This weekend, three families, including my own, traveled to Williamsburg, VA, and stayed at the Historic Powhatan Resort (review coming soon). Each condo had a full kitchen, so with two Trini moms and a Jamaican mom – you KNOW we had to come carrying food… and we did. We figured out how to feed 14 people for 4 days on $225 – with food to carry home. Yep… you find out how in my upcoming review.
Breakfast one morning was bake and saltfish… one of my absolute favorites.
My dad is a true fan of all preserved meats (deviled ham, smoked herring, sardines, salted cod, corned beef, canned salmon, etc. – by some miracle, he has no blood pressure issues), and he used to make it for breakfast for us with tomato. My cousin who gave me the tutorial that you will be watching learned how to make bake and saltfish from her dad – my dad’s younger brother. We have decided that dads make the BEST bake.
Here’s the video:
Chef Cherry (cuz) doesn’t measure anything. You have the video and the ingredients, so you can learn like you learn from family. Watch, try, and taste. A lot of it has to do with how things look and feel in your hands, so feel free to try it out in small batches. The only measurement I caught during my lesson was the three packages of yeast she used. Good luck!
You’ll need:
- salt
- sugar
- yeast
- butter
- flour
- vegtable oil
- baking powder
- pepper sauce
- hot pepper
- black pepper
- onion
- garlic
Boil the saltfish in a pot, rinse under cold water, drain, flake and put aside.
Mix dry ingredients – salt, sugar, yeast, baking powder. Mix in melted butter by hand. Add warm water and knead the dough for about 1 minute until it forms a ball in the bowl. Cover and place in the oven or another warm area to rise.
Heat oil, then add thinly sliced onions and garlic, half of a hot pepper – seeds removed, black pepper, and the drained saltfish. Stir/toss/fold, until the onions and garlic have softened.
When dough has risen, dust a plate or cookie sheet, hands, and the large ball with flour. Use a knife to cut a handfull of the dough. Fold and roll in your palms, then pinch the end. Place the ball you have made pinched side down on the floured plate. Continue until all dough has been made into balls. Set in the oven to rise.
Heat oil for frying the bake. Take the risen balls of dough out of the oven and stretch into a disk shape. When the oil is ready (not too high, dough has to cook through), place the bake dough into it – it should float. Use your pot spoon to turn, “bathe” and rotate the bake until it is golden brown. Remove and place on a paper towel to drain out any excess oil.
Open the bake and add saltfish, add a little pepper sauce, and enjoy!
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Chef Cherry says her first attempt at roti was like bake, and her first attempt at bake was like stone. She practiced, perfected it, and now she can do it with her eyes closed (no seriously, I think she could). After watching the video, did you see any differences or similarities in how you were taught to make bake? Are you going to try it out? When you do, come back and let us know how it went!
