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Johnny Cakes

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Another traditional bread made here in the Bay Islands are Johnny Cakes. Unlike Coconut Bread that can take an entire afternoon to make, Johnny Cakes are quick and easy.  It’s because they use baking powder instead of yeast, so there is no time waiting for them to rise!  You can find them throughout the Caribbean, and although the recipes do vary from place to place or even from house to house, the general idea is the same — A quick and tasty little bread to serve with a meal or as a meal in itself!

Johnny Cakes

Johnny cakes originated in North America, with Native Americans making them with ground corn instead of flour.  Some people called them “Journey Cakes” instead of Johnny Cakes. Probably because they are the perfect little bread for taking on a trip!  And I believe I like the name Journey Cakes better because of all the things that I’ve made lately, this recipe has certainly been a journey for me!

I had made Johnny Cakes many times before, but for this post, I decided to scale down my recipe.  The recipe I had called for five pounds of flour!  If you’re familiar with old island recipes, the ingredient list goes like this: five-pounds-of-this, two-pounds-of-that, and 20-cups-of-the-next-thing.  The recipes make enough to feed a small army or at least the entire neighborhood.  And I just didn’t want to make that many!  I wanted to make a dozen Johnny Cakes max because everyone in my house is on some diet (or should be) and if I don’t give them away, then they just go to waste.

Well, scaling down the recipe didn’t work. The ratios were off, and I couldn’t figure it out!  I set out on a “journey” to figure it out.  After much trial and error, it occurred to me that I should try equal ratios that I know work, as a starting point, and make adjustments from there.  And guess what?  It worked like a charm.  I made one small batch and handed them out for testing.  The verdict came back with a consensus that they needed a bit more sugar.  And so that’s what I did: adjust the sugar and the salt and voila, Johnny Cakes!

Steps in Making Johnny Cakes

Begin by mixing flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder.  A good rule of thumb: Use one teaspoon of baking powder to one cup of flour.

Johnny Cakes

Then add shorting to the dry ingredients and incorporate with a fork or with your hands until shortening is distributed evenly throughout the flour mixture.

Jonny Cakes

Then add coconut milk that has been warmed a bit in the microwave or on the stove.

Johnny Cakes

Mix well and then turn dough out onto a floured surface.  Knead and divide into twelve equal pieces.

Shape the pieces of dough into balls and then place in a pan, sprayed lightly with cooking spray.

You can choose to flatten the cakes down a bit or leave them round on top.  Then poke holes over the top with a fork or leave the surface smooth. It’s your preference.

Johnny Cakes

And there you have them — “Joni Cakes!”

In the end, I made more Johnny Cakes than I wanted to and probably used way more than five pounds of flour.  But it was a good learning process and now I have a recipe that’s perfect for sharing and making small batches of Johnny Cakes!

Johnny Cakes

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5 from 7 votes
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Johnny Cakes

Course Quick Bread
Cuisine Caribbean
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Servings 12
Calories 270 kcal
Author Joni Galindo

Ingredients

  • 4 Cups All-Purpose Flour
  • 6 Tbs. Sugar
  • 4 Tsp. Baking Powder
  • 2 Tsp. Salt
  • 4 Tbs. Shortening
  • 12 oz Coconut Milk 1 Can less 1/4 cup

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 400˚ Fahrenheit.
  2. Mix flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
  3. Then add shortening and combine using a fork or your hands.
  4. Warm coconut milk in the microwave or on the stove and then add to the flour mixture.
  5. Mix until the dough is formed then turn out onto a floured surface.
  6. Knead until the surface is smooth.
  7. Divide into 12 equal pieces and form into a ball.
  8. Place into a prepared pan.
  9. Flatten slightly and poke holes into the surface with a fork if you wish.

  10. Bake at 400˚ for 25-30 minutes until golden brown on top.

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Johnny Cakes

Coconut Bread

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Coconuts are synonymous with islands, and the Bay Islands are no exception!  Not only can you find coconut trees in abundance here, but you’ll find an abundance of dishes infused with coconut in some way.  We use coconut milk, coconut oil, and the coconut meat in many different island recipes, both savory and sweet dishes alike! But there is one coconut recipe that stands out above all others, and that is — Coconut Bread!

Coconut Bread

Coconut bread uses coconut milk and coconut oil in the dough. Back in my grandmother’s day, they made their coconut milk and coconut oil from scratch. Which was no doubt much healthier than our modern versions, but it was certainly a whole lot more work! I can recall my grandmother husking two coconuts to shred on a large homemade grater. Then after grating the coconuts, she poured water over the “coconut thrash” and squeezed it continuously to extract the milk. This process alone could have taken an hour or more, just to get a few cups of coconut milk.

Coconut Bread

Fortunately for us, we have coconut milk readily available right on the grocery store shelves or even on Amazon.com!

Canned coconut milk is what I’m using in this recipe today for a modern take on the classic coconut bread!

Steps in Making Coconut Bread

Begin by warming coconut milk and skim or 2% milk on the stove.

Mix flour, yeast, coconut oil, sugar, and salt.

Add warmed milk mixture a bit at a time and mix by hand or in a stand mixer like this Kitchen Aid, until the dough forms.

Turn out onto a floured surface and finish kneading by hand.

Cover and let rise until doubled in size.

This recipe yields four large loaves in 9.5″ x 5.5″ loaf pans.  Today I made two large loaves and eight small rolls in a 13″ x 8″ pan.

Punch down the dough, knead, divide, shape, and place into prepared pans.

Cover and let rise again until doubled in size.  Heat oven to 350˚ Fahrenheit.

Coconut Bread

Bake until they’re golden brown, 30 to 40 minutes, depending on how dark you like the crust.

Coconut Bread

So there you have it.  The modern way of making traditional coconut bread from the islands!  Thanks to coconut milk in the can!

Coconut Bread

Watch the Coconut Bread Recipe Video

 

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Coconut Bread

The recipe is for traditional Bay Island coconut bread.

Course Bread
Cuisine Caribbean
Prep Time 2 hours 30 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Servings 16
Calories 496 kcal
Author Rita Whitefield

Ingredients

  • 12 cups All Purpose Flour
  • 2 pks. Rapid Rise Instant Yeast Fleischman's or Fermipan
  • 1/2 cup Coconut Oil
  • 3/4 cup Sugar
  • 1 Tbs. Salt
  • 14 oz. Coconut Milk
  • 2 1/4 cup Skim Milk

Instructions

  1. Combine coconut milk and regular milk and warm slightly on the stove.
  2. Mix flour, yeast, coconut oil, sugar, and salt
  3. Add milk, a little at a time until dough is formed.
  4. If more milk is needed add a little more to it, until dough is completely mixed.
  5. Knead dough by hand or in a stand mixer.
  6. Cover and let rise until it's almost double the size.
  7. Cut and shape the dough, then place into prepared loaf pans.
  8. Cover and let the loafs rise until they’re double in size.
  9. Heat the oven on 350.
  10. Bake until they are golden brown, 30-40 minutes depending on how brown you like them.
  11. Note: Yeast comes in two varieties: Instant yeast, also known as “rapid rise yeast” and active dry yeast. If you don’t have the instant yeast, you’ll need to “activate” the yeast. Do this by adding yeast to 1/2 cup of warm water, approximately 100˚ Fahrenheit, and a pinch of sugar. Make sure the water is not too hot, or you’ll risk killing the yeast. Let the yeast sit for anywhere from one to five minutes. The yeast will be ready to use once it’s frothy on top and the level of water almost doubled.

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Coconut Bread

Flitters

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When thinking of what would be the first recipe for this blog, it was pretty much a no-brainer. Flitters are a Sunday morning tradition in our home, so they pretty much selected themselves as the first recipe.  Sunday is usually a day when we stay home, and it’s the best day for me to get started on my new blog. So Flitters it is!

Flitters is the name given to these tasty treats on the islands, but they are better-known as “Beignets” in New Orleans and can be found at the famous Cafe du Monde. Growing up, Flitters was a special treat for us when my Gram came to visit because my Mama never made them too often (more on that later!).  Coconut Bread, Chocolate Fudge, and Flitters were here thing.

Here is a picture of my Gram, and this first blog post is a tribute to her and her famous Flitters!

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Steps in Making Flitters

Gram’s recipe is simple. Only five ingredients: Flour, Sugar, Salt, Baking Powder, and Water. The measurements are even more simple. Two of everything: 2 cups of flour, 2 tablespoons of sugar, 2 teaspoons of salt, and 2 teaspoons of baking powder.

Except for the water.  Measure about 3/4 cup of warm water (That’s the secret! The water must be warm.) Pour the water slowly and the baking powder will begin to foam.  Then mix with a fork.

Now comes the part that my Mama hates and why she never made them much.  You have to get your hands sticky and full of flour! Put the ball of dough onto a floured surface and knead it until it is no longer sticky, adding more flour if needed.

Let it rest under a damp paper towel (so the dough does not dry out) while you get the frying pan ready.

Next, get the oil ready. A cast iron skillet like this one works best, but any frying pan would do.

Add the frying oil to the pan. When adding the oil, my husband (taking the pictures) asked, “That much oil?!” and the answer was, “Yes, that much.” You need a good inch to inch and a half of oil so the Flitters can float and not touch the bottom of the pan and burn.

I used Carrington Farms coconut oil, and I can just hear you, Islanders, saying, “Why on earth would you use store bought coconut oil when you can get it here?” Well, for two, no three reasons: One, this oil has a lighter flavor than the oil made locally and my hubby doesn’t like the strong taste that the local coconut leaves in anything cooked with it.  Two, it is a bit cheaper per ounce than the locally produced oil. And three, because it can be found online and if any of you know me, I am the Amazon.com Queen, and this baby is on auto ship.

Next, you’re going to roll out the dough with a rolling pin until it is about 1/4″ thick.  Then cut it into squares with a pizza wheel.

Now it’s time to fry them! Line a plate with paper towels before you start because if you turn your back to do this while the frying has started, you will likely burn the first batch. So do this before the first Flitter goes into the oil.

Make sure the oil is hot, then place the first three to five Flitters in the pan. The hot oil is what makes them “puff up”.  Make sure your oil is good and hot you’ll have a nice little pocket for stuffing with mango jam, refried beans, eggs, avocado, or all of the above.

Once they have puffed up and a nice golden brown on one side, give them a flip to cook the other side. Then, remove them one by one and place them on the paper-lined plate.

That’s it.  You’ve made — Flitters!

Now, enjoy them with your favorite breakfast eggs and a cup of coffee. You could also sprinkle powdered sugar on them and they will be more like New Orleans Beignets, but this is the way we like them!

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Flitters

Island-style Beignets

Course Breakfast
Cuisine French
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Servings 6
Author Lovenia Wood

Ingredients

  • 2 Cups Flour
  • 2 Tbsp. Sugar
  • 2 tsp. Salt
  • 2 tsp. Baking Powder
  • ¾ Cup Water

Instructions

  1. Add flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder into a mixing bowl.
  2. Add warm water slowly to the mixture.
  3. Mix with a fork until all ingredients are incorporated.
  4. Place dough onto a floured surface and knead with palms until no longer sticky, adding more flour as needed.
  5. Cover with damp paper towel.
  6. Heat coconut oil in a cast iron skillet.
  7. Roll dough with a rolling pin until ¼" thick.
  8. Cut into squares.
  9. Fry in batches of 3-5 at a time.
  10. Enjoy!

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Flitters

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