How to Make Fry Jacks

Co-authored by Jessica Gibson

Last Updated: March 26, 2020

If you've had fry jacks, you understand how delicious this Belizean fry bread is. Fortunately, you can quickly mix up a batch of them at home. Just make a simple dough that gets its lift from baking powder. Roll and cut the dough into pieces and fry them in hot vegetable oil. You can serve the crispy fry jacks with sweet toppings (like honey, sugar, or jam) or savory sides (like eggs, refried beans, or cheese).

Ingredients

2 cups (250 g) flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ to ¾ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons shortening or butter
1 tablespoon sugar (optional)
¾ cup (180 ml) whole milk or canned coconut milk
Oil for deep-frying

Makes 4 to 5 servings

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Making the Dough

1
Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Get out a mixing bowl and measure 2 cups (250 g) of flour into it. Add 1 tablespoon of sugar (optional), 2 teaspoons of baking powder, and ½ to ¾ teaspoon salt. Whisk the dry mixture for about 30 seconds.^{[1]
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- If you don't want to serve the fry jacks with sweet things, you can leave out the sugar.
2
Cut in the shortening or butter. Put 2 tablespoons of shortening or butter into the mixing bowl. Use a pastry blender to cut the shortening into the dry mixture until it looks like breadcrumbs.^{[2]
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- If you don't have a pastry blender, you can use a fork to cut the shortening into the dry mixture.
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3
Stir in the milk. Make a well in the center of the mixture and pour in ¾ cup (180 ml) of whole milk or canned coconut milk. Stir the mixture with a spoon. The mixture should look like a slightly shaggy dough at this point.^{[3]
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4
Knead the dough. Sprinkle a little flour on a work surface and dump the wet dough onto it. Use the palms of your hands to knead the dough for about 30 seconds to 1 minute. The dough should become soft and smooth.^{[4]
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- Avoid adding a lot of flour or your dough may become tough.

Part 2

Part 2 of 3:

Cutting the Dough

1
Cut the dough into pieces and let them rest. Roll the log into a log shape so it's easier to cut. Use a bench scraper or knife to cut the dough into 6 or 7 even pieces. Let the pieces rest on your work space for about 10 minutes.^{[5]
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- If the knife or bench scraper sticks to the dough, dip the cutter in flour.
2
Roll each piece into a circle. Use the palms of your hands to roll each piece of dough into a ball. Set each ball on your work surface and use a rolling pin to roll them into circles. They should be about 1 cm thick.^{[6]
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- Don't worry if the circles aren't perfectly round.
3
Cut the circles in half and cut slits in the center. Use the bench cutter or knife to cut each circle in half. Take a sharp knife and cut a slit in the center of each half of dough. The slit will help the dough fry evenly.^{[7]
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Part 3

Part 3 of 3:

Frying and Serving the Fry Jacks

1
Heat the vegetable oil. Set a large saucepan on the stove. Pour in vegetable oil, so it comes at least 3-inches (7.5-cm) up the sides of the pan. Turn the heat on to medium. The oil needs to be at least 350 degrees F (180 C) before you fry the fry jacks.^{[8]
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- You can check the temperature by inserting a deep-fry thermometer in the pan.
2
Place 2 or 3 halves of dough into the hot oil. Place 2 or 3 halves of dough into the hot oil and fry them for about one minute. Use a slotted spoon to carefully flip the halves over. Let them fry for another minute. They should become puffed and golden brown once they've finished frying.^{[9]
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- Your fry jacks may need to fry longer depending on how thick they are. Just pull them out once they've puffed and turned brown.
3
Remove the fry jacks. Carefully lift the fry jacks out of the hot oil using a slotted spoon. Lay a napkin or paper towel on a plate. Set the fry jacks on the paper towel to drain and cool. Fry the rest of the fry jacks in batches.^{[10]
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- Remember to let the oil heat back up to 350 degrees F (180 C) before you fry more fry jacks.
4
Serve the fry jacks with sweet things. If you'd like sweet fry jacks, sprinkle the hot fry jacks with granulated or powdered sugar. You could also serve them with butter and jam. Or drizzle the fry jacks with honey.^{[11]
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- You could also drizzle the fry jacks with your favorite syrups. You could try agave, maple, or golden syrup.
5
Serve the fry jacks with savory foods. Fry jacks are often served with savory foods like refried beans or cheese. You can also serve them with a side of Maya eggs. To make Maya eggs, scramble several eggs and fry diced tomatoes, onions, and peppers. Add the fried veggies to the eggs.^{[12]
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- Consider serving the fry jacks with leftover shredded meats or rice.