Basic Pancake Mix – Updated
I think I’ve mentioned before how much I love pancakes – specifically Bisquick pancakes. 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 testing it out for the past month or so. 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.) 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.
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.)
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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carol — October 21, 2008 @ 2:55 pm
Okay, I have no idea how I did this, but I clicked on your pancake recipe on my reader and thought I clicked on Pioneer Woman’s page. I was like, “yum i like pancakes. i might have to try these.” then I clicked on pioneer woman’s and thought it was yours. the only problem? she is making something with whiskey. I read the little intro and she was like, “i’ll kick the whiskey after thanksgiving…” and i kept thinking, “natalie is pregnant…why would she do this to herself and her baby? What is she thinking!!!” then I realized I am having a breakdown in mental function and laughed at myself. A typical morning here. but i thought I would tell you I’m glad you’re NOT on the sauce whilst pregnant, and that those pancakes look divine.
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Chelsea — October 22, 2008 @ 4:36 pm
These look SO good. I had a hankering for chocolate chip pancakes last week and I made them, but by the time they were done, i could only eat 1.5 and the rest went in the garbage. I think I need to try your recipe. Mine were really heavy. Maybe I’ll add pumpkin to it for a little fall flavor (or maybe just pumpkin pie spice).
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Andrea — February 14, 2009 @ 10:57 am
So I tried these today. I thought I would make a Valentine’s breakfast and add red food coloring to everything. Well, it turned out to be Valentine’s lunch, but it was really good. We added strawberries, whipped cream, you know, the works. Everything was red!!
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Natalie — March 31, 2009 @ 5:20 am
So… a friend of mine tried these with regular milk and the batter ended up being runny, so I changed the footnote above. If you use regular milk in these, reduce the amount by 1/2 c! Sorry Kathryn!
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Krzysztof — June 9, 2012 @ 11:34 pm
I’m pretty sure I ate a bagel every day my seionr year in high school either pb&j or cream cheese and jam because that was the easiest thing to eat driving (late) to school!
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Kerry — August 14, 2012 @ 5:20 pm
I just made these pancakes for supper tonight and they were amazing!! Love your recipes.
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