The Best Crucian Johnny Cake Recipe – Shhh… It’s Top-Secret!
Johnny Cake!
Few words solicit greater joy and elation among born and bred Crucians (like me) and those who have been lucky enough to visit my home island of St. Croix. These fluffy-fried, golden-sweet, semi-flattened spheres of pure goodness are THE staple snack food back home, found on every menu at every local restaurant worth anything everywhere across the island.
In fact, if you should ever come across a local restaurant in St. Croix that doesn’t serve Virgin Islands johnny cakes, you best make a bee-line for the door. Seriously, a Crucian eatery without Caribbean them is like a ballpark without hotdogs, a burger joint without fries, or a roti shop without doubles or this sweet stuff…
West Indian johnny cakes are just a must for local Crucian restaurants, period. End. Of. Story!
Naparima Girls’ High School Cookbook *BEST PRICE*
So, what’s so great about Johnny Cakes?
In my extremely biased Crucian opinion—everything!
They’re sweet, filling and perfectly fine enjoyed on their own. I personally used to love grabbing them when they were warm, making a small incision, and slipping a slice of cheddar or saltfish in the middle. Pair ’em up with fried fish, BBQ chicken, souse, lechon, buljol, or any number of other island favorites, and you have heaven on a plate.
Now, if you’ve already picked up your copy of The St. Croix Food & Wine Experience Cookbook, featuring the writing of yours truly, then you already know that this local delight was originally known as a Journey Cake. This name derived from the fact that people used to eat them on their way to work.
The name may have morphed into Johnny Cake over time, but the tasty treat itself has always remained the same.
Johhny Cake as we know it in St. Croix is an unleavened fried bread consisting primarily of white flour. Some people also bake them, but to me, they’re just not the same unless they’ve been fried
Variations on the snack, often substituting corn meal in place of flour, are found carrying the same name in as disparate a collection of places as New England, Rhode Island, Australia, and Newfoundland. Although, some other locales have adopted the name hoe cakes… For whatever reason. I’m sure their takes on this classic are good too, but nothing will ever compare to real Crucian Johnny Cakes for me.
This, of course, begs the question:
How to make johnny cakes?
If you want to make a batch at home, we have a special treat for you… My friend and fellow St. Croix Country Day School Class of ’89 alum, Karen Chancellor, has agreed to share her “top secret” Caribbean Johnny Cake recipe with us!
This is no small coup, people. Family recipes like this are fiercely guarded in the Caribbean, and from what Karen has told me, this one has been vetted countless times over the years as part of her own, personal quest for perfection. It’s not so much the ingredients that are the secret (they don’t change much no matter what recipe you’re following) as it is the technique and tips born of Karen’s relentless drive for perfection.
How important is this recipe to my friend, Karen? Her words:
I value my Virgin Islands Johnny Cake recipe more than gold!
Priceless, just like the flavor of my favorite snack in the whole entire world.
Thanks Karen!
Tip: Many people reheat theirs in the microwave for 20-30 seconds. This is okay, but 3 minutes in the toaster oven gives them that freshly fried texture.
Caribbean Johnny Cake Recipe
Johnny Cake! These fluffy-fried, golden-sweet, semi-flattened spheres of pure goodness are THE staple snack food back home, found on every menu at every local restaurant worth anything everywhere across the island.
Ingredients
- 3 cups All-Purpose Flour
- 2 teaspoons Baking Powder
- 4 tablespoons Sugar
- 2.5 teaspoons Room Temperature Butter
- Water
- Oil for Frying
- Extra Flour
Instructions
- 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 to your large bowl 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 the dough 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 them aside.
- Heat the oil in your frying pan. 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 at a time in the hot oil. Do not overcrowd the pot – that will make them 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.
- Enjoy!
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
13Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 171Total Fat: 2gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 2mgSodium: 82mgCarbohydrates: 33gFiber: 1gSugar: 4gProtein: 4g