Think outside of the BOX, literally! REAL Buttermilk Pancakes!

Yes, I know, the boxed pancake mixes are super convenient. I mean, "just add water" sounds pretty darn good on Saturday morning when you're feeling lazy but still want a fresh hot cake or two (or 3). Well, what if you made yourself some REAL pancake mix ahead of time, froze it in a zip top bag, and then popped it from freezer to fridge on Friday so that when you wake up on Saturday you don't even need a single mixing bowl or spoon!

It's time to think outside the pancake-mix box and really enjoy your Saturday morning breakfast!

Recipe & Ingredients: (makes about 18 pancakes)

Printable Recipe

• 3 eggs (separated, which means yolks in one bowl, whites in another)
• 1 2/3 cups buttermilk (recipe to follow to make your own!)
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 1/2 cups of flour (I've done 1 cup white flour + 1/2 cup whole wheat flour for extra fiber)
• 1 Tbls. sugar
• 3 Tbls. melted UNsalted butter

Start by beating the only egg yolks until they are a pretty, pale yellow (use some elbow grease with a wisk, or a handmixer on low). Beat in buttermilk & baking soda, mix well. Now you will incorporate baking soda, salt, flour and sugar into the egg/buttermilk mix...best way to do this is to use a sifter if you have one, mixing as you add, be sure the batter is pretty smooth.

In another bowl, beat the egg whites until they get "stiff" (this may take about 3-5 minutes depending on the size of your guns, you might as well get a workout, right!?) If you don't know what I mean by stiff, see the pic to the right, they should be kind of foamy/fluffy. Now with a rubber spatula, "fold" egg whites into the batter until everything looks combined ("folding" rather than straight up "mixing" will allow the egg whites to keep their fluffiness). Let the batter hang out for 15-20 minutes, maybe do your dishes while you wait. OR if you're going to freeze the batter, ladle it into a large zip top bag, trying to get all the air out and seal tightly.

When you're ready to brown your cakes, make sure you have a non-stick, flat pan on medium-high heat. I like to use a real "griddle" type pan for pancakes, but a pan is pan! If you tried the zip top bag option (this is great), just snip the tip/corner of the bag and you can just pour the batter out onto your pan, or ladle batter directly from bowl to griddle. Wait a few minutes, until bubbles start to form and then flip to brown the other side. Enjoy with some powdered sugar or syrup!

Buttermilk: No need to go to the grocery store for buttermilk, I've used this recipe a few times and was successful!

You Could Also Try...

• If you're REALLY fancy and can prep this ahead of time, save and clean an old Ketchup bottle, ladle the batter into that and then you can just squeeze the batter from the bottle directly onto the griddle- you'll get perfect sized cakes everytime!


• Smaller pancakes are easier to flip if you're a beginner


• Toss in some chocolate chips or blueberries to your batter for a new tasty treat!


• Keep your pancakes warm in the toaster oven on low, while you continue to cook.


• Having sausage links with your pancakes? Roll a pancake around the sausage link, for a breakfast style "pig in the blanket".