Pancakes in a Jar
/
On the question of cooking breakfast, I stand firmly in the camp of those who aren't crazy about it. I don't know many people who love to cook as much as I do, but when it comes to breakfast, there doesn’t seem to be enough coffee to possibly get my brain excited about measuring, stirring and baking in the morning. Breakfast must be easy. Oh, and I love pancakes.
More specifically, I love my buttermilk pancakes, but I don't make them very often because, well, it requires movement in the morning. And measuring and thinking and stirring and stuff like that. I'm much more likely to dump some of this scrumptious granola on some yogurt than I am to cook up a big ol' pancake, egg, bacon-y kind of meal at 7 a.m.
But, a couple of weeks ago, in a moment of coffee-induced lucidity, I decided I wanted some pancakes, but wouldn't it be ever so nice if I could make them from a mix? What a brilliant idea... all I have to do is convert my recipe into a mix that I could pull out of the fridge on any given morning, mix in an egg, a little butter and some water, and serve em up whenever a pancake whim might strike. That still might require a little stirring, but somehow it feels do-able.
To be honest, I wasn’t all that optimistic about this idea. I am, I’m afraid, a bit of a snob when it comes to pancake mixes. Not only am I not all that fond of the ingredient lists on most mixes, but they just haven’t ever tasted as fresh and buttermilk-y (sorry) as homemade.
Nevertheless, I forged ahead, and with the help of this buttermilk powder, I think I’ve come up with a mix that has exceeded my (albeit low) expectations. It pains me to say this, but the pancakes I’ve made from this mix taste every bit as good, and yes, maybe even a bit better than my buttermilk pancakes from scratch. I’m not exactly sure how to explain this, but there you have it. Incredibly delicious buttermilk pancakes. From a mix.
We’re pretty happy about the outcome of my little experiment. If it means more pancakes in his life, the Husband is down with it. If it means less time cooking in the morning, I’m all in. The best part is that it also means some incredibly scrumptious buttermilk pancakes and more time for coffee in the morning. Here’s the recipe…
PANCAKES IN A JAR
Click here for a printable recipe
You shouldn't have any trouble finding the buttermilk powder; I found it on the baking aisle at Target. I like to add a little whole wheat pastry flour to my pancakes, but if you prefer not to, just use all white flour. In addition to the mix recipe to keep on hand in your fridge, I have also given you the recipe for a single batch if you would like to try it out before committing to the larger amount. But I think you'll be convinced... these are some pretty awesome pancakes. This mix will keep several weeks in the refrigerator.
I think that 1 cup of water minus a tablespoon or two makes the perfect pancake. If you like your pancakes thick, only add 3/4 cup of water. You can add more water if you want to thin them down. As always, in order to make the perfect pancake, make sure your baking powder is fresh. Feel free to eliminate the pastry flour and just use all purpose flour.
Pancake Mix: (makes 3 batches of pancakes)
3 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
½ cup whole wheat pastry flour
3 tablespoons baking powder
3 tsp salt
3 tablespoons sugar
1 ¼ cups buttermilk powder
Pancake Mix for one batch:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
5 tablespoons of buttermilk powder
To make pancakes: (makes about 9-10 pancakes)
1 ½ cups mix (or the single-batch mix above)
1 to 1 1/4 cups water
1 egg
3 tablespoons melted butter
Whisk together all of the pancake mix ingredients, being sure to combine the ingredients thoroughly. Store in a covered jar or tupperware in the refrigerator.
To make the pancakes...
Heat a griddle or skillet over medium high heat until a drop of water skids along the surface.
While your pan is heating, place the butter in a medium bowl and microwave for a few seconds until melted. Whisk in the water and the egg. Whisk in the pancake mix until just combined. Add more water (a couple tablespoons at a time) if the batter is too thick. It should be more spoon-able than pour-able.
Either melt a little butter or lightly coat the griddle with cooking spray. Ladle the mix onto the hot griddle (about 1/4 cup for each pancake). When little bubbles form on the top of the pancake, flip and cook for about 2 more minutes, depending on the heat of your pan.
Remove to a serving plate and keep warm. Repeat with the rest of the batter, being sure to grease the pan before each batch.
Serve with butter, syrup or your favorite jam (I also like to top mine with chunky applesauce sprinkled with cinnamon sugar).
