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Home » Recipes

Easy and Delicious Belizean Fry Jack Recipe

Mar 29, 2023Last Modified: March 29, 2023

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This page may contain affiliate links. I receive a small commission at no cost to you when you make a purchase using my link. This post is about an Easy and Delicious Belizean Fry Jack Recipe!

A black plate containing Belizean fry jacks and a Belize travel book in the background.

Belize is a land of beautiful places, charming and gorgeous people, and home of INCREDIBLE CUISINE!

I fell in love with Belizean food during our 2013 trip to this magical place. I am excited to share recipes for some of Belize's most famous foods here, including this Easy and Delicious Belizean Fry Jack Recipe!

Jump to:
  • What Is A Fry Jack?
  • 🥘 Ingredients
  • 🔪 Instructions For This Belizean Fry Jack Recipe
  • Serving Suggestions For Your Fry Jacks!
  • FAQ
  • Some Other Recipes You May Enjoy!
  • Join Me On A Fun Food Journey!
  • Easy and Delicious Belizean Fry Jack Recipe

What Is A Fry Jack?

Fry Jack is a super delicious fried dough (fried bread) that is typically eaten for breakfast in Belize. They may be served with refried beans, cheese, and eggs. The fry jacks are also enjoyed as a sweet treat drizzled with honey and/or sprinkled with sugar!

They are made out of 6 ingredients, and are various shapes including triangular or moon shaped.

The fry jacks puff up when fried, and when torn open make a perfect pocket for whatever you would like to fill it with!

You'll definitely want to indulge in this traditional dish from Belize, which is super easy to make.

So, now let me tell you what you will need to make fry jacks!

🥘 Ingredients

Vegetable oil container, baking powder container, Crisco vegetable shortening container, small red bowl with flour, and small bowls with water and salt.

You only need 6 simple ingredients to make these delicious Belizean fry jacks!

The ingredients you will need to gather (you may already have them in your pantry) are:

  • All purpose flour
  • Vegetable oil
  • Baking powder
  • Vegetable shortening
  • Water
  • Salt

It'll take you all of 5 minutes to gather your ingredients and measure them out. Then try to contain your excitement as we start to make one of Belize's most popular foods!

🔪 Instructions For This Belizean Fry Jack Recipe

It's super easy to make these puffy fry jacks, even to someone who is dough challenged like me!

Prepare The Dough Balls

Begin by sifting the flour, baking powder, and salt into a large mixing bowl Then break up the shortening into small pieces, and then incorporate shortening into the flour.

A glass mixing bowl containing flour, baking powder, and salt.
Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt into a large mixing bowl.
A glass bowl containing sifted flour with small pieces of shortening dropped into the flour.
Cut small pieces of shortening into the sifted flour mix.

Use your hands to mix the shortening and flour together, until you achieve a mixture that looks and feels like cornmeal.

Then begin to add water, a little at a time, and work it with your hands until you get a lovely and soft dough. You don't want it to be sticky, which is why you add the water a bit at a time rather than all at once (you may get a sticky dough adding it all at once).

A glass bowl containing flour with a red measuring cup containing water poised above the flour.
Add water a little at a time.
A glass mixing bowl with someone holding a sticky dough bowl above the bowl.
You are aiming for a nice and soft, but not sticky, dough.

Add a little flour to your counter or the surface that you will rough the doll out on. Then divide the dough ball into 2, and then place it on the surface. Leave the dough to rest for around 15 minutes.

A floured cutting board with two dough balls.

Roll Out The Dough

Now it's time to roll out the dough! Take your rolling pin, and roll each dough ball out into a round. The size should be around 8" in diameter. You may want to add a little flour to your hands to help minimize any stickiness.

A cutting board with uncooked dough flattened into a round and a dough ball.

Cut each round in half, and then in quarters, so that you will have 4 pieces to fry from each dough ball, for a total of 8 fry jacks.

A cutting board with uncooked dough cut into triangular shapes and a dough ball. There are containers of salt, Crisco, and baking powder on the side and a Belize travel book.

Frying Your Fry Jacks

Time for the main event! Add vegetable oil to a frying pan so that the depth of the oil is around 1.5"-2". Turn up the heat to medium-high, and then let the oil get really hot.

You want the oil to get to a little over 350F before starting to fry your dough slices. If the oil is not hot enough, your fry jacks may not puff up! The oil should start bubbling prior to frying.

Add the dough pieces, and fry each side until golden brown. Feel free to use a pair of tongs to check the side that is being fried every few seconds to make sure you are getting the color you want and that the fry jack is not burning.

It's best not to crowd the pan, so you may have to fry in batches.

Belizean fry jacks frying in oil in a cast iron pan.
Fry each side until golden brown.
A white plate containing Belizean fry jacks draining on brown paper towels.
Drain the fry jack on a paper towel-lined plate.

Drain your fry jacks of excess oil on a paper towel-line plate once you remove them from the oil, and get ready to enjoy your delicious Belizean treat!

Serving Suggestions For Your Fry Jacks!

A black plate containing Belizean fry jacks, a travel book on Belize, a container of honey, and a small blue bowl with powdered sugar.

Fry jacks are considered one of the traditional breakfast foods in Belize. So you can enjoy them served with refried beans, cheese, and eggs.

They can also be served with powdered sugar and/or honey for a sweet treat! My husband likes to break them open and then sprinkle sugar and drizzle honey into the middle of the fry jack.

Of course you can drizzle the honey and sprinkle the sugar on top. Either way, these puffy fry jacks are over the top delicious!

A Belizean fry jack with honey drizzled over it on a white plate.

If you've had the pleasure of enjoying this popular Belizean breakfast bread in Belize, I hope that a taste of these fry jacks will transport you back to this beautiful place. And if you are trying these for the first time at home, I hope you might be inspired to visit Belize, a land of incredible cuisine, people, and charm!

FAQ

What is the Belizean Fry Jack made of?

Fry jacks are made of simple ingredients to include flour, water, salt, shortening, and baking powder.

Where is the Fry Jack from?

Fry Jacks are from the beautiful land of Belize! They are fried dough pieces traditionally served for breakfast with refried beans, cheese, and eggs. The fry jacks are also enjoyed as a sweet treat drizzled with honey and/or sprinkled with sugar!

How to I prevent fry jacks from puffing up?

If you don't want your fry jacks to puff up, you can cut a slit into the dough pieces before frying them.

Some Other Recipes You May Enjoy!

Here are some other Belizean recipes you may enjoy:

  • Awesome Belizean Rice and Beans!
  • How To Cook Delicious Belizean Stewed Chicken
  • Belizean Stewed Beans

Join Me On A Fun Food Journey!

I invite you to come along on this food journey with me! Please sign up to get the latest recipes and inspiration for you to expand your food comfort zone! It's an incredible journey, please join me by signing up here.

Cheers!

Grace

A black plate containing Belizean fry jacks and a Belize travel book in the background.

Easy and Delicious Belizean Fry Jack Recipe

Grace
Belizean fry jacks are mouthwatering fried dough pieces served as part of a traditional Belizean breakfast, or enjoyed as a sweet treat!
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes mins
Cook Time 5 minutes mins
Resting time 15 minutes mins
Total Time 30 minutes mins
Course Breakfast, Dessert, treat
Cuisine Belizean
Servings 4 people
Calories 129 kcal

Equipment

  • Rolling Pin
  • frying pan

Ingredients
  

  • 1 cup all purpose flour
  • 2 ts baking powder
  • ½ tablespoon vegetable shortening I used Crisco
  • ½ ts salt
  • ½ cup water you may need a little less or a little more than ½ cup
  • vegetable oil enough for around 1.5"-2" depth in your frying pan

Instructions
 

Prepare The Dough Balls

  • Begin by sifting the flour, baking powder, and salt into a large mixing bowl Then break up the shortening into small pieces, and then incorporate shortening into the flour.
    A glass bowl containing sifted flour with small pieces of shortening dropped into the flour.
  • Use your hands to mix the shortening and flour together, until you achieve a mixture that looks and feels like cornmeal. Then begin to add water, a little at a time, and work it with your hands until you get a lovely and soft dough. You don't want it to be sticky, which is why you add the water a bit at a time rather than all at once (you may get a sticky dough adding it all at once).
    A glass mixing bowl with someone holding a sticky dough bowl above the bowl.
  • Add a little flour to your counter or the surface that you will rough the doll out on. Then divide the dough ball into 2, and then place it on the surface. Leave the dough to rest for around 15 minutes.
    A floured cutting board with two dough balls.

Roll Out The Dough

  • Now it's time to roll out the dough! Take your rolling pin, and roll each dough ball out into a round. The size should be around 8" in diameter. You may want to add a little flour to your hands to help minimize any stickiness.
    A cutting board with uncooked dough flattened into a round and a dough ball.
  • Cut each round in half, and then in quarters, so that you will have 4 pieces to fry from each dough ball, for a total of 8 fry jacks.
    A cutting board with uncooked dough cut into triangular shapes and a dough ball. There are containers of salt, Crisco, and baking powder on the side and a Belize travel book.

Frying Your Fry Jacks

  • Add vegetable oil to a frying pan so that the depth of the oil is around 1.5"-2". Turn up the heat to medium-high, and then let the oil get really hot. You want the oil to get to a little over 350F before starting to fry your dough slices. If the oil is not hot enough, your fry jacks may not puff up! The oil should start bubbling prior to frying. Add the dough pieces, and fry each side until golden brown. Feel free to use a pair of tongs to check the side that is being fried every few seconds to make sure you are getting the color you want and that the fry jack is not burning. It's best not to crowd the pan, so you may have to fry in batches.
    Belizean fry jacks frying in oil in a cast iron pan.
  • Drain your fry jacks on a paper towel-line plate once you remove them from the oil, and get ready to enjoy your delicious Belizean treat!
    A white plate containing Belizean fry jacks draining on brown paper towels.

Notes

Please note that the the nutritional information is a guide only and does not include nutrition value for the vegetable oil.
Enjoy as part of a delicious breakfast with refried beans, eggs, and cheese, or as a sweet treat drizzled with honey and sprinkled with sugar!

Nutrition

Calories: 129kcalCarbohydrates: 24gProtein: 3gFat: 2gSaturated Fat: 0.4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0.2gSodium: 537mgPotassium: 34mgFiber: 1gSugar: 0.1gCalcium: 141mgIron: 2mg
Keyword breakfast bread, fried bread, fry jack
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About Me

Hi I’m Grace! I'm married and a mom to my fur baby, Toby, and food and travel are two of my greatest passions! Since our bank account does not allow us to travel or eat out as much as we'd like, I decided I would cook delicious meals that could give us a taste of all the places we'd like to go. My goal is to get you in the kitchen, and inspire you to cook and taste delightful meals that will transport you too. Let’s throw some actual travel in from time to time, all with an emphasis on keeping your wallet full and happy as well. Let’s get cooking and let’s start exploring!! I'm excited to be on this journey with you!!

By the way most of these recipes are Toby taste tested and Toby approved!!

Chief Taste Tester Toby

Toby Chief Taste Tester

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