Deep fried jam butty

GOVERNMENT HEALTH WARNING: EATING DEEP FRIED JAM BUTTIES MAY CAUSE FATNESS AND DEATH

ButtyBasics

The deep fried jam butty is another member of the family of bizarre battered foodstuffs available from chip shops in the UK. (For those of you from far away, swapping "jam butty" for "jelly sandwich" will make more sense, but it won't sound so damn tasty.) Google might have you think they are a sit-down dessert item, but the deep fried jam butty is really at home on the streets of northern England. It's a pretty simple dish: cheap white sliced bread, spread with jam (raspberry or strawberry unless you're weird), battered and deep fried. I suspect DFJB's done at home might not be as delicious as ones from the chippy because their fat tends to be hotter, which leads to a less greasy end-product due to the Exochrism Process. IANAFT.

ButtyBakery

If you are feeling brave, try using this recipe from Grandma's Recipes, which seems to be a smidgen more sophisticated than the chip shop method. I'm not ashamed to admit I'm afraid of bubbling hot oil, so I've not had a go myself.

           Batter
2oz(~60g) Plain Flour
Pinch of Salt
2 teaspoons(10ml) salad oil or melted butter
4 tablespoons(60ml) lukewarm water
1 egg white


   The Sandwiches
Thin slices of bread
Margarine or butter
Raspberry jam or your own favourite

Oil or fat for frying

           Method
Sift flour and salt into a basin. Make a well in the centre and add oil or butter and half of the water. Beat well, then gradually beat in the rest of the water. Make the sandwiches and cut them into triangles, removing crusts. Whisk egg white until stiff. Fold it into batter mix. Dip sandwiches in batter and fry in hot oil until nicely brown. Remove from pan on to paper to drain and sprinkle with castor sugar.

(Please don't burn your house down with hot oil)

ButtyBanquet

If it's been done right, the DFJB should be like a Pop-Tart on steroids... OK.. steroids that make you fat instead of muscly, but you know what I mean. It delivers crunchiness and warmth, leading on to an explosion of sweet fruit flavour. Mmmm, fit. Remember that jam has fruit in it, which makes it a health food.

Like all battered foods, it has to be eaten as soon as possible to avoid the batter going soggy, but take care not to burn yourself on the superheated jam inside in a frenzy of snack guzzling.

ButtyBuyer

Deep fried jam butty outlets are harder to track down than Saddam's warheads, but a bit of undercover detective work on my part has uncovered this covert international network of DFJB dealers:

Haulgh Chippy, Bolton, BL2 2BG, UK (£1.xx?)
Cock & Pheasant, Mississauga, L5M 3S9, Canada ($5.99CDN)
60 Hope Street (restaurant), Liverpool, L01 9BZ, UK (£4.95)