Since I had an underwhelming response to this weeks topic : Bread
I suppose I'll have to make my own post!
What did I bake?
Baking Powder biscuits which turned out like this:
Well, actually browner and fluffier..except I lost the picture of the baked biscuits...this is before they were baked
But why Baking Powder biscuits? They are so very basic.
And that's the point. Pretty much any beginner can make a baking powder biscuit. These ones are a little different though: They make use of both banana and soybeans....but probably not how you think.
Let's start at the beginning. I hate waste and I hate throwing away edible food. It just seems like such a waste of money. So, I wanted to show how to reduce waste by using some foodstuff which would typically be thrown away.
Second. This week was about bread from where you live. Now in Canada we pretty much eat all sorts of different bread types. However, back in time Bannock was a simple bread that was very common among early settlers. It was pretty basic food: Flour, Baking Powder, Salt and Oil.... typically cooked over a campfire. In honor of that I wanted to make baking powder biscuits which are a pretty close cousin to Bannock.
Typical Baking Powder recipe
2 cups of flour
1 tsp of salt
1 tbsp of baking powder
1/3 cup of butter
3/4 cup of milk
Keep the butter cold. Fold but don't overmix the dough.... and so on to make the best biscuits.
However, this is not a typical baking powder biscuit. This is a "no waste" version of it.
Butter? Nope. That requires refrigeration and can spoil. Same thing goes for milk.
So what will my recipe be?
First unusual ingredient : Banana!
Let's start with a nicely washed banana like this one.
But.... Why would I bother washing a banana? No-one washes bananas, they peel them and eat them.
Except:
Now I'll be eating the inside of the banana normally but I'll be adding the banana PEEL to the biscuit. Yes. The part that everyone throws away is going to find a use that isn't in the compost pile!
But adding raw banana peel to biscuit? Not going to happen:
First : Dry out the peel in a dehydrator.
So that this:
Turns into this:
Then put in a blender
And the final result is a dried banana peel powder.
Second unusual ingredient : Soy Bean
If you read my post yesterday you will know that I made soy cream.
https://www.ecency.com/hive-120586/@terganftp/vegan-blueberry-whipped-cream-sort
However there is waste pulp from the soybean left over.
This also goes into the dehydrator for form a dry cake.
Starts like this:
and turns into this:
and after a trip through the blender it turns into this:
Now I have banana peel powder and okara (soy pulp powder)
I'm ready to make baking powder biscuits with a twist.
My actual recipe:
1.5 cups of flour
1/3 cup of canola oil
1 tsp of salt
1 tbsp of baking powder
3/4 cup of soy milk (although water would work)
1/4 cup of Banana Peel Powder
1/4 cup of Okara (Soy Pulp Powder)
Why bother with the Banana peel and Soy pulp though?
Let's start with nutrition:
Banana peel contains: Vitamin A, B2, B6, C, and K ... which are not found in flour. In this way we are adding to the nutritional value of the biscuit.
Okara contains : Calcium, magnesium, iron and phosphorous which flour does not. In addition it contains the amino acids methionine, lysine, tryptophan, and threonine which wheat flour does not.
In short these additions make the biscuit a more complete protein and more nutritious food.
......while keeping the peel and pulp from going into the compost which is its usual fate!
But on with the preparation
First step: Add the dry ingredients and oil
1 & 1/2 cup of flour (180g @ 10 cents / 100g) = 18 cents
15g of baking powder ($3.49 for 350g ) = 15 cents
1 tsp of salt ($1 / 454g ) = about 1 cent.
1/4 cup of Okara -- Free....would have been thrown away.
1/4 cup of Banana Peel -- Also free .....would have been thrown away.
All added together it looks like this:
then add 1/3 cup of oil to the mix ($2.50/liter x .06l) = 20 cents
And whisk together until it is all well mixed and no clumps.
This mixture is stable for a while because the baking powder doesn't activate until mixed with water (or soy milk here).
I was pressed for time so I left it a while and came back later for the next step which is ...
Add the liquid ingredient
3/4 cup of soy milk ($.25/100g beans to make 1.4l milk) = 5 cents
Mix by hand.
Make a dough ball
I flattened the dough ball and cut into strips like such.
Which I then cut into small squares so they would look like biscuits.
I then left them sit for about 7 minutes so the baking powder would have a chance to let them rise a little so they would be fluffier.
After that.
Into the oven at 425F for 15 minutes.
They came out nicely and make for a basic biscuit.
Final thought:
I gave them to my sons who never even noticed they had banana peel or soy bean in them. It tasted just like a regular baking powder biscuit.
Well... a little less fluffy and tasty because no butter but still close enough they ate it.
Especially when they put some peanut butter and jam on them.
and I felt better because the soy and banana added to the nutrition and cut down on waste
Overall I was pretty pleased with how they turned out.
.....Now if only I didn't lose the picture of the final product.
Oops.
Total cost 54 cents (Canadian) for an entire batch of biscuits.
That's it...except a note to @monica-ene who asked that I tag her when I finished writing this post.
Thanks for reading.
Wow Tergan.
Great Recipe.
I know banana peels serve as food for snails.. I also know that egg shells can be recycled and serve as cooking ingredients. Who would have thought banana peels can be used in making biscuits? Thank you for sharing this amazing recipe.
I certainly didn't believe it when I read that banana peels were edible. However, after I read it I just had to try it out for myself. Pleasantly surprised that it worked just fine.
😲😲😲😲😲....
Am actually in awe.
I mean I only recycle fabrics and never knew that there will be second hand use again for even used food ingredients like the Okara and banana peel.
Seriously I feel like exploring these thing and making them myself.
But I may have to improvise a lot since I never had an idea that I will find interests cooking recipe like this.
Okay
Now I have a new plan...
Would probably start preparing to buy some cooking items so i can practice some of the recipe, they shouldn't end here in hive blogs alone.
I really want a bite of your biscuit 😞.. 🤗🤓
Hehe...
If I was there I would be getting some of your groundnut. I'd extract the oil from the nut so I could use it instead of the canola oil. Then I'd take the left over defatted ground nut, add some sugar and gently toast to make a high protein peanut spread.
And then.... Biscuits using soya bean, banana peel, groundnut, sugar, flour, salt, and baking powder. Side benefit....high in protein and fiber so both filling and nutritious! Oh yeah... and use some groundnut oil to heat the frying pan so its cooked using stuff you grew yourself.
Thanks for reading. I enjoy turning basic ingredients into something better :)
There is a whole lot to learn here.
My sister loves peanut but its bad that I never learnt how to do any of these things.
Sorry for the second reply.... If I was there I'd also be trying to put your seamstress skills to work. Did you know you can take water sachet packets and turn them into clothing??
This website shows a company that is doing it :
https://oceanness.com/pages/how-we-do-it
But imagine if you could turn garbage into something beautiful to wear. 1) You pay nothing for material so you make more money and .... 2) You help the environment by reducing garbage.
.... and 3) You feel awesome because you'd be doing something no-one else in your area is doing.
But that's type of plastic recycling is yet another thing on my cool to try but haven't done it yet.
Am checking this out to see what miracles they are performing.
Thank you so much.
Ooh my.
I love how you turned the banana peel and soya waste into powder (flour).
This is a nutritious homemade biscuit.
And I am sure they are pretty much delicious.
This is amazing.
According to my two sons "Ok but a little dry". It would have been better using butter and more nutritious using whole wheat flour. However, this was very much a use what's in the house and waste nothing.
Thanks for dropping by and saying HI
Yes, it could have been and with a little egg brushed on the dough.
But is rescue to saving waste and making them more useful.
Glad I stopped by.
When making mine, I will add a little butter and brush a little bitten eggs to it.
It's been a while I baked, I used to enjoy a friend's oven.