Virgin Islands Johnny Cake/Fried Johnny Cakes

Virgin Islands is a group of islands which is situated in northern part of Lesser Antilles and form the border between the Caribbean sea and Altantic Ocean. Virgin islands falls under three different politicial jurisdictions: British Virgin islands, United States Virgin Islands and Spain or Puerto Rican Virgin islands. Today am taking you all virtually to St.Croix, which is an island and a district of United States Virgin islands and this island is quite popular for its Fried Johnny cakes. Johnny cakes are a must in every local Crucian restaurants and these cakes is a flatbread which are quite sweet, filling and just prefect to enjoy simply without any filling or spreads. These cakes tastes extremely delicious when they are served warm with a slice of cheese and salt fish in the middle. Paired with fried fish, chicken or any other local island delicacies, one can have a satifying meal. Johnny cake which is made in St Croix is an unleavened fried bread prepared with flour,baking powder,sugar and butter. Though Johnny cakes of St. Croix are fried ones, some people also bake them. You can also subsitute the cornmeal instead of flour.

This fried bread is one of the St. Croix’s traditional dish which can satisfy the sweet and salt cravings of many. Many locals doesnt even know how this staple food got its name.Some says that this bread got its name long back ago, when men and women who worked out in the fields eats their early morning meal on their journey to the fields, hence this bread is called Journey cake which would have been filled with meat or fish and devoured between home and fields. But with the time and migration of people from all over the Caribbean, the name journey have transformed from journey to johnny. Today its totally rare to hear that someone calls this Crucian bread as journey cake. Interesting history behind the name na.Am running this month’s blogging marathon with A-Z International Flatbreads as theme and for the letter ‘V’, i grabbed this fried johnny cakes from Virgin Islands to stick with the theme. These fried flatbreads are just prefect to have with some salted butter and jam, we had this bread for our sunday brunch and loved this bread to the core.

Recipe Source: Here
3cups All purpose flour
2tsp Baking powder
4tbsp Sugar
3tbsp Butter (room temperature)
1/4tsp Salt
Oil for frying
Water
Extra flour for dusting

Take the flour, baking powder, sugar, butter and salt in a bowl.

Add the water and knead everything well. Dough will be bit sticky and tricky to wrok with.

Knead on a flour dusted surface until the dough turns soft. Arrange the dough in a bowl.

Keep aside for half an hour.

Flour you hands and counter top, make medium sized balls out of the dough.

Heat the oil for deep frying. Flatten the dough with a rolling pin.

Dont flatten them too much else they will be like crackers, once the oil is hot, put the hot to medium flame.

Drop the rolled cakes and fry them slowly, dont overcrowd them as well.

Flip on both sides until the Johnny cakes golden brown.

Drain the excess of oil and keep aside.

Fried Johnny cakes are prefect to enjoy for a day, you can reheat them either in microwave oven or in toaster.