Oh sweet sweet blogosphere. Does my devotion have no end!? It’s the middle of the night and I have a sudden hankering for Hops! Now what is hops? I am sure for most of you you are thinking about some kind of grain and the beermaking process. No no no no no no. Hops is the most basic of breakfast breads/buns here in Trinidad. I have no idea how it got its name, maybe it has to do with the lengthy yeast development stage before flour is added? Its distinctive smell, taste and shape I think are some of the earliest memories of morning for many a Trini child. I know that there was a ‘Hops man’ who visited my Aunt’s area and I would love to be at her home when he arrived with his freshly baked batch! So now that I am up and I have gotten a few hits already looking for a Hops recipe I thought hmmm why not make some tonight. I am sure it will be a welcome morning surprise for my parents as well 
lol
Note: Even though Hops is traditionally made solely with white flour, my family always adds wholewheat to everything (health benefits people!) so my Hops Recipe reflects this. I think it gives it a lovely nuttiness while keeping the light airiness that you expect from such a roll
Hops Bread (adapted from the Naparima Girls Cookbook)
1 package dry yeast
2 tsp sugar
1 tbsp melted shortening
4 cups white flour
2 cups wholewheat flour
2 1/2 cups warm water
2 tsp salt
1. Pour warm water into a large bowl
2. Dissolve sugar in water
3. Dissolve yeast over sugar and water and allow to develop for 10 minutes
4. Stir yeast mixture with a fork and add melted shortening
5. Gradually stir in flour and salt.
6. Knead for 8 to 10 minutes adding flour if necessary to make a medium stiff dough
7. Grease bowl and top of dough, cover and allow to rest for 20-25 minutes
8. Punch down dough, form in balls, place on greased trays
9. Cover with a damp cloth and allow to rise until doubled (1 – 1.5 hours)
10. Bake in a 400F oven for 15 minutes
Makes 12-14 hops
About Sarina
Passionate foodie, founder of Trinigourmet and Caribbean Lifestyle Maven. Author of "Glam By Request: 30+ Easy Caribbean Recipes"
This month marks the third installment of my “CookALong” series where a prominent (usually) Caribbean personality follows one of my recipes, and sometimes throws in a few of their own This week however I’m shaking things up a bit by ...
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Yay – a hops recipe! Just the thing for this weekend, as my sister has gone and posted bread and channa pics on her Flickr!
Yay – a hops recipe! Just the thing for this weekend, as my sister has gone and posted bread and channa pics on her Flickr!
o niceness!
i saw the maleeda (sp?) on yours? i never knew that was the name ! i love that thing real bad 
i’ll link to it lolz! where is your sis flickr? 
is she in trini? 
o niceness!
i saw the maleeda (sp?) on yours? i never knew that was the name ! i love that thing real bad 
i’ll link to it lolz! where is your sis flickr? 
is she in trini? 
Hooray!! I’ve been hankering for hops bread lately; the last time I had it I was twelve, and we used to drive to Butterflake Bakery (in Marabella, I think?) to get them. There’s nothing like cold butter melting inside a warm hops bread, and sometimes we’d get red pork and black pudding to eat with it. Heaven!
Next time my sister’s over, I am definitely trying this recipe; I need her here because I can’t knead bread worth a damn. *g*
Hooray!! I’ve been hankering for hops bread lately; the last time I had it I was twelve, and we used to drive to Butterflake Bakery (in Marabella, I think?) to get them. There’s nothing like cold butter melting inside a warm hops bread, and sometimes we’d get red pork and black pudding to eat with it. Heaven!
Next time my sister’s over, I am definitely trying this recipe; I need her here because I can’t knead bread worth a damn. *g*
LOLZ! Let me know how it turns out Maggie
I finished baking these at around 5:30 this morning (yes madness i know, but ‘when yuh ketch ah vaps!’) and that first slab of butter drenching the insides was heaven in my mouth!!! 
LOLZ! Let me know how it turns out Maggie
I finished baking these at around 5:30 this morning (yes madness i know, but ‘when yuh ketch ah vaps!’) and that first slab of butter drenching the insides was heaven in my mouth!!! 
My sister currently only has her mobile phone for photography, but she is torturing me anyway from back home in Trinidad. www.flickr.com/photos/lilandra.
And oh, whenever hops was hot, we’d get a quart and a half, and all of us in the car on the way home would polish off the half, ripping out the sweet fluffy insides to savour, then demolishing the crustiness of the outsides. We finish the hops before we got home, whether we bought it in San Juan on the way to Central, or from Couva proper.
The tiny old wooden shack on San Juan hill which was the official "hops shop" of the area. It was 7 mins walk from my house. 6pm every day and more on weekends. We ate it with everything – from zaboca to salt fish. Ah hongry now!!
The tiny old wooden shack on San Juan hill which was the official "hops shop" of the area. It was 7 mins walk from my house. 6pm every day and more on weekends. We ate it with everything – from zaboca to salt fish. Ah hongry now!!
My sister currently only has her mobile phone for photography, but she is torturing me anyway from back home in Trinidad. www.flickr.com/photos/lilandra.
And oh, whenever hops was hot, we’d get a quart and a half, and all of us in the car on the way home would polish off the half, ripping out the sweet fluffy insides to savour, then demolishing the crustiness of the outsides. We finish the hops before we got home, whether we bought it in San Juan on the way to Central, or from Couva proper.
The tiny old wooden shack on San Juan hill which was the official "hops shop" of the area. It was 7 mins walk from my house. 6pm every day and more on weekends. We ate it with everything – from zaboca to salt fish. Ah hongry now!!
i think there is some culinary version of crack in those fluffy insides
i eat them to bursting 
i think there is some culinary version of crack in those fluffy insides
i eat them to bursting 
When I was living in the Philippines, we ate bread for breakfast and late evening. It’s this bread called pandesal. It’s always so good to get them nice and hot from the bakery. I can just smell the aroma right now from your pictures!
When I was living in the Philippines, we ate bread for breakfast and late evening. It’s this bread called pandesal. It’s always so good to get them nice and hot from the bakery. I can just smell the aroma right now from your pictures!
How interesting Veron
I will look up this pandesal now 
Thanks for dropping by! 
How interesting Veron
I will look up this pandesal now 
Thanks for dropping by! 
Hi , i am new to ur site and it has so many interesting recipes!This bread seems similar to the no knead bread.Is it? BTW, do u have a recipe for a sweet potato pone?
Hi , i am new to ur site and it has so many interesting recipes!This bread seems similar to the no knead bread.Is it? BTW, do u have a recipe for a sweet potato pone?
Hi Shaheen, I am loving your site too!
Hops is not that similar to the no knead bread I don’t think? Well the preparation is quite different for one. But I have not made the no knead bread yet, so maybe in taste and texture they are similar, but I’m guessing not at this point 
I do have a recipe for Sweet Potato Pone 
I will email it to you, and will be posting it soon 
Thanks for visiting 
!
Hi Shaheen, I am loving your site too!
Hops is not that similar to the no knead bread I don’t think? Well the preparation is quite different for one. But I have not made the no knead bread yet, so maybe in taste and texture they are similar, but I’m guessing not at this point 
I do have a recipe for Sweet Potato Pone 
I will email it to you, and will be posting it soon 
Thanks for visiting 
!
i just googled…pandesal is… Pan de Sal!!
*sigh*
Have you ever looked at a Filipino map? It’s so much fun looking at place names and such!
i just googled…pandesal is… Pan de Sal!!
*sigh*
Have you ever looked at a Filipino map? It’s so much fun looking at place names and such!
Lilandra – that’s like when one day i was lying down and it hit me that parasol was Para Sol …
Lilandra – that’s like when one day i was lying down and it hit me that parasol was Para Sol …
lololol
i searched on flickr and it really does look like hops
lololol
i searched on flickr and it really does look like hops
Lilandra – flickr is fun
Lilandra – flickr is fun
yes
i spend many hours at work searching for chocolate and cupcakes and pizza and stuff
or browsing thru camera finder cuz i don’t got a camera yet
yes
i spend many hours at work searching for chocolate and cupcakes and pizza and stuff
or browsing thru camera finder cuz i don’t got a camera yet
Lilandra – when yuh gettin’ camera?
Lilandra – when yuh gettin’ camera?
i dunno. never
i dunno. never
Lilandra – nah, you go get it soon
Lilandra – nah, you go get it soon
i hope so
oh well
i am learning to take pix with a camera phone…a very impressive skill
how else will i take pix when i make hajj
hehehe
i hope so
oh well
i am learning to take pix with a camera phone…a very impressive skill
how else will i take pix when i make hajj
hehehe
Lilandra – you will have new camera for hajj
Lilandra – you will have new camera for hajj
This is even harder than the biscuits for me!
This is even harder than the biscuits for me!
Marsha – we go have to make a baking lime!!!
Marsha – we go have to make a baking lime!!!
Marsha – we go have to make a baking lime!!!
Yeh but how you learn to bake? From watching yuh mudder?
Yeh but how you learn to bake? From watching yuh mudder?
Yeh but how you learn to bake? From watching yuh mudder?
Marsha – muahahaha my mother don’t bake… well she did years ago… but i never watched her… i dunno… it just kinda happened.. my first few attempts were doorstops…
trial and error til i found something that worked for me 
Marsha – muahahaha my mother don’t bake… well she did years ago… but i never watched her… i dunno… it just kinda happened.. my first few attempts were doorstops…
trial and error til i found something that worked for me 