Pancakes or waffles with homemade syrup show up on our menu pretty much every week. They're always for dinner. I always make extras. They're always a hit.
I usually serve this breakfast-style dinner with eggs or cheese slices, fruit or juice, and some sort of veggie. I realize that the odd food combo might not sound like it goes together, but it makes me feel better about the nutrition, and the kids don't complain since there's syrup involved.
To make this weekly meal even easier to prepare, I decided I wanted to make a pancake mix. Now, I know that I could simply buy a boxed mix at the store, but I'm too cheap for that. Or, I could use one of those recipes that have been specially developed for mass producing homemade mixes, but we happen to prefer my usual recipe.
My solution was to turn my recipe into my very own mega mix. I enjoy having it ready in the pantry so much that I think I may try putting together a bulk muffin mix next.
Here's how I did it:
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1. Mix together the dry ingredients for one batch.
2. Measure the combined dry ingredients. Now you know how much of your mix you'll need to put with the wet ingredients.
3. Multiply the dry ingredients in your recipe as many times as your storage container will hold.
4. On an index card, write how many cups of mix are needed and list the wet ingredients and any other cooking instructions. I taped my card to the side of the storage container.
5. Enjoy making quick and yummy treats for your family!
This is the pancake recipe my family likes best. This is makes one batch. If you want to turn it into a mix, you'll need to combine two cups of mix with the wet ingredients.
Basic Pancakes (from Joy of Cooking)
Makes about twelve 5-inch cakes
Prepare and preheat your griddle (I don't have a griddle, so my sweet girlie flips our pancakes in a lightly oiled skillet on the stove).
Whisk together in a large bowl:
1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour (I often sub whole-wheat flour for up to half)
3 Tbsp sugar
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
Whisk together in another bowl:
1 1/2 c. milk
3 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
2 large eggs
1/2 tsp. vanilla (optional, but seriously, who doesn't love vanilla in pancakes?!?)
Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients and gently whisk them together, mixing just until combined.
Spoon 1/3 cup batter onto the the griddle for each pancake, nudging the batter into rounds. Cook until the top of each pancake is speckled with bubbles and some bubbles have popped open, then turn and cook until the underside is lightly browned. Serve immediately or keep warm in a 200 F oven while you finish cooking the rest.
If you want to use buttermilk or substitute plain yogurt for the milk, you'll need to add 1/2 teaspoon baking soda to the dry ingredients. The regular recipe makes thinner pancakes, so if you like 'em thick, use buttermilk or yogurt.
Have you ever made up your own baking mixes? Do you have any other tips for making easy meals even easier? Tell us about it in the comments!
This post is linked to Life As Mom.
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