Crucian Recipe Box – Johnny Cakes

According to Tanisha Bailey Roka, The Crucian Contessa, “Johnny Cakes are fried heaven on a plate, or a napkin, or just balanced hot on your fingertips because you couldn’t wait to find either a plate or a napkin before you tore into it. It is one of our MOST traditional island favorites. There are some foods that are strictly breakfast, lunch, or dinner foods. Johnny Cakes are that rare breed of food that defies those rigid boxes. You can enjoy them any time of day! Quick and easy, they fry up fast and are gone just as quickly! Tooooooo good!”

September 30, 2020

Johnny Cakes

Excerpted with permission from The Crucian Contessa blog written by St. Croix chef and attorney,
Tanisha Bailey Roka.

Ingredients:

2 Cups of Unbleached Flour

4 Teaspoons Baking Powder

1/2 Tablespoon Cold Butter

1/2 Teaspoon Fine Sea Salt

2 Tablespoons Sugar (or more if you like a sweeter Johnny Cake this makes for a more savory version)
1/2 Cup Whole Milk

1/4 Cup Water

Directions:

Sift together all the dry ingredients: Flour, Baking Powder, Butter, Salt, Sugar. Cut in butter with your fingers or a pastry cutter until it is finely distributed throughout the dry ingredients. Pour in the milk and water. Using your hands begin kneading the dough. The dough will be tacky and extremely sticky. This is not a bad thing. The soft texture of the dough will help to ensure a light and fluffy outcome. However, you will need to sprinkle in some extra flour to be able to handle the dough. Go easy…a little at a time. Flour can toughen the Johnny Cake. Your goal is to get the dough to completely come together without adding too much flour to make the Johnny Cakes tough. You want a light and fluffy outcome. This is what I meant above when I said you have to bring your kitchen intuition into play. Be gentle with the dough and yourself. It will come together.