Fried Johnny Cakes with Butter & Guava

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 2 tsp baking powder
• ¾ tsp salt
• 3 tbsp cold butter, cubed
• ⅔ cup cold water or milk
• 3 cups neutral oil, for frying
• 4 tbsp salted butter, to serve
• ⅓ cup guava jam, to serve

Method

1. Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt, then rub in the cold butter with your fingertips until it looks like coarse sand.
2. Add the cold liquid and bring it together into a stiff dough. Knead 2 minutes only — overworked johnny cakes come out tough and greasy.
3. Rest the covered dough 15 minutes, then divide into 8 balls and flatten each slightly.
4. Fry in 325°F (163°C) oil for 4–5 minutes a side, turning once. The lower temperature is deliberate: it lets the inside cook through before the outside browns. They should puff and float.
5. Drain on a rack, split while hot, and load with salted butter and guava jam so it melts into the steam.