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Honestly I’m not much of a baker ... or at least I wasn’t .
I love to cook but baking was never really something I enjoyed or felt was necessary .
My zero waste journey has really changed me . It’s helped me grow , help me discover my passions , and encouraged me to try new things . Best of all it’s helped me to live a healthier , happier , and more eco friendly life .
Even though I’m not much of a baker I do think baking is one of those things everyone should learn .
Bread, tortillas, pancakes, and muffins are eaten a lot in this house. Learning how to make them from scratch has helped us reduce so much household waste.
These 4 recipes are easy , PLANT BASED, and will help you with your zero waste kitchen .
Zero Waste & Vegan Baking Supplies
Flour
Baking Powder
Baking Soda
Quick Oats
Sugar
Salt
Cinnamon ( Optional)
Active dry yeast
Plant Based Milk
Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV)
Olive oil
Vanilla
Pitted Dates ( Optional- replacement for sugar)
Blender/ Food Processor
Frying pan
Rolling Pin
All these food ingredients can typically be purchased in bulk or in glass.
Related:
Tips:
I use whole wheat flour for everything but white flour works too.
If you want to avoid white sugar you can use any type of sugar. I usually use coconut sugar or I blend up 5-9 dates in the blender with the plant milk. ( remove pits first)
Recipes that call for yeast typically use a small amount of sugar to activate. This cannot be replaced with dates.
My go to plant based milk is plain soy milk. You can use any milk you like.
Once you've mastered these recipes it is easy to change them up and make them your own.
4 BASIC Baking Recipes to Help You Reduce Waste
1. BREAD
I remember coming home from school to my mom pulling fresh bread out of the oven . NOTHING tops the smell of fresh bread .
I always thought making bread was challenging , so I was happy to learn it’s one of the easiest things to make... Even without a bread maker .
This recipe is a very simple recipe that my mom taught me. It works really well with white and whole wheat flour.
Basic Bread Recipe:
Ingredients
1 tsp ( 5 mL) sugar
1/4 cup ( 60mL) Warm water
1/2 TBS Active dry yeast
3 1/4 cups ( 800 mL) all purpose flour
1 tsp ( 5 mL) salt
2 tsp ( 10 mL ) Olive oil
1 Cup ( 250 mL) Water
Directions
1. Stir sugar and warm water together in a bowl
-Sprinkle yeast on top , let stand 10 mins, then stir to dissolve
2. Mix flour and salt together in a large bowl
-Make a well in the centre and add yeast mixture
-Stir with a spoon until mixed
-Create another well , add olive oil and remaining 1 cup of water
-Stir
3. Place onto floured surface
-Knead 8 to 10 mins ( until smooth and elastic)
-Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top
-Cover with a tea towel
-Place in oven with the light on and door closed for 1 -1.5 hours until doubled in size.
(DO NOT TURN OVEN ON. The light is enough heat at this point)
4. Punch the dough
-Roll out and place in a loaf pan or roll into a 12 inch circle and place on a greased baking sheet
5. Bake 400 F ( 200 C) for 25 mins
That's it! Now try not to eat it all in one sitting!
2. TORTILLAS
We eat a lot of wraps , burritos , quesadillas , and tacos .
I hate buying tortillas because they always come in plastic.
Tortillas are really simple to make and require almost no skill !
The best part is they freeze well if you put parchment paper in between each wrap .
( parchment paper is compostable ! )
Once you have this recipe mastered you can change it up and learn how to make fun flavours . I love spinach tortillas .
This recipe is from growagoodlife.com click HERE to check it out.
Basic Flour Tortilla Recipe:
Ingredients
2 cups ( 500 mL ) Flour
1/2 tsp Salt
3/4 cup room temperature water
3 TBS olive oil
Blender or Food Processor
Directions
1. Mix flour and salt in blender or food processor
-Combine oil and water and slowly add it into your blender
-Pulse until it forms a ball ( If using a blender it might not perfectly form a ball. )
2. Place dough onto floured surface and knead until dough is smooth ( 1-2 mins)
-Roll into a ball and cover with a tea towel for 15 mins
3. Heat frying pan on medium heat
( The pan needs to be hot before use)
4. Cut dough into 8 portions and roll into balls
-Place on a floured surface and roll each ball with a rolling pin until they are about 8 in
5. Place a tortilla in PREHEATED pan
-Cook for approx. 30 seconds each side
The secret is to make sure the pan is hot! I always start preheating my pan before I cut it into portions and roll them.
These are delicious and so so easy.
3. PANCAKES
We eat pancakes at least once per week . They make a great breakfast or easy snack .
I prefer to make them from scratch so that I know exactly what is in them. Not to mention avoiding any unnecessary packaging .
Basic Pancake Recipe:
Ingredients
Dry-
1 Cup ( 250 mL) Flour
2 TBS Sugar -I like coconut sugar
1 TBS Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Salt
Wet-
1 Cup ( 250mL) Milk - I like soy milk
1 TBS Apple Cider Vinegar
1/2 tsp Vanilla
Directions
1. Combine dry ingredients
flour, sugar, baking powder, salt
2. In a separate bowl combine wet ingredients
-Milk, ACV, vanilla
3. Heat frying pan on medium heat
-I like to add a bit of oil to the pan to prevent sticking
4. Make a well in the dry ingredients
- Mix in the wet ingredients
(Add more milk if needed for desired consistency)
5. Place 1-2 TBS of mixture in frying pan
-Flip when the pancake begins to bubble.
-repeat
These are so good! My kids love when I mix in fruit or cocoa. I sometimes even add ground flax seeds to get some extra nutrients in there.
Eat with syrup or nut butter!
4. MUFFINS
Muffins make a great snack or breakfast !
Most store bought muffins are loaded with excessive sugar and junk .
Home made muffins are delicious and loaded with nutrients.
This recipe is from chocolatecoveredkatie.com click HERE to check it out.
Basic Oatmeal Muffin Recipe:
Ingredients
1 Cup ( 250 mL) Quick Oats
1 1/3 Cup Plant Based Milk
1 TBS Apple Cider Vinegar
1/4 cup Oil ( You can also use any nut butter)
1 TBS Baking Powder
1/2 Cup Sugar ( I like to replace with dates or coconut sugar)
1 Cup flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
Optional - 3/4 - 1 cup fruit, chocolate chips, or nuts
Optional- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
Directions
** If replacing sugar with dates- Blend 5-9 pitted dates in the blender with your plant based milk. Continue recipe as normal but omit sugar**
1. Mix oats, Milk, ACV, and oil in a bowl
-Let sit for 10 mins
2. Mix all remaining ingredients together with other mixture
-Baking powder, sugar ( if using), flour, baking soda, salt , and any optional ingredients
-Stir
3. Preheat oven to 350 F ( 177 C)
4. Add mixture into muffins tins - Should make 12 muffins
-I use silicone muffin liners in my muffin tins
5. Bake for 20 mins
- Let cool completely before removing from muffin tin
These muffins get eaten so fast! They are so soft ! I make mine with blueberries!
Learning how to make these basic recipes will help you to reduce unnecessary packaging and can really inspire you in the kitchen. These recipes are heathy and toddler approved!
Related:
Love this! I’ve been thinking about making tortillas!!
Love this! I’ll have to try some of these tips