February 9, 2015

My friend Helen gave me this recipe about 10 year ago and it’s something I always have on hand in my refrigerator. It’s a homemade version of Bisquick. We have waffle or pancake fridays at our house and with this mix, it’s a guilt free way to indulge in a special breakfast. Of course, I typically add things like flax meal and chia seeds to the recipe to make it a little more healthy!

This baking mixture can be interchanged with any other recipe using Bisquick. I use it mostly for biscuits, shortcake, dumplings, pancakes or waffles. You need to keep in in the refrigerator or freezer as the oil can become rancid after it is mixed with the other ingredients if left in the pantry. I typically mix up a batch and divide it into two gallon size zip lock freezer bags, freezing one for later use. The benefit to this over the store-bought version is no hydrogenated oils or other preservatives.
The recipe calls for King Arthur Flour. I do normally purchase this higher quality flour for this recipe, but any unbleached white flour will suffice. I do not recommend using whole wheat flour for this recipe as it is too heavy for the lighter baked goods like pancakes or waffles. The other ingredients are simple. You will find the powdered milk is fairly expensive – but it has a long shelf life and comes in handy for other recipes too. Be sure you use a big bowl – you need plenty of space to mix all of these ingredients well. I will often use my hands at the end to mix as fingers are the best way to incorporate the globs of flour and oil that form during the process Some clumps are fine, just make sure they aren’t too big.

The best way to find recipes for using this mix is to search online. Bisquick has is own section through Betty Crocker. Here’s the link: www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/…recipes/bisquick-recipes. There are many savory recipes that make easy weeknight dinners using this mix too. When making pancakes or waffles, I do recommend adding a tablespoon or two of wheat germ, oat flour, flax meal or chia seeds when you mix up a batter. It may make the batter a little heavy, but not enough to make a big difference and the benefits of the healthy stuff are worth a little less fluff!

Last, I really think buttermilk is a great item to have in your refrigerator – it lasts a long time! It makes pancakes and waffles taste really good. Almond milk or coconut milk are also good for flavor and they have less sugar than typical cows milk.

Homemade Bisquick

preparation time about 10 minutes

Ingredients

1 (5#) bag King Arthur Flour (14 cups)
1/2 cup + 1 Tbs Baking Powder
1 3/4 cup powdered milk
4 tsp salt
2 1/3 cup vegetable oil (Canola or a blend)

Instructions

Mix all dry ingredients well in a BIG bowl. Stir in oil, blending well with a large spoon. Mix with hands to even out the clumps. Store in refrigerator or freezer and use as needed.

Notes