This time of the year I’m really busy.
From planting seeds, to transplanting plants, to making soap and other products to fill orders and get ready for the upcoming tailgate market season, I just don’t have the time to cook. I’ll throw in freezer dinners (one that I’ve made ahead from leftovers) or start something in the crockpot, but that’s usually as far as it goes. On rainy days, I’ll mix up a few batches of Make Ahead Mixes so I can save myself a lot of time later.
Basic Baking Mix
I like pancakes and waffles once in a while, and biscuits and other baked items. What I don’t like is the time it takes to get out all the ingredients, mix it up, and clean flour from every surface after I’m done. Thankfully, I’ve found an easier way. Here’s my basic recipe.
NOTE: This is not a gluten free recipe so we’re not able to offer such alternatives.
Ingredients
- 9 cups flour – this can be a mixture of white and whole wheat if desired (find sprouted flour here)
- 2 cups palm oil shortening, coconut oil, or lard (find organic, sustainably sourced palm shortening here and a unrefined organic coconut oil here)
- ¼ cup baking powder (find non-aluminum baking powder here)
- 1 tablespoon salt (find unrefined sea salt here)
Directions
Mix all of the ingredients together, cutting the fat in with a pastry cutter. You can store this in the freezer to keep it fresh. I keep mine in a gallon jar since I use it all the time.
To Use
To use it, take 2 cups of mix and mix it with whatever you like. I know that’s a bit vague, but it’s so versatile that you can do almost anything with it. Here are a few ideas:
Pancakes or waffles: Mix 2 cups of mix with 2 eggs and ⅔ cup milk. Mix just until ingredients are blended. Batter will be lumpy. I add a few tablespoons of sweetener to mine. If batter looks too thick, you can add a tablespoon of milk at a time until you’re satisfied with the consistency.
Biscuits: Mix 2 cups of mix with 1 egg and ½ cup of milk. Mix together until a soft dough forms. Turn out onto a floured board and roll to ½ inch thick. Cut biscuits out and place on an ungreased baking pan. Bake for about 12 minutes or until the tops are light brown. To make drop biscuits, add a bit more milk so the dough is sticky. Drop on a greased or lined baking pan and proceed as above.
Cobbler: Place fruit filling in a greased pan. Make the drop biscuit recipe above, adding 2 tablespoons of organic cane sugar or other natural sweetener. Drop in blobs on top of fruit and bake for about 30 minutes. Test the fruit for doneness and be sure the cobbler topping is golden brown.
Muffin Mix
While the above recipe can certainly be used for muffins (with a few additions), I’ve come up with a muffin recipe that you can add anything to to make any type of muffin you like.
Dry Ingredients
- 1½ cups flour – this can be a mixture of white and whole wheat
- ¾ cup pure cane sugar, coconut palm sugar, or other granulated natural sweetener of your choice
- 1½ tablespoon baking soda
Wet Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract (learn to make your own)
- ⅔ cup applesauce (learn to make your own here)
- 2 eggs, preferably pasture raised
Possible Additions
- Add 1 mashed ripe banana and ½ cup chopped walnuts (find organic walnuts here)
- Add ½ cup drained, crushed pineapple and ½ cup coconut flakes (find organic crushed pineapple here and unsweetened organic coconut flakes here)
- Add 1 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen
- Add ½ cup dried, chopped apricots and ½ cup chopped pecans (find organic dried apricots here and organic pecans here)
- Add ½ cup chocolate chips (find dairy, nut, and soy-free chips here)
- Add ½ cup chopped apples and 1 teaspoon apple pie spice (make your own apple pie spice)
Directions
Mix all the dry ingredients together and store in a jar in the freezer. Remove from freezer the night before and add wet ingredients and your additions in the morning. Mix thoroughly, but don’t over-blend. Batter should be lumpy. Fill muffin papers â…” full and bake for 14-18 minutes at 350°. Depending on the additions used, muffins may need a few more minutes of baking time.
Don’t be afraid to experiment with these. I’ve used oat flour, rice flour (with varying success), and even quinoa flour.
What are some other ways you could use this “make ahead” baking mix?
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Tiffany says
I have been interested in making my own bread. Would this mix be appropriate for that? Thanks!!
Joni says
I made chocolate chip muffins and they have a strong bitter aftertaste, but otherwise tasty. I was also wondering if the baking soda measurement should be in teaspoons.
II says
I tried to re-read carefully to make sure I didn’t miss it, but approximately how many muffins does this make? I am aware that this really depends on the size of your muffin tins/what you put in them, mine normally get filled with 1/4 of batter to meet the “two thirds full” instruction you see in recipes,and I think it would depend on how much they are going to rise too, but do you have a guess?
Kris C says
Just made blueberry muffins using your muffin mix, but they taste quite salty. Wondering if the baking soda measurement should be teaspoons rather than tablespoons?
Renee says
Whoah! Back the truck up here.
Are you telling me that I can use coconut oil instead of crisco in my homemade bisquik?? Whoah! Totally gonna try this. I always have this mix on hand for waffles and biscuits! Try adding grated cheese to buttermilk biscuits. Yum!
barbara craven says
What is the oven temperature for the biscuits?
Debra Maslowski says
In seeing the comments, I just want to set the record straight on palm oil. There is indeed controversy about palm oil. In large amounts, like any other oil, it can be bad for the body, particularly the digestive system. However, a May 22, 2012 article in Time magazine states that palm oil contains tocopherols, vitamin E, that are powerful antioxidants. All of the oil palms have this, especially red palm oil. Dr OZ reiterates this and adds to it saying that it’s one of the most nutritious oils known to man. And like olive and coconut oil, it can help pull fat out of the system if used in cooking.
The other part of the controversy is the ethical issue. Yes, there is a large amount of palm oil that is not ethically harvested, and is helping to destroy the rain forest. However, there are companies that only use sustainably harvested palm oil. One of those is Spectrum Foods. I have used their products for years and will continue to do so knowing this. There is a link to this product in the Baking Mix recipe.
Keesha Doss says
Very handy information! Thanks!
Mary Andrusyk says
These are great recipes to help save time from making single batches every time someone wants a baked treat. I noticed palm oil as a suggestion in the pancake mix. Like all your oils, be sure it’s sustainably harvested.
Betsy Jabs says
Yup, just like it says in the recipe. There is a link where you can find sustainably sourced palm oil. 🙂