. =) 3. I still feel an outsider though and haven’t yet fully embraced that I’m currently in Utah. Not sure how long it’ll take me?
Don’t worry, I still feel like that sometimes too. I definitely felt more like I belonged once I stopped focusing on a few negative things I was still holding on to. Now I’m proud to be a Utahn!
These are not native to Utah, they are knock-offs of sopapillas. Regardless, they look delicious.
LOL my husband was born and raised in SLC and we lived there for 8 years. I never felt like I fit there and we ended up back in the Midwest. It is an interesting place when it comes to food, though. They call small elephant ears scones and they have meat pies that are unique to Utah.
We usually buy frozen bread dough, thaw it, pinch chunks off and flatten them, then fry them.
Ummm… drooling my mouth out over here! Yum YUM!
How funny – I thought I knew quite a bit about Utah, being an Arizonan myself, but I’ve never heard this called Utah Scones. It’s Indian Fry Bread, and the best part about hiking down into the Grand Canyon. Also, if you make them bigger, they’re delicious for Indian Tacos.
I’m a Utahn, living in Las Vegas. I know exactly how you feel. I’ve felt that same way about this place. Anyway, I googled scones looking for the Utah recipe, and had no idea what that other thing was that kept coming up so THANK YOU for posting this!! I would have been lost. They look delicious and I can’t wait to make them! Thanks again!