Make Your Own: Pancake/Baking Mix

I've been hopelessly in love with pancakes most of my life -- specifically Bisquick pancakes. (With warm Mrs. Butterworth's over top.) In my attempt to free my kitchen of as much pre-packaged, processed food as possible (For health and quality reasons, and because stuff made from scratch tastes so much better. Admit it!), I figured there must be some way to duplicate Bisquick. It's basically just flour, salt, and leavening.

After watching Alton Brown's pancake episode on Good Eats, I was determined to try out his "Instant Pancake Mix". I made a big container of it and have been using it for over a year now. The verdict? A success. Not only does it make amazing pancakes (At least as good as Bisquick, if not better. We think they're better.) Plus it's a heckuvalot cheaper than buying Bisquick.

I tried the pancake recipe below using buttermilk (as the recipe calls for), regular milk, half milk/half plain yogurt, and I even tried adding the "melt-in-your-mouth" variation on the back of the Bisquick box. Our favorite was using buttermilk as well as the melt-in-your-mouth add-ins. Steve likes the yogurt ones, too, as they are moister the second day.

You could also use this mix to make my Apple Fritter Pancakes. For a completely different pancake all-together, try Coconut Macaroon Pancakes. It's like eating cookies for breakfast. And for those of you on a gluten-free diet, Janeen's Gluten-Free Banana Almond Pancakes are the bomb. I make them regularly, and I don't even need to eat gluten-free.

The "melt-in-your mouth" variation makes the batter get sort of bubbly and foamy and yields lighter, fluffier pancakes.

I was really temped to pour a whole cup of maple syrup over this stack.

Unfortunately Steve doesn't like his pancakes to float like I do. There's rarely any syrup left on his plate when he's done. Crazy man. And looking at these pancakes makes me want to go downstairs and make more. (P.S. It's 9:30PM. I swear I could eat them every day - any time of day.)

One last note -- Bisquick has oil in it. Well, something that may have resembled oil in a previous life. (What they do to it to turn it into a powder is beyond my comprehension. And a little scary, if you ask me.) This pancake/baking mix doesn't, hence needing to add a little melted butter when you make the pancakes. When substituting this mix in a non-pancake recipe, add about 2 T of oil or melted butter for every cup of mix.

"Instant" Pancake Mix aka Homemade Bisquick
from Alton Brown, Food Network

6 c all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking soda (check expiration date first)
3 tsp baking powder
1 T salt
2 T sugar

Combine all of the ingredients in a lidded container. Shake to mix.

Use the mix within 3 months.


Really, Really Amazing Pancakes
from Alton Brown and the back of the Bisquick box, united and adapted by Natalie

2 eggs, separated
2 c buttermilk
4 T melted butter
2 c "Instant" Pancake Mix, recipe above
butter, for greasing the pan

Optional melt-in-your-mouth add-ins:
1 T sugar
2 T lemon juice
2 tsp baking powder

Because this could potentially dirty up a lot of dishes, do this:

Bowl #1: Melt the butter in a little glass bowl.

Bowl #2: Measure 2 c buttermilk. (I use my 2-cup Pyrex measuring cup for this.)

Separate the eggs, putting the yolk in the butter and the white in the buttermilk. (Yellow with yellow - white with white.) Whisk each bowl thoroughly, then pour the butter mixture into the buttermilk mixture. Whisk to combine.

Bowl #3: Measure 2 c pancake mix into a large bowl. Pour the wet ingredients into this bowl. Whisk all together, but don't over whisk. If you're using the melt-in-your-mouth add-ins, add them now, and gently fold them into the batter.

Let the batter sit for five minutes or so while your griddle or skillet heats up. When cooking surface is sufficiently hot (a drop of water dances over the surface), rub a little butter over it, then drop the pancake batter by about 1/3-cup fulls, or however large you like your pancakes. Cook until bubbles begin to break on the surface and the edges start to look dry. Flip and cook another couple of minutes. Adjust the heat if you need to.

Store on a baking sheet in a 200 degree oven or eat them immediately. Makes 12-18 pancakes, depending on how big you make them.

Nat's Notes:
1. I would shake the mix each time before you use it, just to make sure the ingredients didn't settle and are thoroughly mixed.
2. If you don't have buttermilk on hand, you can do one of three things:
a) If you use regular milk, reduce the amount by 1/2 c or else your batter will be a little runny. The pancakes turn out yummy still.
b) Add 2-3 T of lemon juice or vinegar to 2 c regular milk and let it sit for 5-10 minutes.
c) Use half regular milk, half plain yogurt. This works better in giving the pancakes the "buttermilk twang", but the texture is slightly denser. We liked them anyway and Steve liked these better the next day because they stayed more moist.

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Originally Posted Here