Pumpkin Spice Frybread

My husband is the first one to admit that he’s a bit of a “basic b*tch”, and is ALL about the Pumpkin Spice Lattes when fall hits.

He’s also a huge fan of my Frybread Recipe, in any of the multiple incarnations I’ve made it, so far.

Obviously, I was eventually going to need to design a pumpkin spice frybread recipe for him!

Now, pumpkin frybread recipes already exist - which makes sense, as pumpkin is a squash, and squash is a staple in First Nations’ cooking - as one of the Three Sisters (Squash, Beans, and Corn).

With this, though... I let my white girl upbringing all the way out, and ended up with a very seasonal doughnut recipe - it’s even rolled in pumpkin spice sugar!

During a recent trip to Quetico Provincial Park, we finally photographed a batch so we could share my recipe.

Seemed appropriate, as the park is the home of my ancestors.

Though... maybe nonsense like this is why we haven’t had any northern lights shows during our last few visits. Maybe great-great gramma got sick of my crap, LOL.

Anyway, this is a fun recipe to make, and a great way to get a bit of pumpkin spice season in, even when you’re camping.

Ingredients

This pumpkin frybread recipe uses SUPER basic ingredients. If you don’t already have them in your pantry, you definitely won’t have any trouble finding them in any grocery store.

As always, I have a few notes for you:

All Purpose Flour

I use all-purpose flour, as that’s what I’ve always used in any kind of bannock or frybread. That’s also how it’s been any time I’ve had it when someone ELSE has made it.

That said, you could probably substitute part of the white flour with whole wheat flour if you really wanted. I wouldn’t swap out more than about ⅓ of it, or it could affect the texture.

Also note: Contrary to what some food bloggers will tell you, you generally can NOT swap in gluten-free flour into any kind of a bread recipe and expect good results.

Eventually I’ll come up with a good base gluten-free bannock - and fry bread - recipe, but I haven’t had the time!

Pure Pumpkin Puree

This recipe was developed using actual pumpkin puree - which is not the same thing as pumpkin pie filling. They’re usually sold in the same area of the store, but “Pie filling” has additional fillers and such, and won’t work as well.

Pure pumpkin will also give you a much better pumpkin taste, as pumpkin pie filling has been diluted with other stuff.

All that said, if you have homemade pumpkin puree, feel free to use that!

Maple Syrup

Use the actual, boiled-down sap from a maple tree, please!

Pancake syrup / table syrup / flavoured corn syrup is NOT the same thing. I mean you can use it in a pinch if you have to, but it won’t taste as good!

Pumpkin Spice

You can use a commercial pumpkin spice seasoning blend, or a homemade one.

I usually make my own from cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, and allspice... but I just eyeball it!

Vegetable Oil

I use vegetable oil as my frying oil, as it’s cheap, readily available, and works well for deep fat frying.

In general, you want to use a neutral tasting oil with a high smoke point - vegetable oil, sunflower oil, or canola oil are all great options.

When cooking it, you want the oil hot enough, but not TOO hot - too hot will burn the outside before the inside is cooked.

If you have a deep frying thermometer, that will help you know when the oil is ready, but it’s not necessary - we don’t use one when camping.

How to tell when the oil is the right temperature:

1. Drop a small ball of dough in to the oil. If it sinks slightly, before floating, sizzling, and browning gradually, it’s hot enough. If it just sinks to the bottom, it’s not hot enough. If the dough browns really fast, it’s too hot.

2. Put a wooden spoon in the oil. If the oil sizzles and bubbles around the spoon right away, it’s hot enough. If it violently bubbles, though, it’s too hot.

3. If you drop a popcorn kernel into the oil and it pops, the oil is hot enough.

I prefer the first method, personally.

Everything Else

Rounding out this recipe, you will need:

Baking Powder
Pure Vanilla Extract
Salt

... and I really don’t have anything to add, for those last three ingredients.

How to Make Spiced Pumpkin Frybread

The full recipe is in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post, here is the visual walk through:

Optional Make-Ahead Step

Before each camping trip, I make several batches of bannock mix, which I use for both bannock and fry bread - they also work as a base for this recipe.

Note: The only difference is that I add fat to the bannock dough - I don’t bother with fry bread, as it gets plenty of fat from frying!

I just measure the flour, baking powder, and salt into medium Ziplock freezer bags, assembly line style. Then I label each bag and store them in an airtight container, until we’re ready to use them for something.

When making this recipe, I just add the Pumpkin Spice to a bag of mix, then proceed with the wet ingredients step.

Make the Pumpkin Dough

In a large bowl, mix together dry ingredients. Add the pumpkin, maple syrup, and vanilla to the dry mix, stirring gently just to combine.

Finally, add the water stirring just enough to bring it together into a sticky dough.

Knead lightly for a minute or two to smooth it out a little - don’t overwork it, or it will turn out dense. If it’s too sticky to work with, add a little flour - just not too much!

Put the dough back in the mixing bowl and cover with plastic wrap, or a damp cloth.

Let it rest - at room temperature - for 20 minutes. Resting the dough relaxes the gluten, and makes it easier to stretch it out without it snapping back into place.

Form the Dough

After about 20 minutes, get a medium fire going. Place your dutch oven over the fire, and add at least 1" of oil to it, and let it start heating.

If you have a deep frying thermometer, you’ll want the oil to come to 350 degrees F. If don’t have a thermometer, see the post for tips on how to tell when your oil is hot enough.

As the oil is heating, divide the dough into 6-8 smaller pieces

You can use a rolling pin to roll each of them out (on a clean, lightly floured surface), or just flatten them by hand (that’s what we do - clean, dry hands).
Either way, aim for each to be around ¼" thick - not too thick, or they won’t cook right.

Note: Whether rolling them with a pin or flattening by hand, it’s best to stretch the dough, rather than to squishing each piece flat. If you’re having a hard time getting your dough to stay stretched out, let the dough rest some more.

Some people like to poke a hole in the middle of their frybread. Usually though, I like to poke a few holes in each of mine. Alternately, you can prick each dough round all over with a fork.

Fry the Dough

Working with one or two pieces at a time, carefully transfer the dough rounds to the preheated oil.

Allow to fry for 1-2 minutes , or until golden on the underside. Gently flip and repeat, cooking until evenly golden.

Transfer fried bread to a baking sheet lined with paper towels, blot to remove excess oil.

Serve warm, as-is (Especially if sugar coated) ... or with butter.... or drizzled with honey or maple syrup, or slathered in a nice jam.

Sugar Coated Frybread

If you want to coat them in cinnamon sugar, have a cup or so of cinnamon sugar in a shallow bowl, before you fry your pumpkin bannock dough.

I usually go about 1 tablespoon of Cinnamon - or, in this case, pumpkin spice - to 1 cup of sugar. Mix it well!

As your pumpkin frybreads come out of the oil, blot the excess oil off, then roll them in the sugar while still hot. Place on a baking pan or sheet of parchment paper to let the cool slightly before serving.

Leftovers

Leftovers can be cooled to room temperature and stored for a few days in a plastic baggie on the counter, or for around a week in an airtight container in the fridge.

See the post for more details on cooking method, working with stickier dough, how to tell if your oil is the right temperature without a thermometer, etc.

Due to the limitations of our recipe software, the nutritional information doesn't include the oil absorbed from frying.

More Camping Dessert Recipes

Looking for some sweet treats to cook over a campfire or grill? Here's a few of my favourites!

50+ S'Mores Recipes
Apple Fritter Bread Pudding
Apple Fritter French Toast
Baked Apples, Campfire Style!
Banana Boats
Blueberry Peach Crisp
Campfire Cones
Campfire Haystack Cookies
Chocolate Peanut Butter No Bake Cookies
Easy Campfire Brownies
Easy Skillet Bananas Foster
How to Make Maple Taffy
No Bake Cornflake Cookies
No-Bake S'Mores Bars
Peanut Butter No-Bake Cookies
Skillet Apple Crisp
Skillet Blueberry Crisp
Skillet Berry Crumble
S'mores Board

... But wait, there's more! Be sure to check out our other Camping Recipes, including Camping Desserts, Camping Snacks, Make-Ahead Camping Mix Recipes, and a ton of delicious Camping Main Dish Recipes.

Also, we had SO much fun designing gourmet jerky recipes for our camping trips, we started a whole new blog for them! Check out Dried & Tasty for all kinds of fun recipes to make in your food dehydrator!