Oatmeal Pancake Mix

My kids always want pancakes, but pancake mix is expensive for a little box and not very healthy. You can buy whole wheat mixes, but they cost even more. I've tried home-made mixes before and not been all that impressed, but this one is good and healthy (and is a great way to rotate through your food storage if you have it). My husband likes it better than Krusteaz, so I think that says a lot!

You do have to keep it in the fridge or freezer though b/c it has oil in it and to keep the nutritional value of the wheat flour if you are grinding it yourself.

*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.

What I do: Another way to make buttermilk is to put about 1 1/2 tsp of white or cider vinegar in a 1 cup measure, then fill it up with milk. Let it sit a couple of minutes and it'll be ready. I also always end up adding more than 1 cup mix (an extra 1/4 - 1/2 cup), otherwise its a bit too runny even if you give the oats time to soak up some of the liquid like she says.

Original recipe from www.mykitchencafe.blogspot.com (can you tell this is my new favorite food blog??)