How I Became a Mixtress

Thinking back, I can clearly remember what got me into homemade mixes. It was an industrial-sized box of Aunt Jemima’s “Complete” Buttermilk Pancake Mix purchased at a local warehouse store.

My youngest son was still a toddler then and was acutely addicted to a relentless diet of pancakes, crepes and waffles. Pancakes in particular (silver dollar as well as the traditional stack size) were seeing a lot of action.

Naturally, I started off the Pancake Era with good intentions, using nothing but homemade batter, but pretty soon I tired of mixing up the inevitable flour, baking powder, salt, sugar and all the rest three and four times a day.

Fine, then; pancakes the little lad wants, pancakes he shall have, only they had to be convenient. So it came to pass that I purchased (gasp!) a mix.

Then one morning, in one of those glazed stupors that can overtake a fatigued mom at any given moment, I found myself intently pondering the back of the Aunt Jemima box. “Why couldn’t it come in both buckwheat and buttermilk variety?” I wondered. You could get buttermilk, or you could have buckwheat but no “buttermilk/buckwheat.”

And what was in the list of ingredients anyway, I thought, that I couldn’t replicate? Some mystic, unusual, inaccessible specialty item, I was willing to bet. But no, bless Aunt Jemima, after examining the box’s list of ingredients, I found absolutely nothing that was too exotic.

Then it hit me. If this 2-pound box only contained the usual dry pantry items, why not make my own mix? With a little sleuthing, I could very well have my buttermilk/buckwheat combination or any other I cared to manufacture.

I launched into mixes, as I do every other culinary task, with maniacal gusto, and soon, the homemade Multi-Grain Pancake and Waffle Mix inspired a host of others.

Every attempt was not a success--those that took as long to reconstitute as they did to make entirely from scratch I tossed aside. Ditto for mix creations that relied on large amounts of shortening, such as pantry cookie mixes. I like butter in my cookies and think it takes relatively little time to make up a batch of fresh Toll House cookies anyway. The better solution as far as cookies go is to make extra dough and freeze it, a la Pillsbury, in logs.

Essentially, the mixes I liked best were those that made foods I regularly wanted to eat, such as pancakes. And I liked those that were versatile, such as the muffin mix, which hosted just about any fruit admirably.

The next time someone asks you the classic question “Is it from scratch or is it a mix?” You can proudly, (and honestly) answer: “Both!”

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Check Your Pantry

Before beginning any of these recipes, take a look at your pantry to make sure you have all the ingredients required. When dealing in dry mixes, you will find yourself consuming quite a bit of baking powder, salt and flour, so stock up rather than run the chance of coming up short in the middle of a recipe.

You might notice that the mixes call for dry buttermilk powder, available at most supermarkets. Buttermilk is acidic and reacts with the leavening agent baking soda once water is added to produce the air bubbles that make pancakes, scones and biscuits light. If you prefer, you can substitute the same amount of dry skim milk powder for the buttermilk powder.

Baking soda and baking powder can lose their effectiveness; always make sure your leavening agents are fresh before using them--check the dates on the can or box.

Look for buckwheat flour and corn flour at health-food stores. Buckwheat flour is also available from the Baker’s Catalogue, (800) 827-6836, as are malt powder and vanilla powder. The catalog Web site is https://www.kingarthurflour.com. If not using vanilla powder, add 1 teaspoon pure vanilla when reconstituting.

Multi-Grain Buttermilk Pancake and Waffle Mix

Active Work and Total Preparation Time: 20 minutes

Although this calls for some seemingly exotic ingredients (malt powder), the result is a perfectly balanced pancake and waffle mix that a Vermont bed and breakfast would be proud to serve. Incidentally, malt seems to be the secret ingredient of the commercial pancake and waffle makers. For ground oatmeal, grind oats in a food processor a couple of minutes. For an even more convenient mix, you can cut 3/4 cup shortening into the dry mix. Omit oil when reconstituting. This is more convenient but calls for the use of a hydrogenated fat. You can use solid butter in the dry mix (same amount as the shortening) but then the mix must be frozen. See the pantry sidebar for information on finding some of these ingredients.

4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1 cup whole-wheat flour

3/4 cup buckwheat flour

1/2 cup corn flour

1/4 cup cornmeal, preferably stone-ground

1/4 cup ground oatmeal

1 cup buttermilk powder

2 1/2 tablespoons baking powder

1 tablespoon baking soda

2 tablespoons vanilla powder, preferably pure

3/4 cup sugar

1 1/2 tablespoons salt

1 tablespoon malt powder, optional

* Combine all-purpose, whole-wheat, buckwheat and corn flours with cornmeal, ground oatmeal, buttermilk powder, baking powder, baking soda, vanilla powder, sugar, salt and malt powder in large bowl with stiff wire whisk. Store in airtight containers or resealable plastic bags. Makes about 9 cups.

Pancakes

Active Work and Total Preparation Time: 20 minutes

You can turn this recipe into one for waffles by doubling the ingredients and following the manufacturer’s directions for your waffle iron.

1 cup Multi-Grain Buttermilk Pancake and Waffle Mix

1/2 to 2/3 cup water

1 egg

2 tablespoons oil or butter, melted plus more for greasing

* Stir pancake mix together with water, egg and oil. Add more water, if necessary, to make a soft pourable batter.

* Pour 1/4 cup batter for each pancake onto greased griddle set over medium-low heat. Cook until top of pancake is bubbling and underside is lightly browned, 1 to 2 minutes. Flip and cook until pancake is set, 1 to 2 more minutes. Serve immediately or keep warm.

8 pancakes. Each pancake: 92 calories; 206 mg sodium; 28 mg cholesterol; 4 grams fat; 11 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams protein; 0.08 gram fiber.

Master Muffin Mix

Active Work and Total Preparation Time: 15 minutes

10 cups unbleached flour

1 cup buttermilk powder

6 cups light brown sugar, firmly packed

1/4 cup grated orange zest

8 teaspoons baking powder

4 teaspoons baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

* Whisk together flour, buttermilk powder, brown sugar, orange zest, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in large bowl. Store by 3-cup quantities in resealable plastic bags or airtight containers. Makes 6 (3-cup) bags.

Streusel-Topped Fruit Muffins

Active Work Time: 20 minutes * Total Preparation Time: 45 minutes

You can vary the fruit for these muffins. Use coarsely chopped cranberries, banana chunks, semi-frozen blueberries, diced apples, chopped dates or a combination.

3 cups Master Muffin Mix

1/2 cup oil or 1/2 cup melted butter, plus melted butter for greasing

1 cup water

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups fruit chunks

3/4 cup Freezer Streusel

* Stir together muffin mix, oil, water, egg and vanilla. Fold in fruit. Divide batter among greased 12 muffin cups. Top each muffin with 1 tablespoon Freezer Streusel. Bake at 375 degrees until toothpick inserted in center of muffin comes out clean, 25 minutes.

12 muffins. Each muffin: 166 calories; 79 mg sodium; 19 mg cholesterol; 10 grams fat; 18 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams protein; 0.13 gram fiber.

Freezer Streusel

Active Work and Total Preparation Time: 15 minutes

I make this once or twice a year (doubling or quadrupling the recipe). That way I always have ready-to-use topping for muffins, sour cream coffee cakes or quick breads. This freezes almost indefinitely.

1 cup chopped walnuts

1 1/2 cups brown sugar, firmly packed

1/4 cup unbleached flour

1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg (optional)

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/2 cup (1 stick) very cold butter, cut into 8 chunks

* Place walnuts, brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and vanilla in work bowl of food processor. Pulse briefly to combine. (Prepare in 2 batches, if necessary.) Add butter chunks and process to make a coarse, crumbly mixture. Store in resealable plastic bags or airtight container in freezer.

3 to 3 1/2 cups streusel. Each tablespoon: 61 calories; 28 mg sodium; 5 mg cholesterol; 3 grams fat; 8 grams carbohydrates; 0 protein; 0.12 gram fiber.

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Blue Floral apron fron Bristol Kitchens, South Pasadena