Caribbean Johnny Cakes Recipe

Golden and crispy on the outside, soft and pillowy on the inside—this Caribbean Johnny Cakes recipe is sure to become a favorite! With no yeast required, this simple bread is perfect for beginners and comes together effortlessly. Whether you enjoy them plain, stuff them with your favorite sandwich fillings, or use them to scoop up a hearty soup or stew, these Johnny Cakes are as versatile as they are delicious.

During a memorable trip to St. Maarten, I had the incredible opportunity to step into Chef Jewel’s kitchen and learn the art of making traditional Johnny Cakes. Her secret ingredient? Milk powder, which added a unique twist to her recipe. Since milk powder isn’t a pantry staple for me, I tweaked the recipe to use regular milk instead—and the results are just as delightful! With this easy recipe, you can bring a taste of the Caribbean to your own table.

Ingredients

• 3 cups all-purpose flour (plus more for dusting)
• 3 tbsp sugar
• 2 tbsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• ½ cup vegetable shortening
• 1 cup warm milk
• 1 liter vegetable oil (for frying)

Instructions

1. Add 3 cups of flour, 3 tbsp sugar, 2 tbsp baking powder and 1 tsp of salt to a large bowl. Mix well.
2. Cube 1/2 cup of vegetable shortening and add it to the bowl. Use your hands to pinch and blend the vegetable shortening into the flour mixture to create a fine meal texture.
3. Make a shallow well in the center of the flour mixture and pour in the warmed milk.
4. Use a spoon or your hands to mix the blend the milk into the flour. The dough will be sticky.
5. Lightly flour your counter and knead the dough until the dough is no longer sticky and becomes smoother. Place the dough in back in the bowl and cover. Let it rest in a warm place to rise for about an hour.
6. Tear or cut a roughly a quarter cup of dough off from the large dough ball. Use you hands to flatten the dough in to a disk and then fold the edges under to form a smooth ball. Repeat with the remaining dough.
7. Once the dough is rested ounce again lightly flour your counter. Place on of the smaller dough balls on the floured counter and roll out with a floured rolling pin to form 1/2" thick rounds.
8. Heat the vegetable oil to 350°F then dip half of one of the flattened patties into the oil gently dropping it away from you into the oil. Fry until the bottom is golden brown and then use tongs to gently flip the cake away from you. Fry the other side until it is also golden brown.
9. Remove the fried Johnny Cake from the oil with tongs and place on a plate lined with paper towels. Repeat with the remaining flattened patties. You can fry more than one at a time just be sure not to crowd them so you have room for them to be flipped.

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