The simplicity of homemade pancake, waffle mix!

At least once every weekend, pancakes are requested for breakfast at our house.  They are a perfect breakfast food – prepared in just minutes, and filling to the hungry mouths we feed.

However, I have to admit, I had always been a Bisquick kind of girl when it came to pancakes.

I thought by adding in milk and eggs along with water to the mix –  I was making them healthy enough. And for an extra bonus, I usually threw in a special ingredient or two to make them more ‘home made’.

I never gave preparing pancakes any other way a second thought.  It was easy and everyone loved them.

That was until one morning when I reached for the box – and all that was left was the little bit in the bottom of the plastic bag that is not quite enough to make a batch – but too much to waste.

So I read the ingredients to see if I could make my own and boy was I shocked. Who knew that the original mix continued to have a source of trans-fat — partially hydrogenated soybean and/or cottonseed oil.  I definitely didn’t have that ingredient on any of my shelves.

So with a house full of teenagers that would be arising at any minute, I had to come up with my own version of a dry pancake mix.

I was astounded by how easy it was to prepare – literally taking me less time than it would to find my car keys to head to the grocery store to pick some up.

And definitely at a fraction of the cost.  Now we make enough to have on hand at all times.  Stored in an air tight container and placed in a cool dark place, it will last up to 6 months.

So the biggest question now is how do I want to top the pancakes??? (See our blueberry syrup recipe – my personal favorite).

Pancake/Waffle Dry Mix Recipe

*Makes 4 batches of pancakes (approximately 12 pancakes per batch)

Ingredients:

4 cups of all purpose flour

3 Tablespoons baking powder

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

3 Tablespoons sugar

Instructions:

1. Mix all dry ingredients into a large bowl.  Whisk together until well incorporated.

2. Yes, that is really all you do.  Store in air tight container until ready to use.  Will store for up to 6 months in a cool, dark place.

To Make Pancakes:

Mix 1 cup of dry pancake mix with 1 large egg, 1 cup of milk (or buttermilk), 1 teaspoon of butter together just until combined.

Do not overmix – batter will be lumpy.

Let batter sit for a few minutes if time allows (this will make the pancakes more fluffy).

Place 1/3 cup of batter onto a medium-hot griddle – you can lightly butter it to prevent sticking if desired.

When batter begins to bubble up in the middle, flip (3-5 minutes). Cook other side until golden brown.  Top as desired.

***We prefer to add 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract and 1 teaspoon of cinnamon to our batter.  Feel free to add chocolate chips to the batter or top the pancakes with fresh fruit and pure maple syrup.

To Make Waffles: Prepare waffle iron as instructed by the manufacture’s instructions.  Prepare batter the same as for pancakes, except decrease milk to 3/4 cup for the waffle batter.

***If you haven’t tried chicken and waffles – you don’t know what you are missing! Absolutely delicious!!

Enjoy!

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Mary and Jim