Can You Use Pancake Mix Instead of Flour?

Can You Use Pancake Mix Instead of Flour?

Breakfast is everything, and waking up to some delicious pancakes can melt your heart. This is why you need to mix your ingredients properly to get the perfect pancakes

By ingredients, it is simply flour, baking powder, eggs, milk, and sugar. But that should not worry you because pancake mix has made things easier for you if adding the ingredients has never been something you like.

So, can you use pancake mix instead of flour? Yes, you can. While the base ingredient of pancake mix is flour, other ingredients such as a leavening agent, sugar and other flavors are included to help easily make the pancakes. Most recipes that require flour will work just fine with using pancake mix as a flour substitute.

What is the Difference Between Pancake Mix and Flour?

This is quite simple. Both are flours, but the pancake mix has all the ingredients mixed for you. All you need to do is add some little milk or water to the mix and the mixture is ready for cooking. Flour is simply the base ingredient that you need where preparing a mixture to be cooked.

Perhaps you forgot to label your pancake mix if it’s homemade, and you’re wondering which one is the pancake mix and the plain flour. Well, pancake mix will taste saltier and will have some flavor of baking powder while flour is just bland.

When it comes to flour, you control the ingredients you add to your recipes, while store-purchased pancake mix doesn’t control the ingredients.

Below is a chart that shows the storage life of pancake mix and flour:

Pantry Fridge Freezer
Pancake mix – unopened Up to 1 year Up to 6 months Up to 24 months
Pancake mix – open 2-3 months Up to 6 months 1-2 years
Flour 3-8 months 6 months 1 year

Flour

Flour is a common ingredient that you use every day for different kinds of cooking. Flour is a staple food in most cultures, whether cereal flour or wheat flour. Think of those baking recipes, it would not be possible without the use of flour!

There are many varieties of flour that you can find from the grocery store that range from gluten flour, whole wheat, semolina flour but below are three common kinds of baking flour:

All-purpose flour: You can use this flour for your cooking needs and baking recipes: bread, cookies, muffins, or even biscuits. 

Bread flour: This type is perfect for homemade pizza and bread loaves. It has high contents of proteins, which helps you roll out a thin layer of the dough and its not tear easily.

Pastry flour: This flour is made from soft wheat and has low proteins, perfect for fine crusts of recipes like cakes, cookies and pie crusts. 

Pancake Mix

As the name suggests, the pancake mix is dry powder flour mixed with other ingredients. It falls under the flour varieties, but it’s a unique kind since it has other ingredients mixed.

Pancake mix comes from different brands, which is good if you have not tried using the flour before. Since pancake mix has the ingredients in hand, you may sprinkle your flavorings into the batter, which is optional, and the result will be perfect.

Besides, you can also make homemade pancake mix which is simple if you have all the ingredients. So what do you need to make homemade pancake mix? Flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. 

Lastly, the pancake mix can go rancid if you leave it open, which will expose it to moisture. It can grow some molds and even have an off odor. Using the mix will only spoil your appetite since your pancakes will be tasteless and make you sick. It’s good to check if the pancake mix is still in good condition before using it for cooking.

How to Use Pancake Mix

Most of the pancake mixes that you buy from the store are instant. All you need to do is add some milk and eggs to make your batter and then bring it cooking.

To avoid plain and boring pancakes, you can add your favorite toppings. If you’re a chocolate lover, you can add some chocolate syrup or chocolate chips. You can even add caramel or some honey!

The one perfect thing about pancakes is that you can have them any time of the day. Whether it’s breakfast or dinner, you can pair your pancakes with fruits for a healthy meal.

Lastly, you can store your leftover pancakes for some 2-3 days in the fridge, but it’s always good to have fresh pancakes. They are so yummy and addictive.

Tips to Keep Pancake Mix Fresh

Below are tips to help you keep your pancake mix and flour fresh in order to have a longer shelf life:

  • Ensure that you check the sell-by date/expiry date before purchasing pancake mix. This will show you how long you can keep the flour fresh.
  • Once you open the flour, ensure that you transfer it to an airtight container.
  • Keep your flour in a cool, dry place like the pantry and away from water so that it doesn’t grow molds.
  • You can also store flour in the fridge. All you need to do is seal in an airtight container and ensure that your flour doesn’t get any moisture as it will go bad quickly.
  • You can freeze for extended storage periods. Remember to label the date you freeze so you don’t stock up longer than 24 months. Labeling keeps you in check.

Is Pancake Mix Healthy?

You need to know that the pancake mix contains high carbohydrates and sugar, so it’s good to pair it with other healthy meals like fruits. However, there are different types of pancake mix that you can purchase that are healthier and have fewer sugars.

Also, eating anything in moderation is not bad for you. This means that if you’re a pancake lover, ensure you also add other healthy meals as too many pancakes can add some unwanted calories.

Final Thoughts

  • You can use the pancake mix in place of flour as it has the ingredients mixed.
  • Pancake mix and flour are different. Flour is plain, and you have to add the ingredients when cooking while pancake mix is instant.
  • Pancake mix does go rancid. It grows molds and has an off odor if not well stored.
  • Using your pancake mix is easy. All you need to add the liquid ingredients like milk/water and eggs and bring them to coking.