Fry jacks are deep fried pieces of dough popular in Belize as a breakfast snack.

It is as simple as it sounds. The dough is made with baking powder to provide some puff, but that is as fancy as it will get here. And rightly so. Sometimes it is nice to make something super basic and the result is surprisingly good I must admit.

These crispy pockets are a common breakfast snack in Belize. On their own they are quite boring and plain, but as part of a more substantial meal they work great. That is why I also included a recipe for refried beans which would be commonly eaten together with fry jacks along with some eggs perhaps.

So, if you are planning to try something different for breakfast next time, then this will be a great option for it. Simple, tasty, filling.

Watch the video down below for detailed instructions.

Ingredients

For the dough –

200g (7oz) strong white bread flour

6g (0.2oz) baking powder

4g (0.14oz) salt

20g (0.7oz) soft butter or oil

110g (3.8oz) water

Oil for frying

For the refried beans –

200g (7oz) tinned beans. You can use any beans you like. Keep a little bit of the liquid!

2g (0.07oz) ground cumin

2g (0.07oz) paprika

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

Half of a small onion, finely chopped

Salt & pepper to season

Method

1. Make the dough. In a bowl combine the water, salt & baking powder. Mix well to dissolve the salt. Add the soft butter and the flour. Mix to a dough using your scraper.
2. Tip the dough out on your table and knead it for 6 minutes.
3. Divide the dough into 6 equal pieces.
4. Shape into balls.
5. Chill the dough for at least 30 minutes.
6. Whist the dough is chilling make the refried beans. In a small pan cook the garlic and onion in oil on medium heat for around 5 minutes or until they start softening and browning. Add the salt, pepper, paprika, and cumin. Mix well before adding the beans. It is important to keep some of the bean juice as the beans alone would make for a very dry mix at the end. Keep cooking the beans and mashing them with a fork. You can leave them coarser or mash them until they are smooth. That is up to you. Cook for around 10 minutes on medium-low heat.
7. By now the dough should have chilled down enough and the gluten in it should have relaxed. Roll each dough ball into a thin disc. Cut each dish in half. There are two ways you can make your fry jacks. If you leave them whole, then they will puff up as they fry. If you cut a slit in the middle, then they will stay flat. I have seen recipes with both so it’s up to you how you like it.
8. Drop the dough pieces into hot oil and fry them for around 3 minutes in total flipping them every 30 seconds. The oil should be no hotter than 180C (360F).
9. As soon as the fry jacks are ready drain them on kitchen paper or on a rack.
10. Serve up with the refried beans and some of your favourite breakfast items. I had mine with fried eggs and tomatoes.

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