Hello everyone and happy new year!
Welcome to my first blog post of 2019! I’m so excited to bake and create more this year. I’ve got plenty of ideas and I can’t wait to share them with you all!
That being said I would also love to know what you would like to see from this blog in 2019. Any particular animals you want to know more about? More vegan/dairy free/gluten free recipes or options? Videos? Let me know in the comments of this post or feel free to send me a direct message on instagram @endangeredbakes !
But back to today’s bake, which is these zebra biscuits! These were pretty easy to do and taste so good. These were something that I’ve never tried before and thought they’d turn out slightly different but I actually love how they look!
The animal to go with the bake this week is of course the zebra, but more specifically the Grevy’s Zebra. As always there will be more about the Grevy’s Zebra after the recipe so make sure to give it a read!
A zebra’s stripes are completely unique, meaning no two zebras are the same, which can also be said for these biscuits. They’re all different! Now onto the recipe!
Recipe:
Ingredients:
Vanilla dough:
- 4 oz plain flour
- 2 3/4 oz butter (I used a dairy free spread!)
- 2 1/4 oz caster sugar
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- dash of milk (can use a non-dairy alternative)
Chocolate dough:
- 3 oz plain flour
- 2 3/4 oz butter
- 2 1/4 caster sugar
- 3 tbsp cocoa powder
- dash of milk
Equipment:
- Large mixing bowl
- Two large baking trays
- Baking paper
- Rolling pin
Method:
- Preheat your oven to 180°C and line two large baking sheets with baking paper (or grease really well with butter).
- First start off by making your vanilla biscuit dough. In the large mixing bowl, sieve the flour and add the butter (cut up into small cubes).
- Using your fingers, rub together the flour and butter until it resembles breadcrumbs.
- Add the sugar, vanilla extract and a dash of milk. Mix and then, using your hands, compact the mixture into a ball. The more you handle the dough with your hands the easier it becomes to work with.
- Place the vanilla dough to one side and start making the chocolate dough. Sieve in the flour and cocoa powder, add the butter.
- Using your fingers, rub together the flour, cocoa powder and butter until it has a breadcrumb like texture.
- Add the sugar and dash of milk. Mix and then form the dough into a ball.
- Roll out the vanilla dough into a large rectangle. Do the same with the chocolate dough.
- Place the chocolate dough on top of the vanilla and cut in half.
- Place one half on top of the other and roll lightly to make the dough the same thickness as before.
- Repeat this procedure one or two more times depending on how many stripes you want.
- Once you’ve finished layering, roll out into a large rectangle one more time. Then carefully roll this (longways) into a long cylinder.
- Then, using a sharp knife, cut into discs.
- Place the discs onto the baking trays and bake for 15 minutes.
- Once out of the oven, leave the biscuits to cool on a wire rack.
Enjoy!
Now onto this week’s animal, the Grevy’s Zebra!
Grevy’s Zebra – Equus grevyi
Grevy’s zebras are found in semi-arid grasslands in Northern Kenya and Southern Ethopia, although they used to inhabit Somalia, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Djibouti, and Kenya.
This species of zebra are incredibly fast, running up to 40 mph. This comes in handy when escaping predators such as lions, leopards, hyenas, cheetahs and of course, humans. They are also the largest of the world’s three zebra species.
They are currently listed as Endangered on IUCN’s Red List with a population of less than 2,000. Their population has declined by 54% in the last 3 decades and is now thought to be stable, but they are still at high risk of going extinct.
The main threats the Grevy’s zebra faces include habitat loss due to increased agricultural development, hunting for their hide, food and, in some regions, medicinal uses, and competition for grazing land and water with domestic farm animals.
Endangered Bakes 