How I Use Biodegradable Packaging in My Home Baking Business (And Why 65% Green Is Still Worth It)

Going fully green in the food industry is harder than it sounds. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't try. In this post, I'm sharing exactly what biodegradable packaging I use in my home baking business, the honest limitations I've run into, and why even a partial commitment to sustainability matters.

What Biodegradable Packaging Do I Actually Use?

Let's start with full transparency: my cake boxes are laminated on the inside, which means they're not entirely biodegradable. That's a limitation I haven't been able to work around yet — and I think it's important to be honest about that.

But outside of the cake box, here's what I've switched to:

• Biodegradable plastic bags (from Oxium)
• Brown paper cable ties (from ra_tio)
• Biodegradable plastic wrap (from Delkochoice)

Simple changes, but meaningful ones.

Right now I'm still using the plain version of the plastic bag, but I'm in the process of getting the Oxium and eco-friendly logos printed on the bags — alongside my own branding. It's a small but exciting step toward making sustainability visible to my customers.

The Discovery That Made My Day: Biodegradable Plastic Wrap Exists

Beet Kvaas

 

Kinda surprise waktu batch pertama ini jadi dan finally nyicip Beet Kvaas for the first time in my life. Bau tanahnya hilang! Yayyy.. Teksturnya juga agak mengempuk, much more enjoyable daripada full crunchy. 

Lacto-fermented Cauliflower

 

Dari jajaran eselon fermented veggies yang udah aku bikin, ini my favorit so far. Kalo bikin ini setoples cendol sekalian. Tinggal goreng telor sama nyendok nasi cokelat, aman jaya sentosa rukun raharja. 

Coconut Yoghurt

 

Ini enaakkk kalo buat sayaahhh 😁✨

Meskipun jarang bikin, tapi sekalinya bikin cepet banget udah jadi, habisnya pun cepet banget 😆

Coconut yoghurt sama cashew yoghurt tuh solusi banget buat saus salad natural dan dairy-free tapi males ngocok-ngocok minyak sama telor. Kan semua jurus fermented food probiotics ini adalah jurus pemalesan sebenernya, ahahaha.. 

Cashew Yoghurt bikinnya basically sama sama. Tapi perlu direndem dulu untuk menghilangkan zat anti nutrisinya semua lebih ringan cerna for your gut health. Bear with me, nanti dipost juga resepnya, InsyaAllah. 

Sauerkraut

Jar-jar berisi sayuran warna-warni berjejer cantik memenuhi rak kayu. Itu khayalan saya, hahaha. Mengingat-ingat kehidupan Laura Ingalls Wilder yang ngepickle hasil taninya untuk stock di musim dingin.

Sejak Ramadhan lalu jadi hobi nyetok fermented veggies. Ini sih solusi banget buat ngawetin sayuran dalam keadaan mentah. Cucok buat herbivora macem sayah.

A Homebaker Again

I'm back to being a homebaker again!

The first time I jumped headfirst into this business was when the monetary crisis hit Indonesia in 1998. I continued around 2005, but being a food photographer took most of my time and energy, so it got sidetracked for a while. I never stopped baking for myself—to experiment, test recipes—basically for my love for baking and the happiness it brings to my heart each time.

I come with a bigger, bolder purpose this time. But let's skip the why at the moment.

I've been learning many things about being a full-time homebaker now. Watching Shark Tank for quite a while has given me loads of insights. Here is some wisdom I'm happy to share. Hopefully, it can benefit you as it has benefited me. Enjoy.

Gluten Free Roasted Banana Cake

Ini resep yang belom sempet saya post udah keburu jadi produk jualan. Saya jualnya by the name Roasted Banana Cake and you will find out why. Yang saya post ini resep asli dari A Clean Bake, plus catatan modifikasi saya. Jadi kamu bisa modif sendiri based on resep aslinya, atau plek ketiplek ngikut versi saya, monggo dansa reggae 😄.

Dalam perjalanan menemukan resep banana bread ini, saya mendapatkan rahasia bikin banana cake yang top markotop, selain pisang yang harus udah mateng banget. Pastikan kamu baca notes di bawah ya. 

Semoga bermanfaat.

Oya, kalo kamu scroll ke bawah banget, kamu akan ketemu Story Behind the Recipe yang gemesin 🤣. 

Gluten Free Banana Bread

Source: https://acleanbake.com/classic-banana-bread-gluten-free/
Modified by Riana

Ingredients:

No-Recipe Chocolate Banana Popsicles (Vegan & Naturally Sweetened)

Some recipes start with hunger. Others, nostalgia.

This one started with a photo of watermelon popsicles on Pinterest, from some stranger who so kindly shared and inspired, and a random question:

Why haven’t I ever made these?

I’ve made frozen banana ice cream before. But never popsicles. And lately I’ve needed something snacky—cool, light, not too sweet, yet rich enough to indulge with. So this just... happened.

Didn’t follow any recipe. Just instinct and whatever was in my kitchen.

I threw in:

Frozen Granola Bars - No Mixer, No Oven, No Guilt

When granola started gaining popularity in Indonesia a few years ago, I got curious. Everyone claimed it was a healthy snack—rolled oats, raw honey, dried fruits. But then I realized: most of it was baked. Meaning, those beautiful enzymes in raw honey—gone. Antioxidants from dried fruit—toasted into oblivion. You’re mostly left with sugar and fiber. Store-bought versions didn’t help either—often packed with brown sugar, additives, even trans fat disguised behind a wholesome label. Oh, dear.

Then one slow scroll on Pinterest led me to this frozen granola bar recipe by Love & Lemons—and the rest is history. I’d never even imagined that granola bars could be frozen instead of baked. But here it was: simple, no pretension, truly healthy, and incredibly easy to make. Best part of it: No oven. No mixer. No drama.

Is it good?

It is uh-may-zing! Sweet, salty, nutty, chewy. Think caramel chocolate bars, but with oats and crushed peanuts—soft, satisfying, and kind to your tummy. I snacked on them on a beautiful, purply, slow afternoon... and again late at night before bed. Zero guilt. In fact—ahem—it helped digestion the next morning. 😌

Why I love this recipe

I’ve been baking since I was 6 years old, and believe me, I’ve seen how “healthy” snacks can be loaded with the not-so-healthy. So I made a few intentional tweaks to keep this one clean and honest:

Yorkshire Pudding: the Secret is NOT in the Recipe

Finally, success!

The failed one :D

Long, long time ago, I baked Yorkshire pudding once. Mekar seadanya, tarok di blog biar bisa ikutan event online World Bread Day: After Hours Party. Lumayan happening kala itu di kalangan foodblogger Gen X. Ahemmmm...

Beberapa tahun yang lalu sering bikin adonannya, tapi digoreng! And you know, it's delicious! Minyak memang enak 😄

Now the triumph finally arrived! Akhirnya bikin lagi properly — ngembang maksimal, dry crunchy on the outside, kopong tapi ada lelembutannya di dalam. Gurih, eggy, enak.

My Personal Review

Tekstur mirip kulit kue sus, tapi ngaret kayak roti. Maybe because I used a blender to mix the batter? I don’t know. I figured, kalau disiram gravy memang bakalan enak banget.
But nevertheless, tetep enak, nyenengin, gampang bikinnya, seru ngeliat mekarnya di oven. Therapeutic, even.

The Real Secret

Now Perfected.

Photo mat by Ria Nirwana

The chewy chocolate chips cookies recipe was perfected! Alhamdulillah..
It uses bread flour to produce to chewy texture, but it tends to dry quickly after a few days. So the best way is to bake fresh, to finish in like 2 days. You can stock the dough in the fridge and bake fresh each time.

Secrets:

• Bread flour
• Store dough in the fridge for at least 4 hours or overnight
• Good vanilla
• Do not omit the salt
• Use real butter, not margarine, not butter substitute, not butter blend, not recombined butter
• Use real chocolate chips. The one with cocoa butter. Not palm compound.

I hope you like it like I do. Trust me, it's perfect :)

Ka'ak. Nigella sativa Cookies.

Dalam Ash-Shohihain diriwayatkan hadist dari Ummu Salamah dari Abu Hurairah R.A, bahwa Rasulullah SAW bersabda:  

“Hendaklah kalian mengkonsumsi Habbatus Sauda’, karena didalamnya terdapat kesembuhan dari setiap penyakit, kecuali saam. Sedangkan saam artinya kematian.”  

Imam Bukhori juga meriwayatkan hadist dari Aisyah R.A bahwasanya ia mendengar Nabi SAW bersabda; ”Sesungguhnya Habbatus Sauda’ ini merupakan obat bagi setiap penyakit, kecuali saam. Aku bertanya, “Apakah saam itu?” Beliau menjawab, “Kematian.” 

Dalam riwayat Muslim: “Tidak ada suatu penyakit, kecuali penyembuhannya ada didalam Habbatus Sauda.”

So happy this morning, finding out Photoscape X was just released. Alhamdulillah. :*

These are middle-eastern cookies called Ka'ak, made by Nadrah Shahab. It has habatussauda (Nigella sativa), cardamom, spikuk spices (mix spices), and canarium nuts. If I was to make it, in syaa Allah, I will add cinnamon and a dash of nutmeg and omit spikuk spices. Just a personal preference.

I love that habatussauda brings heat and intensity, and loads of health benefit, which beautifully characterized the rather sweet and crumbly cookies. The specks of black seeds here and there created pretty sight, too.

PennyLane Chocolate Fudge Cookies

The first post of this cookie was back in 2008. I have nothing to say except that I never bake chocolate cookies any other way anymore. Crackly outside, fudgy inside. Strong chocolate, vanilla, coffee. Lavished with almond and canarium nuts. A keeper ever-since.

I sell these on mood basis :). Masya Allah, the whole batch was usually sold out even when they're still in the oven. I never escalated the price per piece since 2008 and one of my customers now already suggested me to do so. Masya Allah, it is THAT good :)

I hope the recipe can benefit you too, and if it puts a smile on your face, my smile will be wider than yours :)

PennyLane Brownies

I've been baking since I was little. My first memory of baking was in the kitchen with my mom, messing up her cake tin with brush and margarine all over. My Mom always had confidence in me, giving me real tasks, like greasing the tins or cookie sheets, sifting the flour, separating the eggs. Real serious tasks. I always had great times with her in the kitchen.

My first big project as a kid was when I was in 2nd grade, about 8 year old, my Mom asked me to bake 6 cakes for a family event, without her supervision whatsoever because she was gone the whole day helping the host to cook everything for the event. Bi idznillah, I delivered well, then she bragged about it to all our relatives the next day, haha. I love you, Mama.

Repost: Wholewheat Snickerdoodles

This very morning the crave for a good cinnamony biscuit hit hard and I remember this wonderful cookies I made back in 2009. Decided to repost because I think eventually I will have to move most of my posts in my archive blog here, just for practical reason. So here is my first repost. 

Expect to see other reposts soon :D

Case Study - Food Photo Session for Soyjoy

For more than a year now my publisher's been kept waiting for my draft. My second book was supposed to be released this year, but realistically speaking, even the end of the year seems pretty ambitious. So when I posted this photo to NCC Food Photography Club on Facebook I thought it would help if I wrote an instruction for this particular session, just to get me going.

So here it is, the first scratch of my upcoming book, "Becoming A Food Photographer."

Hope you enjoy it.

Sweet Perfection

Versi Manis

Jadi, begini.

Banyak orang mencari resep chocolate chips cookies yang sempurna seperti yang dibuat Pepperidge Farm, Mrs. Fields, St. Michael, Famous Amos, atau mungkin kafe mungil di pedesaan Liverpool atau Tuscany. Termasuk saya. Terutama jenis soft baked: berukuran besar, dipanggang setengah matang, empuk agak liat (chewy), berjibun isi, aroma butter dan vanilla, keping cokelat premium, dan.. keriput yang sempurna!

Sepertinya hanya di dunia arkeologi dan kuliner keriput dimaknai sedemikian tinggi :)

Pengembaraan dari resep ke resep, trial demi trial, membawa saya kepada satu kesimpulan. Chocolate Chips Cookies yang sempurna itu mensyaratkan penggunaan banyak bahan yang tidak ingin saya konsumsi. Bahan-bahan non-halal, trans fat, gula berlebihan, penguat rasa, pewarna, pengembang dan pengemulsi. Hampir mustahil bisa dibuat di dapur rumahan dengan pemakaian bahan artificial dan trans fat seminim mungkin.

Meski tabah dan ikhlas menerima kenyataan ini, ada 2 resep yang cukup menawan hati, paling mirip dengan gambaran kukis sempurna. Resep milik Nigella yang sudah saya post di sini, dan resep milik Ashley, salah satu foodblogger favorite saya yang pasti akan segera jadi favorite anda juga.  Kedua resep ini mirip-mirip saja, namun entah kenapa resep Ashley menghasilkan tekstur dan keriput yang lebih cantik. Atau mungkin hanya perasaan saya saja menjelang bulan purnama *eh*.

Sneak Peak and a Gratitude

It's been awhile.

Here I just need to share some photos I took for the next two books by NCC. Some kind of sneak peek, you may say.

Often times I was asked how to capture whole cakes, especially decorated cakes where the decoration must be captured as accurate as possible, without making the photos boring. Here I share some pictures from the upcoming book, they are all whole cakes, all decorated as the book suggested, hoping you can learn from them, same things I learned through one year trying to capture the beauty of 101 minicakes and cupcakes. If there are things you still want to ask, please do ask me, I will be more than happy to assist.

To me now, the previous long process of food photo session becomes much simpler and shorter. And easier, too. Good for my sanity. For one day session containing 5-20 food items to shoot, I used only 1-2 styling theme. So it was similar styling for 5 to 10 items, with small alterations here an there. Not only this strategy simplifies the work significantly, it also makes it easier for our editor and graphic designer to put them all together in one solid design concept. So, everybody's happy, and I hope our readers will be, too.

Oleh-Oleh IJE 2013

- Ketika Silaturahim Dirayakan untuk Masa Depan

Gerimis belum berhenti waktu kaki saya menjejak pelataran JIExpo Hall A, Ahad 22 Desember kemarin. Jam "leyeh-leyeh" hari ini saya ikhlaskan untuk memenuhi undangan seorang teman, menghadiri Indonesia Japan Expo 2013, sebuah event yang diselenggarakan untuk merayakan 55 tahun kerjasama diplomatik dan persahabatan Indonesia dengan negeri matahari terbit ini. Digagas oleh Perhimpunan Persahabatan Indonesia-Jepang, expo ini menyajikan pengetahuan dan hiburan secara menyeluruh tentang segala aspek yang berkaitan dengan kerjasama Indonesia  dan Jepang selama 55 tahun. So, expect anything about Japan, for sure everything will be here.

Sejak dari luar gedung, saya sudah disuguhi pemandangan budaya yang menarik, sebuah fusion antara tradisional dan modern. Pertunjukan Taiko (bedug Jepang) di panggung terbuka, ditingkahi seliweran para remaja mengenakan kostum komik (cosplay) aneka rupa. Ooh, I can feel the cultural energy bursting in the air..

Japan Halal Food Project

Ya, ya, dari sekian banyak hal menarik yang bertebaran sejak pintu masuk, mudah ditebak, makanan adalah yang pertama kali saya tuju, terutama Halal Food Project yang diusung oleh perhelatan besar ini. Sebagai fans berat makanan Jepang, mendengar nama projectnya cukup membuat mata saya berbinar-binar dan perut saya bernyanyi riang, hihihi..

Pepaya Kalimantan

I'm sorry, it was gone before I knew it. Couldn't help myself.

In Balikpapan, East Kalimantan, I came across this pepaya, or papaya as you may know, brought by my dear friend Rina Ahdalina. They call it Pepaya Hawaii. But I don't think it was the same as Pepaya Hawaii I once found being sold at Total Buah. This pepaya was smaller, way smaller, and way sweeter.

In between baking cookies for the next day seminar, we enjoyed spooning these babies and gulping its succulent burning orange meat like monkeys :D

I brought back some of them --so did Nadrah --, and yeah, you can see they're gone very fast.

Indonesian fruits are amazing. I always prefer our local grown fruits from the fake-fresh imported ones. Unfortunately not many of them make it to Jakarta. In many cases they are directly sent overseas to importer countries, usually the best variants in the bunch. And the locals were left with limited stock, only enough for them to eat, not enough crops to be sold to other parts of Indonesia --and Indonesia is indeed a big country.