Homemade Pancake Mix

Homemade Pancake Mix

By  Jan from http://mixingbowlkids.typepad.com/family_bites/2010/02/breakfast-as-we-all-know-is-the-most-important-meal-of-the-day-it-jumps-starts-our-metabolism-and-provides-our-brains-with.html

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.

Mixed berry pancakes

Mixed berry pancakes

by najwax0x0x from grouprecipes.com 

2 minutes to make  for Serves 8

Is there anything better than pancakes on the weekend? We don't think so!

• Yummy  simple quick  berries  stovetop

Ingredients

• 1 cup (250g) self-raising flour
• 1 1/2 cups (375ml) buttermilk  
• 40g butter
• 200g frozen mixed berries
• 1 cup (250ml) maple syrup
• 1 vanilla bean, split
• Mixed berries,  extra, to serve

How to make it

• Place the flour in a large bowl and make a well in the centre. Add the egg and buttermilk and stir until well combined. Set aside for 30 minutes to rest.
• Melt half the butter in a large non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Spoon 1/4 cup (60ml) of pancake mixture into the pan and sprinkle with mixed berries. Cook for 1 minute or until bubbles appear on the surface and pancakes are golden underneath. Turn and cook for 1 minute or until golden underneath. Transfer to a plate and cover with foil. Repeat with remaining batter and mixed berries, greasing pan between each batch.
• Place the maple syrup in a small saucepan. Use a small, sharp knife to scrape the vanilla seeds into the maple syrup and add the bean. Place over low heat and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes or until heated through.
• Place pancakes on serving plates and top with extra berries. Drizzle with maple syrup and serve immediately.