Homemade Pancake Mix

Breakfast, as we all know, is the most important meal of the day.  It jumps-starts our metabolism and provides our brains with the nutrients we need to work and think throughout the day.  Unfortunately for me, it's my least favourite meal to make, and one I often find myself overlooking in the hustle and bustle of the morning.  For me, that is, not the boys, who always clamor down the stairs bright and early in search of food.  I also find it to be the meal for which I have the least amount of culinary creativity.  Sleep seems to remove all creative thoughts from my mind and I stumble down the stairs in the morning not feeling eager to fashion some food.

Enter my "pancake-mix-in-a-jar" idea.  I love to keep one of these jars of homemade fluffy pancake mix on hand, which, in a pinch, allows me to put together a hot breakfast with ease and speed.  All of the dry ingredients are combined in a glass container and stored in the fridge.  I get three mornings worth of pancakes with this recipe, and all I need to do in the morning is measure out the mixture and add a few wet ingredients.  My kind of simple morning food. 

Now, let's talk about the pancakes themselves.  I love these for their rich flavour and hearty taste.  Toasted oats bring a golden hue and nice crunch to the mixture and the ground flax meal offers a nice splatter of texture throughout.  Adapted by adding chocolate chips, fresh blueberries or crunchy nuts to the bowl, you can create an entire colour palette by customizing the base ingredients.

Seeing that today is Pancake Tuesday we made these for breakfast, of course.  For some variety I added handful of granola to the bowl before pouring in the wet ingredients.  This was met with complete unhappiness from Jackson, total indifference from Ben and loving praise from Rob. 

Ah, you've got to love mornings!

Homemade Whole Wheat Pancake Mix (in a jar)

1 cup rolled oats

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

1/4 cup ground flax seed

3 tbsp brown sugar

4 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

• Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees.  Place the oats on a cookie sheet and bake for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven, set aside and allow to cool.
• Combine all ingredients, including cooled oats, in a bowl and mix well.  Store mix in refrigerator for 2 weeks, or the freezer for 3 months.
  

To make pancakes:

•  In a small mixing bowl whisk together 1 egg, 1 tbsp olive oil, 3/4 cup milk and 1 tsp vanilla.  Stir in 1 cup of the homemade pancake mix.  Let mixture stand for 2 minutes.
  
• In a non-stick pan set over medium high heat, drizzle a small amount of olive oil to coat the pan. Using a 1/4 cup measure, pour the batter into the pan.  Cook for approx. three minutes or until bubbles break the surface.
• Turn the pancakes with a spatula and cook until the bottom is slightly browned.  Repeat with remaining batter until all of the pancakes are cooked.

Comments

[Molly]

So I've been meaning to whip up a batch of this for, let's see, forever. Homemade bread, souffles, ten thousand cookies all got in the way. Seriously, can't be that hard, right?! Thanks for the nudge -- perfect for a snow day!

[Lori]

Sounds great and so easy. I have a similar one that I frequently use.
Why do you toast the oats? Have not seen this before?

Cheers,
Lori

[Jan Scott]

Hi Lori - I just like to make things difficult for myself!  Just kidding - I only toast the oats because I like the nutty flavour of toasted oats.  You could definitely make this without the toasting.  Just combine all the ingredients together and skip that first step.

[Jan Scott]

I hope you like them...we sure do, and I can totally understand how so many other recipes get in the way!

[kerry]

Oh, this looks great Jan and really easy. I have a homemade "baking mix" that I usually have in a large bag in the fridge. It has shortening and dry milk powder mixed in. This looks so much easier to do. I'll have to give it a try soon! Thanks!

[Ginger & Pickle]

awesomeness!!!! being from holland I always eat thin pancakes - but my hubby likes fluuffy ones - these sound so yummy and healthy and different! thanks Jan!

[Julie]

I knew there was something I liked about you! I've been making my own grainy pancake mix for years... I don't think I've ever posted about it though! Great minds...

[Laura]

This might seem like a really silly question but why does it have to be refrigerated?

[Jan Scott]

Hi Laura - Not silly at all.  It really just ensures a longer shelf life.  All grains and wheat should be stored in sealed plastic or glass containers or ideally in a cool storage spot, like the fridge or even in a ziplock bag in the freezer.

[Valerie]

Finally, a vegan pancake mix that sounds easy to put together! Thanks!!

[Bethany]

? Why does it need to be refrigerated?

[Jan Scott]

Hi Bethany - Keeping it in the refrigerator just prolongs the shelf life of the product.  It doesnt have to be, but grains and flour are best if kept in cooler temperatures.

[momof3]

Hi Jan!! Sounds great. I am going to try it out and cook some up for breakfast tomorrow. i was wondering can we use buttermilk?

[Jan Scott]

Hi!  I bet buttermilk would be fantastic.  This week Ive been stirring a cup of pumpkin puree into the batter as well and its been great.

[Heather]

Hello - these pancakes were delicious!

I wanted to let you know that I've linked to this post from my site: http://www.significantlysimple.com/2010/11/shipping-holiday-gifts.html

Thank you :)

[Jan Scott]

Hi Heather - Im so glad you liked them.  Thanks for the link!

[smily]

Hiya, I'm doing something very similar but with hazelnut meal and almond meal instead of the wheat flour and storing in tiny ziplock bags so it's quick and easy to make enough for one person in the morning. Do you think it would be possible to mix in the wet ingredients and store or would that be a silly idea?

[Jan Scott]

I think I would only add the wet ingredients when youre ready to make the pancakes :)

[Kristy]

Just made these. Love them. So healthy and delicious!