Johnny Cakes (Jamaican Fried Dumplings)
Traditional fried dumplings in Jamaican Cuisine
Ingredients
- 360 g All Purpose Flour I use King Arthur brand
- 6 grams Baking Powder I use Clabber Girl
- 7 grams Kosher Salt, Morton brand
- 36 grams Oil, Avocado
- 167 grams Water Ice cold
Additional Ingredients
- 3 cup Avocado Oil or Beef Tallow Fore frying
- 0.25 cup All Purpose Flour Bench flour
Instructions
- Measure the ingredients out on a digital scale or use the converted volume measurements. Mix the dry ingredients thoroughly in the mixing bowl and add the wet ingredients. Combine the ingredients on speed 1 until mostly mixed, then knead the dough on speed 2 or 3 for three minutes.
- Traditionally, these dumplings are formed by hand. I use a biscuit cutter to save time and make the process easier So, the choice is yours. Start by spreading some bench flour on your counter (in a bakery this is referred to as a bench, thus the term "bench flour"). Enough to dust the counter, but not thick. You don't want to add too much flour to the dough, you are just trying to keep the dough from sticking. If using a biscuit cutter, place the dough on the floured counter and roll it about 3/8-1/2" thick. Cut the dumplings with the biscuit cutter and set them aside. If making the dumplings by hand, simply pinch off the amount of dough needed for the dumpling and shape a round disk about the same thickness. When they are made by hand, the center of the disk is typically pressed in to make a large dimple in the middle.
- In your fryer or a large cast iron skillet, heat your frying oil to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Carefully add the dumplings into the hot oil and let them fry on the first side for 2 minutes and then flip them to fry for an additional minute. Remove them from the oil to drain on a paper towel-lined plate. Let them cool until they are safe enough to handle and serve.
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