Hey There!
If you had a chance to take a look at my Belize honeymoon blog post (click here to see) you saw me talk about Fry Jacks. Fry Jacks are a staple in Belizean cuisine. Fry Jacks are essentiallyfried dough.They are kind of likeFrench beignets, or Latin American sopapillas.Atraditional Belizean breakfastwill have, fry jacks, salsa or tomatoes, refried beans, eggs and an additional protein like chicken or fish. The best part... fry jacks are hollowso you can stuff all of that inside for a yummy bite!Feel free to have these with anything you like, sweet or savory.
This will make10-12 Fry Jacks depending on the size you make them.
What You Need:
- 3 cupsflour
- 3 teaspoonbaking powder
- 1 teaspoonsalt
- 1 teaspoonvegetable oil or shortening (for the dough)
- 1 cup water(adjust as needed)
- 2 cupsvegetable oil (for frying pan)
You'll also need a frying pan, rolling pin, cookie coolingrack or paper towels
Let's Get Started:
- Place dry ingredients, flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl.
- Add teaspoon of shortening/oil into flour. I brought back Belizean cohune oil so I used that instead of oil or shortening in the dough.
- Knead the dough, addingwater along the way.When fully mixed,I suggestletting sit for about 15 minutes.
- In the meantime, put oil in the frying pan and heat to medium/high temperature.
- Next, divide the dough into ten to twelve medium-sized balls and flatten them into a circle.
- Pro tip: use a rolling pin, don't be like me and forget you don't have one until its too late LOL
- Roll each ball of dough out super thin. The goal is to have smooth and flat piecesof dough.
- Optional: Cut each piece in half. (I used a pizza cutter)If you choose to not cut, you'll just have larger fry jacks!
- Place dough in the frying pan and leave for a minute or two until it puffs up and turns golden brown. Flip over for an additional minute or two.
- Remove from oil and place of paper towel or cooling rack.
Note: The key to puffy fry jacks is hot oil and smooth, thin pieces of dough. Try one first before making the whole batch if you are unsure of the consistency and oil temp.
