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

Easy and Delicious Belizean Fry Jack Recipe

Grace Stewart
Belizean fry jacks are mouthwatering fried dough pieces served as part of a traditional Belizean breakfast, or enjoyed as a sweet treat!
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Resting time 15 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
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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