Best pancake mix?

[mayuchico]

I have been looking for the best buttermilk pancake mix for a while. My favorite one is of Eggn'thing buttermilk pancake mix from Honolulu. Does anyone know good brand? Regular brands such as Bisquick is too salty.

[John E.]

Cook's Country/America's Test Kitchen came up with a homemade pancake mix that has malt powder in it. We prefer it to Bisquik which is what we used to use. We have used it to make the Bisquik Velvet Crumb cake minus the streusel topping which we use for strawberry shortcake. We prefer that to pound cake or Angel food cake as it is quite easy to put together quickly.

http://onehungrymama.com/2010/04/make...

[iL Divo]

mayuchico, forgive because I know you didn't ask this. > my favorite mix (but for Belgium waffles) is Krusteaz they do make for pancakes too but never tried it.
+1 for Eggs'n'Things.....our daughter adores their banana pancakes, me I could drink the jug of their coconut syrup (but they've never let me)

[MHammond79]

My number one mix is Aretha Frankenstein's Pancake Mix. It has an amazing texture and taste, so much so that it really ruins the other mixes when you go back and try them again. You have been warned!

[fmed]

I like Snoqualmie Falls Pancake and Waffle mix. I can't get it here locally, but my mom buys me some when she shops across the border into the US.

[RelishPDX]

Since this thread has been revived, I'll put my vote in for Snoqualmie Falls brand too. It has a something extra taste to it that I can't put my finger on, so it's probably some sort of industrial flavor enhancer. Regardless, it's the best out there.

[ECarter74]

Our absolute favorite is Aretha Frankensteins Pancake Mix. Truly the best we've tried yet. We had it in New York staying with some friends - he's a chef and swears by this mix.

[duotowers]

The very best buttermilk pancake mix is New Hope Mills. Can't beat it unless you like their buckwheat mix

[4Snisl]

YES! Love New Hope Mills- both the buttermilk and buckwheat mixes....haven't tried their "complete" mixes yet. Any difference in quality of the finished product?

[ChrisOC]

We like Krusteaz, plain, blueberry and also the Belgian Waffle mix

[mike259]

The best buttermilk pancake mix is Gold Medal Buttermilk Pancake Mix made by general foods. I get it in restaurant depot. I have not seen it in regular grocery stores. This is what the restaurants and diners use. Search it online. It is absolutely the best.

[EWSflash]

I'm so glad to see that nobody said "Krusteez" so far. My in-laws swear by it and I think i've had cake that was far less sweet, but they're big into sweets so I'm not surprised..

I always used the Joy of Cooking hotcake recipe and my homemades are always industrially tough. I either need a better recipe or a lighter mixing hand. But we do manage to eat 'em.

[kattyeyes]

HEE HEE...when I see "hotcakes" I think McDonald's...and while they are not gourmet, there is something about "hotcakes and sausage" at Mickey D's! Every once in a while I must have that or a sausage mcgriddle. :)

Another good option for pancakes is Jiffy cornbread mix made into pancakes (or waffles). Love them both. Recently made the corn waffles with chili--excellent combo!

[viperlush]

I love Jiffy pancakes w/ blue berries added. And when I had a waffle iron I loved making Jiffy waffles. I've made my own cornflour batter and I prefer Jiffy. Of course also tastes good w/bacon added.

I am also a fan of the Trader Joes Multigrain Mix.

[cvhound]

I have a bag of frozen blueberries in the freezer and I also have a box of Jiffy mix in the pantry, so I might give this a try this weekend. I've never made anything with Jiffy mix before. How much do you generally add for one box of mix? Do you just add the blueberries to the batter? Thanks!

[viperlush]

Half cup? One cup? I just add to the batter until I think there are enough.

[cvhound]

Will give it a try this weekend. Thanks!

[Will Owen]

Mrs. O is addicted to Krusteez pancakes, so that's what I use. I generally prefer a mix that has some corn flour in it - I like the savory note it adds - but I could probably add some to the Krusteez mix. I'm subbing in buttermilk for half the water as it is. I put blueberries into the mix for three Sundays in a row; they were fairly huge and of course burst, but it was a nice addition. I will NOT buy the mix with berries added, though.

Aunt Jemima was THE mix of my childhood, whether at home or at any fundraising pancake event we'd go to: Aunt Jemima and Log Cabin reigned supreme.

[acgold7]

Just to torment EWS, I'll add a vote for Krusteaz as well. It's available at Costco, they make donations to your charity if you're doing a pancake breakfast fundraiser, and it only takes water to make the mix, which means you don't have to plan ahead or have anything in the house.

Most importantly, my family loves the pancakes.

I usually make the mix a bit thinner than they recommend, and I also add a dollop of Sour Cream to the mix to give it a more "buttermilky" taste.

Delicious, cheap, easy. You don't usually get all three.

[Will Owen]

Yes, the stuff always needs about a quarter more liquid than is called for, like 7 1/2 ounces instead of 6 for the small recipe. I get about nine cakes from that, which is perfect - four each w/butter and syrup plus one for me to put under a couple of eggs. I do not enjoy sweets and eggs together, see …

[Tripeler]

Another vote for Krusteez if I had to use a mix. It has a great flavor and works very well.

[Cachetes]

We really like this at our house:
http://www.bobsredmill.com/product.ph...

Though, HaagenDazs is encouragement is making me think of doing it from scratch next time.

[HaagenDazs]

Pancake mix isn't very hard to make from scratch. Flour, sugar, baking soda/powder, and a few personal touches (vanilla? salt?) There are plenty of recipes out there. So, you have to add eggs and melted butter and such anyway, why not mix up a few ingredients where you have absolute control over all aspects of quality? Alton Brown has a simple recipe that can be pre-mixed at home and used over time. When you work out the cost of ingredients versus what you actually pay for a box of mix, I think you'll be an instant convert.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/al...

[mayuchico]

Thank you. I think I should make from scratch.

[trentyzan]

One thing that makes it even easier is to go ahead and combine your dry mix and wet ingredients the night before, reserving the egg whites. This lets the flour, etc. fully integrate over time without having to stir and creating tough gluten or not stirring enough and leaving dry lumps. It also lets to baking powder start to lift, and then the next morning just beat the egg whites stiff and fold them in before cooking for extra lift.

[HaagenDazs]

Beaten egg whites are not what AB was instructing when he wrote this recipe. Fluffy egg whites are often used in Belgian waffles, not pancakes. You can do it, but you might end up with inch+ thick pancakes.

Also, baking powder does not need prolonged periods of time like overnight to start to lift. I would go as far as saying it is not advisable to allow baking powder to sit that long - it could potentially putter itself out.

[visciole]

Oh yes whipped egg whites ARE used in pancakes -- mine! I always separate the eggs for making pancakes and it works great. They come out super light and fluffy and everyone swoons, if I do say so. It's extra work, but makes a difference.

By the way, OP, you can use dry buttermilk powder in the mix and then just add water when you go to make the pancakes.

[Justpaula]

Clinton Street Baking Company here in NYC is known to have some of the best pancakes in the city and even do a "Pancake Month" every February. They were highlighted on some TV show a little while back and made their pancakes in a segment. They incorporated a giant mound of fluffy, whipped egg whites. I guess that is one of their tricks. I often think about doing it and then just do it the lazy way.

[Soop]

Hey, you know what, I forgot to put in baking powder last time, and I didn't notice any difference. Actually, they were less round, but I doubt that could have caused it. Don't think they were less fluffy.

And I had some batter left over from the crepes, so I had another ham and cheese one late last night :)

[kattyeyes]

HD: Do you know anything about including malt in pancakes/waffles? While on vacation, we had excellent waffles that touted malt as the special ingredient. I used to have a great mix from the supermarket that included malt, but you're right--pancake mix is easy enough to throw together to do at home...but would recommend malt as a key ingredient. Is malt powder something you can just buy at the store? I never had reason to look for it.

[HaagenDazs]

I'm no pancake expert so I'm not sure about the malt there. I can see it as a worthy addition to waffles though, like you mentioned. Malt powder is an easy thing to find. Health food stores often have it. Of course everything is available online, and malt is pretty cheap. You can make your own malt milkshakes too!

[kattyeyes]

AHA, health food stores--very good. I'll give it a whirl next time I do pancakes or waffles. Thanks! :)

[CDouglas]

Malted pancake mix is fantastic. Here is my favorite brand from Williams-Sonoma:

http://www.williams-sonoma.com/produc...

It makes great waffles too.

[Axalady]

CDouglas, I was just going to post a link to this same product! I think it makes the best waffles ever!

[chowser]

Exactly--and when people start doctoring up premade mix, then it would be just as easy to do it from scratch, better and cheaper. You can easily use powdered buttermilk and that keeps for a long time, if you don't want to have real buttermilk on hand all the time.