Home made Bisquick Mix...

                                                                                     

Today was one of those rainy days where I didn't feel much like doing anything, except sit and listen to the rain hit the roof. I love those days. They relax me, help me think more clearly. They also remind me of my childhood where everything was so easy. Today takes me back to the tree house I built out of scrap lumber my dad no longer needed. It was in a tree close to our house, nestled in the woods between ours and the neighbors. I use to love laying on the rough wooden floor as the rain fell, protected from its drops from the leaves above. Oh the memories. Memories of fresh made bread on Fridays, homemade meatballs, pancakes, and strawberry shortcake with fresh strawberries from the farm down the road...

My mom used bisquick quite a lot when we were growing up. Something that was taboo when I first started on my gluten free adventure. Now you can buy a gluten free version in the store, but I find it just a little staggering in cost, so I don't buy it often. So what if I make my own??????? I told you that rainy days help me think clearly....or maybe they just give me to much time to think...well either way it got me up and moving!

I started browsing the web and found several recipes to make a homemade bisquick mix. Mostly with regular flour, but I was now in a experimenting stage, so out came the pans, and my basic gluten free flour mix. I have to say I was a bit skeptical. I mean bisquick mix has been around for generations, but what the heck...

After blending the mix I had to give it a test run. After all, why make it if I am not going to use it. My first choice was strawberry short cakes. My son in law had mentioned them just a few days prior and had planted the seed in my mind. I didn't have a bisquick box to follow the recipe, so I went to the Betty Crocker web page. I must admit that these turned out pretty close to the real deal. The recipe said to bake for 10 to 12 minutes, and although I left them in for the full 12, and they were just a smidgen over browned on the bottom, they still tasted great!

OK...So how would pancakes hold up to the "mock bisquick" test? I had to know being the inquisitive person that I am. Delish!!!!!  I devoured them all before I ever thought to take a picture, sorry! I probably would have kept going, as there are a few other recipes I want to try,  but I had used up all the mock bisquick mix I had made, so I will have to share other recipes in the future. Until then, please enjoy these two.
                                                                               
The mix is soooooo easy to make. Keep a empty bisquick box around to keep your mix in it. When company comes you can make pancakes and I bet you they won't even know its not the real deal!

Enjoy,
Sharon Lee

Homemade GF Bisquick Mix:

384 g Basic GF Multi Purpose Flour Blend  (posted 4-11-17)
1 1/2 T baking powder
1/2 T salt
1/2 c "cold" vegetable shortening, coconut oil, or butter (I used vegetable shortening)

Place dry ingredients in a food processor. Drop cold pieces of shortening, coconut oil, or butter on top of flour mixture. Process until the consistency of a dry crumbly mixture.
Use this as a cup for cup replacement in all recipes that call for a bisquick mix!


Pancake Recipe:

128 g mock bisquick mix
1/2 c milk
1 egg

Stir mixture with a whisk until thoroughly blended.
Cook over a med high heat. I waited until the tops were very bubbly to flip, which worked best for me, however, check the underside often to see if they are browned enough before flipping according to your heat temperature setting. The first few always seem to take longer than the others.

The strawberry shortcake recipe can be found at https://www.bettycrocker.com along with some other recipes you might like to try with this mock blend.
 

Low- Carb Banana bread....

Lately my husband has been on a sort of a food adventure, wanting to try new, and healthier foods. He even went so far as to purchase a 10 quart pressure cooker, of which  I am totally at a loss of what to make in it, as there are just the two of us...LOL Although the pressure cooker really has nothing to do with the bread recipe I am going to share, his venture of finding healthier eating alternatives does. As I have previously mentioned, he has type 2 diabetes. I hope you like the picture of the bread, I couldn't wait to show off the beautiful plate I got at a garage sale....LOVE it!

Although he has sampled my dessert creations from time to time, usually the ones in which I have used coconut sugar, as it doesn't raise his blood sugar as rapidly, I have yet to made a recipe just for his diabetic needs, basically because he is not a sweet eater in general. Well today was the day that changed! I chose a recipe of something I know he will enjoy on occasion, and that everyone else will like as well, banana bread. It not only helped me use the leftover bananas sitting on my counter, but come up with a delicious treat of which he can indulge in, without guilt.

This bread originally calls for almond meal, but I switched it out for almond flour, as this is what I had on hand. There is virtually NO added sweeteners of any kind in this recipe, so the flavor and sweetness in the bread comes from the bananas. Now, I personally like sweetness in my desserts and quick breads, but I must say that this loaf did not disappoint. The recipe says to bake it 45 - 55 minutes so I set my timer to the 45 mark and it was done. Actually, it was slightly browner than I would like, so I will test at the 40 minute mark next go around.  Although it definitely does not have the sweetness I personally am use to, remember, it has NO sugar,  I would still give it a 4 1/2 stars. I might try adding a drop of banana flavoring next time around also.

This is really one of the easiest quick breads I have made. It is moist, light, and definitely not overly sweet. It also doesn't have that gooey heavy texture most banana breads have when using traditional wheat flours. I believe this recipe could even be considered KETO, correct me if I'm wrong....

It is soooooo good lathered with some butter! I must admit I had to have a slice before the hubby got home. I had to make sure it is good enough for my knight in shining armor, didn't I ? The recipe nutritional info only stated that there were 12 slices - 131 calories The slices also didn't disappoint as they were a very nice size as you can see from the picture above.

Please let me know if you try the recipe and drop me a line.

Enjoy,
Sharon Lee

Low- Carb Banana Bread Recipe

3 medium bananas, very ripe  ( should measure at 1 c )
3 eggs
2 T oil
224 gr almond flour
1 T baking powder
1/2 teas salt
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
Water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Lightly coat a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan with coconut oil, or spray and set aside
In a 2 c measuring cup,  mash the bananas, should measure 1 cup total.
Add the eggs and oil to the cup. Blend. Now add water until it comes to the 2 cup line.
In a medium bowl whisk together the almond flour, baking powder, and salt until blended with a whisk.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry and blend with the whisk until thoroughly incorporated, do not over mix. Stir in the walnuts.
Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and smooth the top.
Bake for 40-55 minutes depending on your oven and pan size. ( next time I plan on trying a 7.5 x 3.5 pan found to the right of this blog at Amazon, to give the bread a little more height)
Test with a toothpick which should come out clean if done. Check at the 40 minute mark, then every few minutes until done.
Remove from the oven and set pan on a rack to cool.
After 10-15 minutes run a knife around edges of pan to loosen and turn loaf out on the rack to finish cooling.