Bánh bao
Vietnamese steamed wheat buns wrapped around seasoned pork, mushrooms, Chinese sausage and hard-boiled quail eggs. This from-scratch version uses yeast and self-rising flour.
Belizean fry jacks (CIA course version)
Fry jacks · Belize fry jacks
A Belizean fried breakfast bread made from baking-powder dough with evaporated milk, shaped into rounds and fried until golden.
A Belizean course version
The Culinary Institute of America course manual presents this measured fry-jack formula as Belizean. It uses baking powder in an enriched dough of flour, evaporated milk, water and butter. This entry records that specific 12-piece method; it does not treat it as the only Belizean formula.
The recipe fries the rounds rather than griddling them. Its source gives a 3-inch oil depth, 375°F oil, and about 1–2 minutes per side. The course manual pairs the fry jacks with refried beans, tomato and grated Monterey Jack and describes assembling them like tacos.
Sources for this section
Another documented version
Travel Belize describes fry jacks as a Belizean breakfast favourite and gives a smaller home formula: 1½ cups flour, half a cup of milk, half a teaspoon of salt, a teaspoon of baking powder and a tablespoon of margarine. The dough is kneaded for three to five minutes, rested for 15–20 minutes, rolled to about a quarter of an inch, cut and fried over medium-high heat until golden.
That page gives no yield, oil temperature, frying time or storage advice, and it describes the food as it is eaten today without a dated history. Like the course version, it raises the dough with baking powder rather than fermentation.
Sources for this section
Frying safety
Keep the pan in sight while frying. The U.S. Fire Administration advises turning off the burner before leaving the kitchen, switching it off if oil smokes or grease boils, and keeping a lid or baking sheet close enough to cover a pan fire. Do not taste raw flour dough; clean hands and surfaces after handling it.
Sources for this section
History
The selected Culinary Institute of America course manual labels its recipe Belizean. It provides a contemporary course formula, not a dated first attestation or a claim about one universal Belizean method.
Ingredients
Yield 12 fry jacks · Scaling: source batch only
376 g13¼ oz as recorded
4.9 mL1 tsp as recorded
4.9 mL1 tsp as recorded
Evaporated milk
237 mL8 fl oz as recorded
59 mL2 fl oz as recorded
15 mL1 tbsp as recorded
Amount not stated
For frying; the CIA recipe heats a 3-inch depth in a Dutch oven.Method
Risks and precautions · Elevated risk
Hot oil burns and grease fire
The recipe deep-fries dough in a Dutch oven; hot oil can burn and can ignite if overheated or left unattended.
Hazard sourceRaw flour dough
Raw flour can carry germs; do not taste uncooked dough.
Hazard sourceStay by the pan while frying. If leaving the kitchen, turn off the burner. If oil smokes or grease boils, turn off the burner; keep a pan lid or baking sheet nearby to cover a pan fire.
Control sourceDo not taste raw dough; wash hands, bowls, utensils and counters after handling raw flour.
Control sourceHot oil can burn or catch fire. Stay by the pan while frying and keep a lid or baking sheet nearby.
Do not taste raw dough; clean hands and surfaces after handling flour.
- Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt together. Add the evaporated milk, cold water and butter, mixing until the dough gathers; knead until smooth, 5–10 minutes.
- Divide the dough into 12 equal balls and cover them while they rest for 20 minutes.
- Pour vegetable oil to a depth of 3 inches in a Dutch oven and heat it to 375°F (190.6°C). Use a thermometer to check the source temperature.
- Roll each dough ball to about ¼ inch thick.
- Fry each piece in the hot oil until golden, about 1–2 minutes per side. Remove with a slotted utensil and drain on absorbent paper.
- Serve warm. The CIA course recipe pairs the fry jacks with refried beans, chopped tomato and grated Monterey Jack cheese; it notes that they may be assembled like tacos.
Conditions
Yield12 fry jacks
Temperature190.6°C
Places
Belize
Documented preparation · Country evidenceThe Culinary Institute of America course manual labels this preparation Belizean; it does not establish a specific locality or origin.
Related
Related in the family
Bánh tiêu
Bánh tiêu is a lightly sweet Vietnamese fried bread coated with sesame. A yeast-raised dough with baking powder is rolled into small rounds and fried until puffed and golden.
Dampfnudeln
Allgäu Dampfnudeln are enriched wheat buns proofed in a covered casserole and cooked in milk and butter until the liquid nearly cooks away.
Fijian lolo buns (low-heat coconut-cream pot method)
Soft yeast buns shaped by hand and simmered covered in coconut cream diluted with water in a deep pot. This Fijian home version uses a clean knife or fork inserted into the center as its doneness cue.
Firi firi (Tahitian coconut doughnuts)
Firi firi is a yeast-raised coconut doughnut piped into long pieces and deep-fried at 170°C, traditionally eaten for breakfast or dessert in Tahiti.
Gnocco fritto (leavened home method)
This Emilia-Romagna home version uses a measured flour-and-milk dough with yeast, shapes it into small diamonds or squares, and fries them in peanut oil.
Hotteok
Maangchi’s eight-piece hotteok wraps a brown-sugar, cinnamon and walnut filling in yeast dough, then fries and presses the parcels in a pan.
Houskové knedlíky
Czech houskové knedlíky are yeast-raised flour dumplings studded with stale white roll cubes, shaped as logs and steamed until tender for serving with sauce.
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Sources
Culinary Institute of AmericaMethod · Ingredients · Geography
Culinary Applications in Global Cuisine: Train-the-TrainerPage 132 labels the dish Belizean fry jacks and gives a 12-piece formula: 13¼ oz all-purpose flour, 1 tsp baking powder, 1 tsp kosher salt, 8 fl oz evaporated milk, 2 fl oz cold water, 1 tbsp butter and vegetable oil as needed. The dough is kneaded 5–10 minutes, divided into 12 balls and rested 20 minutes; roll to ¼ inch and fry in 3 inches of 375°F oil for 1–2 minutes per side until golden. It lists refried beans, tomato and Monterey Jack as accompaniments.
Cited in: A Belizean course version
U.S. Fire AdministrationSafety
Cooking Fire SafetyStay by the pan; turn off the burner if leaving; turn off heat if oil smokes or grease boils; keep a lid or baking sheet nearby to cover a pan fire.
Cited in: Frying safety
Centers for Disease Control and PreventionSafety
Raw Flour and DoughDo not eat raw flour dough; wash hands, bowls, utensils and counters after handling flour.
Cited in: Frying safety
Travel BelizeMethod · Geography
How to Make a Belizean Breakfast Favourite: Fry JacksCalls fry jacks a Belizean breakfast favourite.
Lists 1½ cups flour, ½ cup milk, ½ tsp salt, 1 tsp baking powder and 1 tbsp margarine; knead 3–5 minutes, rest 15–20 minutes, roll to about ¼ inch, cut and fry over medium-high heat until golden.
Gives no yield, oil temperature, frying time or storage advice.
Cited in: Another documented version