Thursday, July 15, 2010

Homemade Instant Pancake MIx

Correct me if I am wrong, but haven't I mentioned before on my blog that I love breakfast? Ahhh yes, in my scones post, I even wrote an "ode to breakfast". So since I am pretty sure that my faithful readers already know breakfast is my favorite meal, and that I could eat breakfast any time of the day, any day of the week, let's get right into this pancake mix. 


Instead of buying the boxed stuff like Bisquick or Aunt Jemima's I decided I wanted to find a recipe for homemade pancake mix. I turned to my food blogger friend Jen at Beantown Baker and borrowed her recipe from Alton Brown. This mix makes quite a lot. I've already made 4 batches of pancakes and will be able to make about 2 more. If you aren't going to use the mix in three months, keep it in the freezer. I will eat mine up in a month, so didn't have to worry about that. You can add blueberries or bananas or whatever your little heart desires to this mix. It makes very fluffy, thick, belly filling pancakes so Jen recommends adding in a little more buttermilk if you like yours thinner. 


On a side note, I want to thank my friend Andrea for advising me to use a griddle to make my pancakes. I naively thought that because the name is "pan" cake, you should use a pan but this resulted in frustration and lots of either undercooked or burnt pancakes. So now I pull out my trusty indoor grill and get pancake perfection. 
Instant Pancake Mix 
From Beantown Baker and Alton Brown's Good Eats Cookbook
Yields 3 batches of 12 pancakes


Printable Version
Ingredients
6 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 tablespoon Kosher salt
2 tablespoons sugar


Directions
Combine all of the ingredients in a lidded container. Shake to mix. Use within 3 months or store in freezer.
For 12 Pancakes:
Ingredients
2 eggs, separated
2 cups buttermilk
4 tablespoons melted butter (I omitted this after my first batch and they were still yummy)
2 cups instant pancake mix from recipe above
1 stick of butter for greasing pan (I used cooking spray)
2 cups of fresh blueberries, optional


Directions
Heat an electric griddle or frying pan to 350 degrees. Whisk together the eggs whites and the buttermilk in a small bowl. In another bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the melted butter.


Combine the buttermilk mixture with the egg yolk mixture in a large mixing bowl and whisk together until throughly combined. Pour the liquid ingredients on the top of the pancake mix. Using a whisk, mix the batter until it is combined. Don't try to work all the lumps out (this will make your pancakes tough).
Lightly butter the griddle. Wipe off with a paper towel so that no butter is visible. Gently ladle the pancake batter onto the griddle and sprinkle on fruit if desired. When bubbles begin to set around the edges of the pancake and the griddle side is golden, gently flip the pancakes. Continue to cook 2 - 3 minutes or until the pancake is set. 
Serve immediately or remove to a towel-lined baking sheet and cover with another towel. 

5 comments:

  1. Yours look awesome. Thanks for the shout-out!

    I forgot to mention in my post, but we ALWAYS use our griddle. We had an electric one that we loved so much we even took it camping with us! Now we have a griddle built in to our stovetop which is nice, but it's harder to regulate the temperature on a gas stove. But yes, always use a griddle, they'll turn out so much better than in a pan!

    We've been loving these pancakes with fresh strawberries on top!!

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  2. This really is a GOOD pancake mix. I've made this a few times and it makes perfect pancakes every time. Yours look great too- it makes me wish I had some now!

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  3. Ashley, you did make me laugh. In Europe there is no such thing as Bisquick, etc... we have been "making our own" for our whole life. We found that the old church cookbooks from different Women's Guilds (particularly those made in the 70's and before) have provided the best basic recipes yet! Ask old Aunts or Grandma, or yard sales of old dead lady's estate sales. Carry on, you are doing a fabulous job. Cheers from Italy! Dave Zomer

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