Johnny Cakes

These fluffy-fried, golden-sweet, semi-flattened spheres of pure goodness are THE staple snack food of the Virgin Islands, found on every menu at every 'local' restaurant worth anything everywhere across the islands.

Tip: Many people reheat johnny cakes in the microwave for 20-30 seconds. This is okay, but 3 minutes in the toaster oven gives them that freshly fried texture.

Ingredients

3 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsps baking powder
4 tbs sugar
2-1/2 tsps room temp butter
water
oil for frying
extra flour

Directions

Tip: If you want to avoid your dough sticking to the bowl too much, spray it with cooking spray or wipe it with a lightly greased paper towel.

Mix dry ingredients – flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt – in a large mixing bowl using a large fork. Work in the butter with your fingers. It’s like making a pie crust. Add about 1 cup of water by stirring it in with a fork. Add a little more water, about ¼ cup at a time. Keep stirring until the mixture forms a soft dough. Sprinkle flour on the counter and transfer the dough. Knead for a few minutes to allow the ingredients to blend and gluten to form. You may have to add a few sprinkles of flour at a time to keep the dough from becoming too tacky or sticky. If you under knead the gluten will not have a chance to form a good dough. If you over knead the dough will be rubbery. Allow the dough to rest for 30 minutes.

Flour your hands and your counter-top. Make about 12-15 round balls of dough and set aside. Heat your frying pot with oil. While the oil is heating, use a rolling pin to flatten out each ball. Do not flatten them too much or they will be like crackers. When a drop of water pops in the pot it is ready for frying. Fry a few johnny cakes at a time. Do not overcrowd the pot – that will make the Johnny Cakes greasy. When the underside is golden brown, flip it over. Do not flip each over more than once. I use tongs like a preacher uses the Bible. Tongs are great for frying because they don’t poke the food. Fry each until both sides are golden brown. Drain each on a cooling rack.

More Info

Servings / Yield: 12
Prep Time: 20 min   /   Total Time: 1 hr
Category: Baked Goods
Keywords: Unspecified