Fried Bake

A fried bake is a soft flour dough, deep-fried until it puffs into a golden round. It is a Saint Lucian breakfast and snack food. It needs only flour, baking powder, salt and water, so it is quick to make from a few pantry staples.

What it really is

The flour, baking powder, salt and water are mixed into a soft dough and kneaded briefly. The dough is shaped into rounds and dropped into hot oil, where it puffs and turns golden on both sides as it cooks through. The baking powder provides the lift, so the dough rises in the fryer without any time to prove. The result is a plain fried bread, light and soft inside.

The dough is unsweetened and unfilled, so its flavour is mild and slightly salty. The frying oil supplies most of the richness.

How it's served

• Hot from the fryer, while the outside is still crisp.
• Whole or torn open, eaten by hand.
• At breakfast or as a snack, on its own or with a filling of the cook's choice. Each filling brings its own allergens.

How to write it on the menu

• Name it as fried bake and state that it is made from wheat flour.
• Flag wheat as the allergen. The dough itself has no other major allergen, but any cheese, egg or meat filling must be listed separately.
• Name the frying oil. If it is fried in the same oil as fish or breaded items, say so, because shared fryers carry allergens.
• State whether it is sold plain or filled, and price any filling as a separate item.