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Writer's pictureMiriam

I Made a Thing - Pancake Mix


a glass jar filled with pancake mix sits on a wooden board in a kitchen.
Almost pancakes.

My favorite pancake recipe by Mark Bittman is below. Jump to recipe.

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Here I am, back after a long break, to inform you that I remain as half-assed as ever at both blogging and homemaking. But I was making some pancake mix to take on a near future getaway and thought, "hey Miriam, do other people make their own pancake mix?"


Google informed me that, yes, of course, other people do. But many make batches of mix to parcel out over many many mornings. Honestly, if we're home, it's as easy for me to reach into the cabinet and grab all of my ingredients than to keep a big sack of mix lying around. Traveling to a cabin or a friend or an Airbnb on the other hand? I'm disinclined to buy or pack ingredients if I can do some of the work up front. I am, after all, a lazy cook at heart and even lazier on vacation.

view of the pages of an open book from the bottom.  The book is laying almost flat and the pages are warped from spills and use.
The spine? Long cracked to just the right page

So pancake mix.


Here's the deal, I'm not going to give you a new recipe, because I am loyal to Mark Bittman's Basic Pancakes recipe in his book How To Cook Everything. If you don't already own it, pick it up at your local bookstore! My copy is well-worn, and there's no section more worn than pancakes.


Here's the secret about pancakes and pancake mix in particular. Literally, any pancake recipe can work for this. If you have a favorite, you should use it. Because all we do when we make a pancake mix is put the dry ingredients into a container to be mixed with wet ingredients later. That's it. Boom, done, you're a magician. (Side note, this also works for brownies, thank me later.)


containers of salt, sugar, flour and baking soda sit on a wooden board next to a quart sized glass jar and a blue funnel.
Gather your ingredients and tools.

So here's what you do. Gather your dry ingredients. In my case, this is all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, and salt.


Also, grab your container. In my case, a quart-sized mason jar works perfectly. I prefer wide-mouth canning jars no matter their capacity as it's easier to get things in and out of them. But use whatever airtight container you have. A plastic zipper bag works just as well. Make sure whatever your final product ends up in has a good seal or you might find yourself looking like you went through a dust storm. Trust me.

A bowl with dry ingredients for pancakes sits on a wooden surface with a whisk in it.  A cookbook and container of sugar are visible around it.
If you're like me, whisk away.

You can, if you're a throw caution to the wind type, pour everything right into your bag or jar and give it a shake. I prefer to get an extra bowl and whisk dirty and mix before moving it to the final container, but you do you. I give it a good stir and then it's time to decant the mix into your container of choice. I grabbed a funnel but gave up on it when I remembered that this kind of mix doesn't lend itself to funneling. If you're nervous about spilling, scooping the mix from the bowl into the jar is fast and easy.


You're done. Congrats, you did it, you have pancake mix for exactly one batch of pancakes. Take it on the road and whip them up if you get a hankering. And if you don't? No problem. That mix will keep for months, essentially for the life of the dry ingredients.


The top of a mason jar with a piece of white paper sandwiched into the lid with wet ingredients and amounts written on it.
Everything else you need to know.

Wait. One final step. You might need a handy way to remember what the wet ingredients are and how much to use. I traced a circle of scrap paper to match the lid of the mason jar. Write whatever information you need and screw it onto the lid. You're ready to roll.


This recipe makes pancakes for about four or five people depending on how hungry they are for pancakes. But pancakes are great leftovers. They can be kept in the fridge or frozen and reheated in a regular toaster. If you do have extra, pop a piece of parchment or wax paper between each pancake to keep them from sticking together, especially if you plan to freeze them.


Happy pancaking!


My favorite pancake recipe is this one,


Basic Pancakes


Ingredients:

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour

  • 2 teaspoons baking powder

  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

  • 1 tablespoon sugar, optional

  • 2 eggs

  • 1 1/2 to 2 cups milk

  • 2 tablespoons melted and cooled butter (optional), plus unmelted butter for cooking, or use neutral oil

1. Preheat a griddle or large skillet.

2. Mix the dry ingredients (your mix if you made it) and the wet ingredients until just moistened.

3. Add butter or oil to the skillet or griddle.

4. Spoon or scoop batter onto the hot surface, you may need to adjust the heat throughout cooking to get evenly cooked pancakes.

5. The pancakes are ready to flip when bubbles begin to break through the surface and the edges appear dry.

6. Flip the pancakes and cook for 2-4 minutes on the other side. Both sides should be golden brown.


Serve with butter, syrup, jam, chocolate sauce, or whatever floats your boat. And love. Also, serve them with love.

❤️

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