Guyanese Style Bake And Saltfish Food

GUYANESE STYLE BAKES /FLOATS

Steps:

• Add brown sugar and warm water to a small mixing bowl and mix together until sugar crystals completely dissolve
• Then add flour, baking powder and salt to a large mixing bowl
• Mix together well then add the fat (coconut oil, butter, ghee, oil) to the dry ingredients and mix in using finger tips until a crumbly texture forms
• Then make a well in the center of your ingredients and add the sugar water solution to the center
• Next mix together the sugar water solution and the dry ingredients to form a soft dough, you may dust with a little bit of flour if the dough is too sticky
• Then turn the dough onto a floured surface and knead well into a smooth ball
• Place the dough ball into a greased bowl, cover with a kitchen towel and let the dough rest for 30 minutes
• After the dough has rested for 30 minutes, turn the dough onto a floured surface and roll (with a rolling pin) until it is about 1/8 of an inch thick
• Then using a cookie, biscuit or hand pie cutter large enough for palm size circles, cut the dough into 12 circular pieces (see video for method with zero dough wasted). For this step you can also use a round bowl or the cover/lid of a round container
• Next add 4 cups of oil to a medium sized stock pot or frying pan, on medium to high heat. Please ensure pot is large and deep enough for deep frying. Here's a linkto the pan I used in the video.
• Bring the oil up to temperature
• Then add your cut out bake dough to the oil. You may cook 1-3 bakes per time if your pot can accommodate it
• Cook bake for about 1 minute on each side or until golden brown, then flip to the other side and fry for another minute or so or until bake is golden brown
• Remove from the oil and place in a bowl lined with a few sheets of paper towel or a kitchen towel
• Continue steps 12-14 until all the bakes are cooked
• Serve warm with some salt fish!

GUYANESE STYLE BAKE AND SALTFISH.

Steps:

• 1. Bring a large pot of water to a rapid boil. Add saltfish and boil for half an hour. 2. While saltfish is boiling, mix together flour, sugar, baking powder, butter, and salt. Using your hand, slowly add in water and mash into a dough. Cover with towel and leave for half an hour. 3. When saltfish is done, strain, and fluff with fork until all the pieces are completely broken up. There should be no clumps. Place back in boiling water for another 5 minutes, drain, and set aside. 4. Check dough. It should have risen about 2-3 inches. Take chunks of dough and roll into balls of about 4-5 inches. Sprinkle flour on a flat surface, and roll the balls with a rolling pin until 1 cm flat. Slice in half, and slice each side into about 4-5 pieces. 5. Heat oil in a medium sauce pot, and 1 tbsp oil in frying pan. 6. In frying pan, add garlic, onion, and pepper. Fry for about 4 minutes. Add saltfish for another 4, then finally add tomatoes. Fry until all the water from the tomatoes is gone. Stir constantly. 7. In the medium sauce pan, test the heat of the oil by adding a little piece of dough. If it rises immediately, it is ready to fry. Line a strainer with a piece of paper towel. 8. When oil is ready, add 3-4 pieces of bake. Fry on one side until it swells, then flip for about 25 seconds more. Remove with slotted spoon into lined strainer. 9. When bake is all done serve on a plate with as much saltfish as your hearts content. If serving to children who do not like the salty taste of the fish, serve with ketchup. Note* To eat saltfish, rip a big piece of the bake (say a third) and pinch saltfish with it (should fit about a tablespoon of fish). If not comfortable with that method, rip bake open on one side, stuff with saltfish, and eat like a sandwich. I hope you enjoy :)