Oatmeal Pancake Mix

I love breakfast, big hot breakfasts with the whole family.  But I do not love, or even like, pancakes.  You will never see me order them in a restaraunt and rarely has my family seen me make them.  I am a waffle girl, or even better, as I mentioned before, I am a toast kind of girl.  My family though loves pancakes and I have been very supportive of thier love by always making sure there was pancake mix in the cupboards to satisfy their cravings.  But I really don't like buying mixes when I know I can make a healthier and more budget friendly version...insert my new favorite breakfast recipe.

I found this recipe on one of my favorite food blogs, My Kitchen Cafe and I have to completely agree with the author (who also shares my feelings about pancakes) that this is the best pancake recipe ever. I decided to try this forValentine's Day because I haven't made breakfast for my family in too long.  Once prepared, the mix has a long shelf life. The pancakes have a flavor that  is almost nutty because of the oats and a texture very different from most pancakes I have tried.   Even as a non-pancake lover this is one recipe that I will eat and enjoy with my family.  I have posted her recipe in full below and added my own notes at the bottom.

Oatmeal Pancake Mix
Recipe Source: My Kitchen Cafe

*Makes 10 cups of dry mix

3 1/2 cups rolled (quick) oats
3 cups whole wheat flour
2 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons baking powder
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon baking soda
1 cup vegetable oil

Mix all the dry ingredients together in a mixer with a paddle (or by hand). With mixer on slow speed (or gently by hand), drizzle the vegetable oil into the bowl slowly while the mixer is running. When all the oil has been added, stop the mixer and squeeze a clump of mix in your hand. If it stays together, it is just right. If it is still crumbly, add another tablespoon of oil at a time until the consistency is correct (I've never had to add additional oil). Store in an airtight container for up to two weeks at room temperature or indefinitely in the refrigerator or freezer.

To make the pancakes: whisk together 1 cup of mix, 1 cup buttermilk (a combination of half plain yogurt and half milk will also work), and 1 egg. The mixture may seem thin at first but the oats will soak up the milk as it stands while the griddle preheats. Heat a griddle and drop the batter onto it. When the edges look dry and bubbles come to the surface and don't break, turn the pancake over to finish cooking on the second side. As a sidenote, buttermilk can be frozen indefinitely for future batches of pancakes, so it's worth keeping it around!

*1 cup of mix will make about 6-7 4-inch pancakes.

Recipe Source: Adapted from King Arthur Flour The Baker's Companion

**Cooks's tip--Don't forget that you can substitute 2 tablespons of vinegar and enough milk to make one cup for the buttermilk**


**Cook's changes--I made the mix exactly as the recipe states.  But when it came time to make the batter I found that 1 cup of buttermilk was too much for 1 cup of the mix.  I used two cups of mix for one egg and 1 cup of milk with great results.  Add your liquid slowly and if needed add more pancake mix to firm the batter up if you need to.**