Parāoa parai means, quite literally, fried flour, which undersells it considerably. Māori cooks took up wheat flour after it arrived with European traders in the nineteenth century, and fry bread became a fixture of hākari, the feasts held on the marae, and of festivals, Waitangi Day and Matariki celebrations. Food stalls at markets, school galas and sports days sell it warm, sometimes with jam and cream, sometimes wrapped around a sausage or mince.

There are two schools: quick fry bread raised with baking powder, and the lighter yeasted kind we give here, which puffs into hollow pillows in the oil. Split one open, add butter and golden syrup, and the next lap goes by unnoticed.

The dough

Ingredients

• 3 1/2 cups (450 g) high grade flour
• 2 1/4 teaspoons (7 g) instant yeast
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon fine salt
• 1 1/4 cups (300 ml) warm water
• 1 tablespoon (15 ml) vegetable oil

Frying

Ingredients

• about 6 cups (1.4 liters) vegetable or canola oil

To serve

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons (55 g) butter
• 1/3 cup (80 ml) golden syrup

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