I grew up on bake or roast bake as we call it. This was eaten more than fry bake. I guess this is a good thing because one should never eat too much fried foods. Roast bake on the other hand requires little or no oil or butter. The bake could be made from plain flour or better yet with some whole wheat. Lately, I have been adding some whole wheat to the flour and it has not compromised it taste or the texture.
Roast Bake
Roast bake, as its name implies, is a flat bread that is roasted on a tawah (platin or griddle) or in a heavy big iron pot on top of a stove. The bake is roasted on both sides. However, pay close attention to the bake roasting because it cooks quickly and you don’t want to burn it.
Roast bake is no fuss to make because it can be eaten with butter, bologna, tuna, saltfish, cheese, vegetables (such as pumpkin, bodi, cabbage, baigan, and tomatoes). The vegetables could be steamed or curried or raw.Try tomato choka or baigan choka with roast bake and you will enjoy it!
ROAST BAKE
INGREDIENTS:
2 cups plain flour (or ½ plain and ½ whole wheat)
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons butter or lard
Water
DIRECTIONS:
Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Add the sugar and mix together. Rub in the fat and slowly mix enough water to make a smooth dough.
Cover with a damp cloth and allow the dough to rest for at least 30 minutes. Divide dough into two balls and shape them. Allow to rest for 15 minutes. Roll each out on a floured board with a rolling pin to about a ½” thick.
Cook in a hot deep heavy pot or baking stone (tawah) until it rises and is brown. Turn over to other side to cook. Place the bake on a clean cloth and cover. Serve hot with preferred filling.
I always enjoy hot bake with a little butter; It’s a taste you just can’t beat!
Lore
I bet this tasted as good as it looks. Always up for a new flat bread recipe.
Jeff Hertzberg
This looks great! We do something similar with a yeast dough in our book.
Jeff Herzberg
http://www.artisanbreadinfive.com
Cynthia
Felix, 2 questions – did you make this in your karahi and did you cover the pot at any point in time?
Raz4125
UMMM! I don’t know what is a karahi. You’ll have to explain.
The pot wasn’t covered.
Dora
is this dough supposed to raise at all in the 30 minutes rest period? i am int he process of making it right now, and i was so disappointed when i saw it remained the same size.
Dora
i now know what i did… i forgot the sugar! lol. it came out small, but it was still edible. Ate it with some saltfish. thanks for this recipe. definitely worth perfecting on my part 😉 PS. Haven’t gotten around to either El Socorro or Port-of-Spain, but it is still on my to-do list. you don’t have to post up this comment, by the way..
Felix
Glad you got through Dora. That’s how you perfect something just try until you master it. Thanks for sharing!
Mark
Hi! Great posts. Just wondering if this Roast Bake is the same as the Pot Bake I heard my grandparents used to make.
Felix
Yep, same thing.
Katie
Why is the pot so dirty.
Felix
Thanks for your comment. The pot is not dirty. It is a seasoned pot, a pot (especially iron pots such as these) that has been used over a period of time will look like that. Most times the oil does it.
Samantha
I think the directions forgot to mention adding the sugar. You can add it in with the dry ingredients. Thanks for sharing these great recipes Felix. Really feels like home 🙂
Felix
So true. Thank you.