Fried bread recipe: easy breakfast bread with self-rising flour

Fried bread is a quick breakfast dish that uses self-rising flour, milk, and hot bacon fat. The dough is soft, like thick pudding, and fries in a skillet until golden and crisp. This fried bread recipe is useful when you want warm bread on the table in about 15 minutes.

This fried bread uses few ingredients, so measure with care for even results. The amounts below make about eight small pieces. You can scale the recipe up or down, keeping the flour and liquid equal by volume so the dough stays thick but drops easily from a spoon.

• 1 cup (120 g) self-rising flour
• 1 cup (240 ml) milk or buttermilk
• 1/8 teaspoon baking soda (only if you use buttermilk)
• 4 tablespoons bacon fat, or enough to cover the base of the pan

Basic kitchen tools are enough for this recipe. An iron frying pan gives the best crust, but you can use any heavy skillet. Use metal tongs or a flat spatula to turn the bread safely in the hot fat.

• Measuring cups and measuring spoons
• Mixing bowl
• Spoon for mixing and dropping the dough
• Iron frying pan or other heavy skillet
• Stove or gas burner
• Tongs or flat spatula
• Plate lined with paper towels for draining

Step-by-step procedure

The method stays simple. Mix the dough, heat the bacon fat, then fry spoonfuls until both sides brown. Keep the fat hot but not smoking, and avoid crowding the pan so each piece cooks evenly and builds a crisp surface.

1. Measure 1 cup of self-rising flour into a mixing bowl.
2. Measure 1 cup of milk or buttermilk in a jug. If you use buttermilk, stir in 1/8 teaspoon baking soda until it dissolves.
3. Pour the milk or buttermilk into the flour. Mix with a spoon until you get a thick pudding-like dough. Add a little extra flour if it feels runny, or a spoon of milk if it feels too stiff.
4. Place the iron skillet or heavy frying pan on the stove. Add 4 tablespoons of bacon fat, or enough to coat the base well, and heat on medium-high until the fat is very hot but not smoking.
5. When the fat is hot, drop spoonfuls of dough into the pan, leaving space between each piece so they do not touch while frying.
6. Let the dough fry without moving it until the bottoms turn brown and crispy. This usually takes a few minutes, depending on the heat and size of the spoonfuls.
7. Use tongs or a spatula to turn each piece of fried bread. Cook the second side until it is also brown and the centre feels firm, not wet.
8. Lift the fried bread from the pan and place on the paper towel-lined plate to drain extra fat. Serve hot with butter, jam, gravy, or any favourite breakfast topping.

Notes, tips, and variations

The recipe notes that bacon fat in an iron skillet gives the best flavour and colour. You can replace some or all of the bacon fat with other oils, though the taste may change slightly. Many cooks like a half-and-half mix of bacon fat and olive oil for balance.

Serve fried bread hot for breakfast with butter, jam, or gravy. It also pairs well with fried eggs or any other usual morning side. Because the recipe is rich, one or two pieces per person are often enough.

Nutritional values

These values are estimates for one small piece of fried bread made with bacon fat. Actual numbers change with the size of each piece, the type of milk, and the amount of fat that stays in the bread after frying.

For best texture, eat fried bread soon after it leaves the pan, while the outside stays crisp and the inside stays tender. Leftovers cool and soften, but you can warm them briefly in a dry skillet to bring back some of the original crunch.