Homemade Plait (braided) Bread.

May 28, 2025February 14, 20201 Comment

This plait (braided) bread is a MUST in Guyanese households during the Christmas season. And why not… you need something to dip into that Guyanese Pepperpot, to soak up all that gravy and slow-cooked goodness. Here’s my take on this classic homemade bread.

You’ll Need…

3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 heaping tablespoon dry active yeast
1 1/4 cup warm milk
1 stick butter (1/2 cup – melted)
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoon honey

tablespoon of melted butter to brush onto the finished bread

I’d recommend watching the video below to following along with the kneading and braiding, as it’s better to watch than try to have me describe the process without overly confusing you.

I warmed the milk (luke warm), then added the sugar, honey and yeast to the milk and allowed it to bloom for 15 minutes.

Did you know… Lukewarm actually comes from the Middle English word lukewarme. It was a combination of “luke” and “warm,” and the “luke” part was an alteration of the Middle English word lew, which meant tepid. Tepid means neither hot nor cold…or about room temperature.

In a large bowl add the flour, salt, melted butter and mix. Add the milk/yeast mixture. Then go in with your hands and knead it to a smooth, soft dough. Yes you can use a dough ring on your electric mixer.

Takes about 8-10 minutes to work the dough. Then cover with plastic wrap and let it proof for about 45-50 minutes in a warm spot in your kitchen – it will double in size.

Punch down the inflated dough and divided into 3 equal parts. Knead into smaller dough balls and let it rest for 10 minutes.

Now form long logs with each being the same lenght and thickness. Please watch the video below showing what I did and how to braid them into the bread. Keep dusting the surface and dough with flour as you work.

Place the braided dough on you lined baking sheet and allow it to rest for 30 minutes (place a towel over it).

It will get bigger (so don’t be alarmed). Now into a 375 F oven – middle rack for about 27-35 minutes. Until golden brown basically! (as oven temperatures will vary)

As soon as it comes out of the oven, brush the top of the bread with the melted butter and get ready to enjoy a comforting (yea I said comforting) slice of heaven.

If you can, please support. And should you have questions about this recipe or anything food related, be sure to Ask Chris.

Breads & Bakes Desserts Holiday Recipes

Jamaican (Easter) Spice Bun Recipe.

June 2, 2025April 11, 2019Leave a Comment

I remember being in Jamaica with my one of best friends for a quick break. His wife had gone to the local grocery in Ocho Rios to get us stuff to prepare for dinner at our condo that night. She came back and with a joyous shout, she screamed… “I got you your fave.. bun and cheese”. My guy could not control himself.. suffice to say he didn’t share any either. As a kid growing up in the area, he mentioned that his grandma would make this for him and it’s been his fave since then.

You’ll Need…

3/4 cup sugar (golden brown is preferred)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 tablespoon molasses
1 tablespoon browning
2 tablespoon honey
1 3/4 cups Guinness (stout)
1 cup raisins
1 cup mixed fruit (peel)
3/4 cherries (chopped)
4 tablespoon butter (melted)
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 egg (beaten)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon ginger (powder)

Please note that this is my version of this classic Jamaican recipe.

In a saucepan add the Guinness, vanilla, molasses, browning, honey, raisins, cherries, sugar and mixed fruit. Place on a medium flame, stir well and as soon as you start seeing bubbles on the edges turn off the stove and set aside to cool.

Now it’s time mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl. In goes the flour (sift if you want), salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, ginger and baking powder. Stir well to incorporate. Now add the melted butter, egg and everything from the sauce pan. You’ll have some work here. Mix into a dough, but try your best to not over-work.

Place the dough into a greased/flour-dusted baking pan (about 11 x 5) and set aside while the oven preheats to 350 F.

Place on the middle rack of the oven and get ready to have your entire house smell like the Caribbean around Easter and/or Christmas time. The allspice, cinnamon and nutmeg will definitely perfume your house.

It will take about one hour to fully cook. Stick a toothpick through the middle of the bun and if it comes out clean, it’s fully cooked. Set aside to cool. Then brush with a simple syrup (equal parts water and sugar) to give it that classic shine. Don’t slice until it’s fully cooled.

I’m sure you see the crack down the middle of my bun.. lets discuss below in the comment section.

Why do my cakes crack in the middle after baking? Answer: There can be a few reasons behind a cake that cracks, but the most common culprit is an oven that is too hot. When the temperature is too high, the exposed surface of the cake starts to become firm while the interior is still wet and rising.

I don’t believe my oven was too hot, but I think I may have over-worked the dough. That said I do know that the thermostat in my oven is not accurate.

A classic Jamaican treat around Easter time. Luckily for me, the very same day we went back to the grocery to get some for me since my friend did refuse to share his (smile).

Do you own a copy of my cookbook? – The Vibrant Caribbean Pot 100 Traditional And Fusion recipes Vol 2

Breads & Bakes

Quick And Tasty Corn Bread Recipe.

May 28, 2025February 13, 2018Leave a Comment

While I make a “killa” Corn Bread (as I’m about to share), my fondest memory of corn bread takes me back to when my girls were much younger and we took a trip to Disney World Orlando. We had been going all morning and as it came time to have lunch we decided on fried chicken, which came with a mini corn bread. While there wasn’t anything really ‘special’ about the corn bread itself.. sometimes it’s about the scenery, people you’re with and overall memory of the event, which makes a meal/dish stand out.

You’ll Need…

3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cup corn meal
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 jalapeno (diced fine)
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter
2 eggs (med)
1 cup buttermilk

Preheat your oven to 350 F. In a heavy cast-iron pan I heated (on low) the butter on the stove top, then went in for 1 minute with the diced jalapeno pepper. The goal is to soften the diced pepper and flavor the butter with the slight kick.

Allow the butter to cool a bit, then add it to a large bowl along with the butter milk, eggs and sugar. Using a whisk, give it a go until it was relatively smooth (no more gritty bits from the sugar).

In another bowl, combine the corn meal, flour, baking soda and salt. Then add it all to the bowl with the wet ingredients and combine. Try to not over-work the batter.

Since I would be using the same cast-iron pan to bake the corn bread and it was already greased from the butter earlier, all I had to do now was pour in the cornbread batter and level off. Then into the preheated 350 oven on the middle rack. If you’re not using a cast iron pan as I did, you ca use an 8 x 8 baking dish (greased).

On average it will take between 30-35 minutes depending on your oven (oven heat can vary). Stick a toothpick in the center and if it comes out clean, you’re ready to enjoy! I allowed it to cool a bit before using an offset spatula to gently work the edges before removing it out on the pan.

One of the simplest and tasty cornbread you’ll make for you and your family.. you can use this recipe as a base for employing your creativity! Move on to some added cheese and crumbled bacon next time.

Unfortunately our time at Disney wasn’t all fun and games.. never take kids on the roller coaster at Space Mountain after they’ve had lunch. Messy!

Do you own a copy of my cookbook ?- The Vibrant Caribbean Pot 100 Traditional And Fusion recipes Vol 2

Breads & Bakes Vegetarian

The Ultimate Pepper Roti Recipe.

May 28, 2025December 22, 201330 Comments

Pepper roti is one of those delightful dishes which became popular after I left the islands for North American shores. I was only introduced to this a few years back when my cousin hosted us for dinner during one of our Carnival visits and I immediately fell in love with it. What a treat! Stuffed with freshly grated vegetables and creamy from the addition of New Zealand cheddar, the layers of roti is really something you must try at least once. With moms help.. let’s go through the steps in making classic Trinbagonian pepper roti!

You’ll Need…

Roti

2 cups all purpose flour
pinch salt
2 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon butter
1 – 1 1/4 cups water
1 teaspoon veg oil

Stuffing

1 scotch bonnet pepper finely diced (no seeds)
1/2 cup grated carrot
1 cup grated potato
1 cup grated cheese (cheddar aged)
3 cloves garlic (crushed)
1/2 cup sweet pepper (bell pepper) grated

Note: for the filling you can always add ingredients you like.. even more scotch bonnet if you want it even more lethal!

First we need to make the dough for the roti (basically the same as we did with buss up shut or paratha roti) . In a large bowl place the flour, salt and baking powder and give it a good mix. Then start adding some of the water and start kneading… add more water as necessary to form a smooth and somewhat soft/firm dough.

Cover the dough with a tea towel or plastic wrap and let it rest for 15 minutes. Then divide into two dough balls, dust your work surface with flour and with a rolling pin, roll out to a circle. With the aid of the pictures below and by watching the video directly below the post, you can follow along. In a small bowl place the butter and oil and mix well.. the butter should be soft. You’ll need a small brush (pastry brush).

After rolling out one of the dough balls flat (about 12-14 inches wide and 1/4 inch thick… the size of your tawa), make a cut from the center out. Then brush on some of the oil/butter combination over the surface. Now, roll to form a sort of cone.

Then tuck in both ends to seal. This will give the roti the layers that paratha or buss up shut roti normally have when cooked. Tap town to sort of flatten, cover with plastic wrap and set aside to rest for about 10 minutes.

Prepare the filling in the meanwhile (grate, chop etc).

Then place it all in bowl and mix it evenly so when we spread it on the roti we’ll have a uniform blend.

It’s now time to get back to the dough. On a flour dusted surface, roll out one of the dough balls the size of your tawa (tawa is the baking stone (iron) we’ll be using to cook this on the stove top). With your tawa on a low flame, brush on some of the oil/butter mixture onto the tawa, then place the rolled out dough onto it. The oil will prevent it from sticking, help develop color and give it a sort of fried exterior when fully cooked. Now top with the filling as evenly as you can, but leave about 1/4 inch off the side bare. This way we can seal the roti when we add the other layer.

Roll out the other dough ball the same shape and size as the previous one, then gently place on the one on the tawa. It can be a bit tricky! Then using a fork, press down on the edges to help seal the pepper roti.

By this time the underside will start developing some colour and firm up a bit. Brush some of the oil/butter combo on the top layer we just added, then try to flip the roti so the raw side is now sitting on the tawa. Turn the heat up a bit, so we can cook the inside of the roti with it’s stuffing. I’ve seen some people blanch the grated carrot and potato, but since we grated it finely.. you should be fine. After 3-4 minutes, brush a little more oil/butter on top and flip back so the original side is on the tawa again. Give it a minute or tow and you’re dun!

You’re looking for a golden crust, with a lovey creamy filling as the cheese melts and the other ingredients cook. Give it a minute or two to cool before slicing so you don’t end up with a mess! You can multiply the recipe if you want to make enough for large crowd. I guess this is a Caribbean version of quesadilla? Serve warm and do tell your guests to expect the kick from the finely chopped scotch bonnet pepper.

Side note: You can use a griddle or non stick frying pan (with low sides) to cook this pepper roti if you don’t have a traditional baking stone or tawa.

Before you go, don’t forget to check out the latest cooking videos, connect with me on twitter and join our community on facebook. oh yea! leave me a comment below – it’s appreciated.

Breads & Bakes Vegetarian

Fried Bake For Bake And Shark.

May 28, 2025October 2, 201261 Comments

Ever since Andrew Zimmerman raved about the Bake and Shark sandwiches he gobbled down on Maracas beach in Trinidad a few years back, requests for this recipe were overwhelming at times. This prompted me to post a recipe where I cheated a bit and used pizza dough I found at a local grocery store: Rustic Fry Bake Recipe. I’m not a huge fan of kneading dough, which explains why I used pre-made dough. Today we’ll start off a three part series, where I’ll show you (with the help of my mom…and dad) how to make fried bakes from scratch, the fried shark for the sandwich filling and finally… the creamy coleslaw as the topping.

If you’re like me and intimidated by making dough.. “moms” will show us how simple it is and how easily we can be BEST at making fried bakes. BTW, these may also be known as fry roti, floats and fried dumplings.. very close to johnny cakes as well.

You’ll Need…

3 cups all-purpose flour *
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon yeast (instant)
1 cup water * (warm)
1 tablespoon vegetable shortening
1 tablespoon margarine or butter
veg oil for frying

Notes: You can certainly use a combo of whole wheat flour and all purpose flour if you’d like… to make it a bit healthier? You may need a bit more water as the flour you’re using may be a bit different than the one I used..adjust accordingly. I ended up using 1 1/4 cups water.

In a large bowl place the flour, yeast, salt, margarine, shortening and baking powder. Use your hands to mix everything together.. break up the margarine and shortening. The flour will take on the consistency of peas. Now start adding the water and form into a smooth dough. Please make sure the water is luke warn to help the yeast activate. It will take about 5 minutes of kneading to form a smooth dough. You can always use your standing mixer or food processor if you wish.

Now cover the bowl with a piece of plastic wrap to make it air tight and place it in a warm corner of your kitchen. Allow it to ‘rest’ for about 45 minutes. (we dusted the top of the dough with some flour)

After 45 minutes, it’s time to work the dough into smaller dough balls. All you have to do is break the main dough ball into 5 equal sized smaller balls (like the size of a tennis ball). Place them on a parchment lined cookie sheet (after you smooth them out) and cover with a kitchen towel to ‘rest’ further. All it takes is 15 minutes this time.

It’s now time to shape them into bake-like form and fry them. Set up a sort of station… the frying pan with the vegetable oil and a draining basket lined with paper towels.

Rub a little veg oil on your kitchen counter surface (we won’t be using a rolling pin) and place one of the dough balls.. rub some veg oil on your fingers and start to stretch the dough while pressing to form a 6 inch (diameter) circle. Work from the center out.

Heat about 2 cups of vegetable oil (any oil you like) on med/high and gently add the now formed bakes into the pot. Remember to place it away from your body, when adding it to the hot oil.

As soon as it hits the oil, be prepared to flip them over (my dad used a fork), this way you’ll have evenly fried and shaped fry bales. Allow them to cook for about 3 minutes, flipping them a couple times so each side cooks evenly. You can also spoon the hot oil on the exposed surface if you like.. not really necessary though. You’re looking for a crispy surface and a golden colour.

It’s then time to fish them out of the hot oil and place on the paper towels to drain off the extra oil. Repeat the steps until they are all fried.

See how easy this was? All you have to do now is slice them open and stuff with the fried shark, saltfish buljol or any of your favourite Caribbean dishes. I also like ripping these and eating with curry dishes..especially vegetarian ones.

Stay tuned for the other 2 parts in this bake and shark 3 part series.

Before you go, don’t forget to check out the latest cooking videos, connect with me on twitter and join our community on facebook. oh yea! leave me a comment below – it’s appreciated.

Breads & Bakes

Gratifying Hops Bread.

May 28, 2025May 28, 201260 Comments

Hops bread is one of those things every Trinbagonian can relate too with some level of passion. For me, it’s playing football (soccer) after school at Irving Park, San Fernando and heading over to the Chinese bakery next to the WASA office, for hops bread fresh out of the oven… after our game. Digging deep into our collective pockets to secure enough coins to get a dozen of these temptingly delicious rolls. We never had enough to purchase cheese or even a drink, but we didn’t care… we choked those hops bread down like voracious pigs!

After many requests for this hops bread recipe, I decided to ‘make a mess”… that’s what happens when I start playing around with flour. Something I inherited from my dad, who is a boss cook/baker, but quite messy! You should have seen the stove top, counters and kitchen floor when I was all done baking.

You’ll Need…

2 1/2 cups hot water
2 tablespoon shortening
8 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp salt
2 teaspoon granulated sugar
1 pack or 1 tbsp instant yeast

Stir the shortening into the hot water until it melts completely and the water becomes luke warm.

In a large bowl, place about 7 cups of the flour, salt, sugar and yeast and give it a good mix to combine evenly. Now start adding the water a little at a time, until you have a soggy dough.

The dough will be very sticky and wet at this point. Dust a surface with flour and empty the dough onto it to knead. Knead for about 5 minutes, adding flour as necessary until you have a well formed dough ball. Soft, but firm.

It’s time to get the yeast active and allow the dough to swell. I sprayed a large bowl with cooking spray (greased) and placed the dough in it to do it’s thing. With the dough in the bowl, I covered it with plastic wrap (or use a damp towel) and set it in a warm corner of my kitchen. We’re looking for it to basically double in size. Which takes between 40 – 50 mins (depends on how active your yeast is and how warm your kitchen is).

Line you baking sheet with parchment paper or grease and dust with flour. Now remove the plastic wrap and punch the dough to release the air. Divide the dough into 12 even dough balls (about 3 inches in diameter) and set onto the parchment lined baking sheet. We’ve got to allow this to proof again and double in size. Place a damp towel/cloth on top to keep the moisture in and so the top of the individual hops bread dough balls don’t dry out. Set aside in a warm corner of your kitchen to double in size. I believe it took about 45 mins. Refer to the video below to see how I did the individual dough balls, so they were smooth and well rounded.

Preheat your oven to 400F and set on the middle rack to bake. It will take between 20-25 mins (depends on your oven) to be nice and golden. In our oven it took 25 mins to get to the desired color I wanted and as soon as they were out, I already had butter and cheese on hand to go to work. Your kitchen will have that wonderful scent of your favorite bakery and don’t be surprised if your neighbors come knocking.

Try not to be as greedy as I am and do allow the freshly baked hops bread to cool a bit before using. They’re great for sandwiches, used as dinner rolls and Caron had a couple with freshly made hamburgers she had this evening. Speaking about after school and my love for hops bread. I absolutely hated being in a taxi after school and a passenger would ask the driver to stop for him/her to get some bread at the bakery on our way home. My belly would be in full chorus and this person would have those delicious smelling bread within reach.. that is torture! FYI, taxis in my time down on the islands were shared. So basically 4 people from the same village or town would pay a fare to the driver for his service.

Before you go, don’t forget to check out the latest cooking videos, connect with me on twitter and join our community on facebook. oh yea! leave me a comment below – it’s appreciated.

Breads & Bakes

Homemade Plait (braided) Bread.

Jamaican (Easter) Spice Bun Recipe.

Recipe Card

Jamaican (Easter) Spice Bun

Description

Ingredients

Instructions

Quick And Tasty Corn Bread Recipe.

The Ultimate Pepper Roti Recipe.

Fried Bake For Bake And Shark.

Gratifying Hops Bread.

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