Banana Peel Flour is a modern South African recipe for a method of making flour from banana peels. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic South African version of: Banana Peel Flour.
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Yes, you did read the title correctly… Banana peel flour is potentially the new superfood. Banana peel can be dried and powdered into a flour that’s rich in micronutrients, vitamins and flavour. Like other flours that I have dealt with before — linden leaf flour, pulse flours … etc… it can be added to wheat flour as an adulterant (about 15% banana leaf flour to replace 15% of the wheat flour) that enhances the flavour, protein profile and overall nutrient profile of the wheat flour. Banana peel also acts as a natural food colour that will make your cakes, biscuits and breads more yellow. As banana peel has natural antioxidant and antimicrobial properties, the use of banana peel flour can also enhance the shelf-life of many products without having to resort to artificial preservatives. Banana peel flour also has natural sweetness, so by baking with banana peel flour you can reduce the amount of sugar in your recipes.
The other reason to make this is economic; banana peel can account for up to 40% of the total weight of a banana. If you just throw it away, you are potentially wasting a lot of money.
Note that before drying you need to blanch the peels; but that’s really the only processing needed.
Ingredients:
Banana peel
5% citric acid solution
Method:
Take the banana peels, arrange in a steamer basket, set over a pan of boiling water and steam for 10 minutes. This will help soften the peel, improves its colour reduces the amount of thick sap. If the bananas are green then steam in the skins before slitting them and removing the insides.
Take the steamed peel and immerse in a 5% citric acid solution. This softens the fibres and will help the flour keep longer. You only need to soak for 30 minutes or so.
Here in South Africa, I thread the peels onto rods and hang them out in the sun to dry. About three days’ drying reduces the water content down to about 10%. If you are not in a sunny country, or are doing this in winter, hang the peels on an oven rack and place in a low oven over night. (2 or 3 nights’ drying should do the trick).
You can now mill the dried peel. I typically chop coarsely then render to flour in a food processor. Transfer to an air-tight tin or jar and store in a cool and dry place.
