Oatmeal Make-Ahead Pancake Mix

A few weeks ago I mentioned how I make pancakes about 5 times a week.  That's no exaggeration.  I'd think my kid's would get sick of pancakes, but they don't!  These are the pancakes my daughter lives for.  Last night in her bedtime prayers she prayed that I would "make the good pancakes again".  I had been trying a different recipe for a few days and I think she was done with that.  Her prayers were answered and this morning these pancakes appeared on her plate.

I love make-ahead mixes because I can make the mix during an afternoon when I don't have much going on so all I have to do is add a few ingredients the morning of and wah-lah: yummy, homemade pancakes to help with those crazy morning rushes.

These pancakes are fluffy and filling.  My husband says 10 times out of 10 he would take this pancake recipe over any iHop pancake any day of the week.  Wow.  You want to give this girl a compliment?  Say that.  Made. my. day.

So fluffy - I love them.

Oatmeal Make-Ahead Pancake Mix
Yield: About 20 cups of dry mix

*Update: The last couple of weeks my pancakes have been clumpier than usual.  There have been a few times when I've bitten into a little ball of mix and that's not very appealing.  I've realized that sometimes I'm adding too much oil.  So I decreased the oil just a little (probably less than 1/8 cup or right around) and they are turning out perfect.  If you're experiencing any clumps maybe give this a try.  Not sure if this picture depicts it, but it's softer and fluffier with less oil.

Ingredients
7 cups rolled (quick) oats
10 cups whole wheat flour
5 tablespoons sugar
6 tablespoons baking powder
2 tablespoon salt
2 tablespoon baking soda
2 cups canola or vegetable oil

Directions
Grind the oats in a blender or food processor.  (If you want to have a little more texture to your pancakes you can leave some of the oats whole.  My kids prefer smooth pancakes so I blend them pretty well in my Vitamix and it comes out to a perfect powder.)  Then add all the dry ingredients together in a large bowl and mix together with a wooden spoon until all is combined.  Gradually drizzle the oil into the bowl.  I do one cup at a time.  After the first cup of oil I stir it with my spoon but once I add the second cup of oil I mix it together with my hands.  You'll know it's all mixed together just right when you squeeze a clump of mix in your hand and it stays together.  If it's still crumbly, add another tablespoon of oil at a time.  (I've never had to add more oil.)  Store in an airtight container indefinitely in the refrigerator.

To make the pancakes: whisk together 2 cups of mix, 1/2 cup plain greek yogurt, 1 1/4 cups milk and 2 eggs.  The mixture seems thin at first but the oats will soak up the milk as it sits.  I let it sit for anywhere between 10 minutes to an hour (depending on how far in advanced I make this).  If it gets too thick I add a little more milk.  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 other side.  This usually makes 12, 5-inch pancakes.

*If you like thicker pancakes you can do more yogurt or less milk and if you like thinner pancakes up the milk or reduce the yogurt.  I make my own Kefir so now I actually do 1 cup Kefir to 1 cup milk and they turn out even fluffier!  You can also substitute the plain yogurt for buttermilk.  As you can tell - you can play around with the ingredient amounts to your liking.

This is the container I love to store this mix in, in the refrigerator.  I bought a few of them at Walmart for $2 or $3 a container.  I use these containers to store a lot of things in my pantry, too - nuts, baking items, chocolate chips,...

Source:  adapted slightly from melskitchencafe.com