Bake me up before you go go!

Johnny bake, coconut bake, roast bake, pot bake, bake bake…by any other name...

  

Street vendors usually offer variations of the basic recipe for bake which is a type of bread. As I’ve said in previous posts, Trinis like to argue (heatedly discuss then!) and this time, the contention is whether you put yeast in the dough or not, as opposed to just baking powder as the leavening agent. I say yes to yeast so that you get a light, soft on the inside, flaky on the outside bake. I am not a fan of a dense bake which if thrown like a Frisbee, can seriously injure someone!

Plain wheat flour bake cooked in a conventional oven

Now, I’ve seen in cyberspace, individuals describing the Trini bake as a “type of flatbread”. Listen, if you made a flat bake, just hide it and pretend it doesn’t exist or face weeks of horrendous teasing. Trini bakes are fat and light with large air pockets when you cut into it, which is good for soaking up butter.

I think it looks more like the Italian focaccia than a flatbread. But you be the judge. 

The bake is pricked with a fork prior to baking in the oven

One characteristic of the Trini bake is the use of a fork to vent the dough (which is called “docking”) prior to cooking as this prevents the bake from rising too high during the cooking process.

Roast or pot bake is cooked in a cast iron pan (or "tawah" even) over heat on the stove-top. It’s very easy to burn the bake with this method of cooking so keep an eye on it. Notice no fork marks on this type of bake.

Roast bake

But what can you eat with bake? Everything! Butter, alone or with cheese (but it has to be melted according to my young niece!), saltfish (buljol), smoked herring, fried fish, vienna or other types of sausage, eggs, tuna. Vegetarian options include any of the “choka” dishes e.g. tomato choka or melongene choka or even avocado choka.

Coconut bake with buljol

When can you eat bake? Anytime! Ok, ok, it's usually a good breakfast item.

Another favourite to the plain bake is the coconut bake which can be made with coconut milk or with grated coconut. Coconut bake tends to be more filling so a little piece goes a long way. Sometimes, whole wheat flour is added to add to the taste perhaps.

Coconut and whole wheat flour bake with butter and cheese