Trinidadian bake and saltfish dish

Directions

Bake

1. To a large bowl add all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt. granulated sugar and unsalted butter and stir with a wooden spoon or clean hands to incorporate.
2. Add half the water and stir to begin forming the dough. Add more water, a little at a time, and stir until the dough becomes moist. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead with your hands until dough is moist and pillowy, but not sticky. Once formed, return the dough to the bowl and cover with a lightly dampened kitchen or paper towel; allow to rest for 15 minutes.

Saltfish 

1. Add the salted cod to a large pot and cover with cold water until well submerged. Bring to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, reduce heat to simmer for 10 minutes. Drain water, add fresh cold water to the pot, and repeat the process.
2. After the second simmer, drain the cod in a colander and allow it to cool to a manageable temperature. Once cooled, use clean hands to break the fish apart into small bits. Set aside.
3. Heat a large frying pan (preferably cast iron) over medium heat. Once heated add the oil and sliced onion. Sauté, stirring often, until soft and translucent – a little bit of caramelization is always welcome here.

Serve 

1. To roll out bakes, dust a work surface and your rolling pin with flour. Divide dough into four equal portions and roll each into a ball. Roll each ball of dough out to approximately a quarter-inch thickness.
2. Heat a cast iron pan over medium heat. Once hot, add a thin layer of oil and swirl around to completely coat the pan's bottom. Working one at a time, fry bakes until golden brown and crisp on one side before flipping to repeat on the other – should take about two to three minutes per side. Note: be sure to watch the heat closely and raise or lower it as needed – every stove is different, and you don’t want the dough to colour too quickly. Hold cooked bakes on a paper towel-lined plate until service.
3. Add the flaked saltfish to the pan to marry with the onions, occasionally stirring for about three to five minutes. Add the tomatoes and stir to incorporate. Continue cooking just until tomatoes reach the desired level of softness. Stir in sliced green onion and serve!
4. Serve bake hot or at room temperature (though I must admit that there’s nothing quite like hot, fresh bake straight from the stove!) Enjoy! 

TIP: If you like your saltfish less salty than I do, simply add 5 minutes to your simmering times to extract even more salt.