29 October, 2015
Plantain Drop Biscuits
I have been working hard in the kitchen trying to get these plantain biscuits just right. I think I have make these about a dozen times now with some end results so bad that I was forced to toss them in the trash. I finally found the right ingredient combination that has me in love with these biscuits. The even greater news is that these plantain drop biscuits are paleo, gluten free, and vegan.
I have known about plantains for quite some time now but never was really interested in cooking with them too much until recently. You see plantains are a resistant starch. What the heck is a resistant starch? Well it is a starch that is resistant to being digested which then makes its way to the large intestine. Why would this be healthy? These types of starches end up being food for our good bacteria. Good bacteria, or probiotics, need fuel just like we do in order to thrive and be happy. A healthy gut with thriving good bacteria is essential to good health and digestion.
If you are new to plantains like I was then here are some things that may be helpful for you to know|
♦ Plantains look like bananas but are much more starchy and not as sweet at bananas.
♦ Plantains are harder to peel when they are green and are pretty bland.
♦ Plantains get sweeter the riper than they get. For my biscuits I like to use them when they are mostly yellow with still some green skin. When they are yellow with brown spots or even black I love to peel, slice, and brown them in some coconut oil on the stove top (at this stage they will take more like banana). Yum!
♦ Unlike bananas, Plantains ripen much slower, due to lower moisture content, taking as much as a week or two to develop brown spots and a full three weeks to turn black.
Plantain Drop Biscuits
Ingredients
- 1 plantain about 1 cup, peeled (yellow with some green skin works best)
- 1/2 cup tapioca flour
- 1/4 cup tigernut flour or blanched almond flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder aluminum and cornstarch free
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon chia seeds I like to grind them in a coffee grinder
- 3 tablespoons shortening or coconut oil cold from the fridge
- 4-6 tablespoons cold water as needed
Instructions
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In a food processor add the peeled plantain broken in half.
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Pulse until broken up into small pieces.
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Add both flours, baking powder, salt, and chia seeds.
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Pulse a few more times until all ingredients are combined and looks crumbly.
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Cut the fat into small pieces and add to the processer a little at a time.
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Pulsing between adding the pieces until the size of peas.
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Add in the cold water 1 tablespoon at a time until the mixture is moist and holding together well as a dough (more or less water as needed).
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Drop the dough (about 1/2 cup each) onto a lined baking sheet and form into biscuit shapes.
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Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
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Bake in the oven until golden brown and set about 20-25 minutes.
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Best eaten fresh out of the oven or day of but will keep for up to 3 days in an airtight container.
Recipe Notes
*choose organic ingredients when possible.
I’ve never seen a biscuit recipe with plantain in it. Thanks for developing this recipe. I would love to try it.
Here is to trying new things! Cheers.
I love anything that uses plantains.. not to mention tigernut flour! Can’t wait to try these!
I don’t know why I have been ignoring plantains for so long.
These look ABSOLUTELY delicious. I can’t wait to try them out!
I hope you enjoy them.
I can totally relate…I have yet to perfect a fluffy light gluten free biscuit. These look great. I love that they are paleo.
I wanted to make them work with just about everyone. Perfecting a good recipes especially when it comes to baking can be tough.
I’ve only every had fried plantain. Using them in biscuits sounds awesome!
They are so versatile! I just made pancakes with them this morning
Is it 1/2 cup of the tapioca flour?
Yes it is cup. Thank you for pointing that out to me. I have fixed the recipe.
Can you use any type of flour?Like coconut flour.I am limiting nuts at the moment but bought a plantain for this recipe.Also can I use something to replace arrowroot?Thanks a lot ,Sara.I feel so secure and healthy making your recipes.:)
Coconut flour generally is much more absorbent so I would start with less and add more if you need it. Arrowroot is like cornstarch but I generally avoid corn but if you can do corn I would recommend organic cornstarch to avoid GMOs.
Thank you!Would a buckwheat flour be better than the coconut?I could try that.
It is a flour you could try if you tolerate buckwheat as some can’t.
Thank you so much.I do tolerate buckwheat groats so I will give it a try.I am very excited about these.
These are awesome. I used gelatin instead of the chia seeds because I’m in the first weeks of aip and I’m staying away from seeds right now. Yeah!! I can have bread with my soup. 🙂
I am so happy that these worked out for you! Thanks for sharing!!
Thanks for the tip because I am on the AIP too!
Happy to help!
Me too. How much gelatin do you use?
In general to replace and egg or chia egg you can use 1 tablespoon of gelatin with 3 tablespoons of water.
Have you tried making these with an egg?
Yes I believe that I have and it should still work perfectly!
Do you get your plantains organic and sourced from Mexico?
There is only once place I can find organic plantains…my Natural Grocers.
I get them organic from my natural food store as well.Are yours imported from Mexico?