2/24/07

Make It From Scratch: Baking Mix


When I got married, my Grandma Norma gave me a Bisquick cookbook with tons of recipes. Before kids, I used to get up on Sunday mornings and make cinnamon rolls with Bisquick. I even made them a few times when Matthew was an infant and would wake up early for a bottle. I knew if I crawled back into bed, I'd just be more tired and not want to get up, so I made breakfast instead.

More often, I make pancakes or waffles (I love my waffle iron!). I do have separate recipes for these, but for convenience and saving time, I usually rely on Bisquick.

The one downside of Bisquick is that it is expensive. $4 + for a large box. Even with a coupon, that's a lot. As Flylady says, just about the only bill you can control the cost of is your grocery bill. With gas prices the way they are- which, in turn, raises the price of everything else- I am all for lowering my grocery bill.

I found a recipe for baking mix over at Hillbilly Housewife. She has many, many recipes for convenience foods that can really save you money. I have tried the one for magic milkshakes and I highly recommend it! The kids loved them! Okay, Mike and I loved them, too.

Back to the baking mix.

We are Catholic. During Lent, we abstain from eating meat on Ash Wednesday and every Friday through Easter. Only persons over 14 are required to abstain from eating meat, but the kids eat what we do for supper. (I'm also making Matthew go meatless all day this year since he has made his first communion. I feel he's old enough to understand.)

Last night, I made waffles for supper using the Hillbilly Housewife recipe for baking mix. I did have a little bit of Bisquick left, so I used the opportunity to compare.

First, I dumped the bag of self-rising flour ($1.23 for 5 lbs. at Save-A-Lot)into a large bowl. I added the vegetable shortening ($1.99 for 48 oz. at Save-A-Lot). I used my potato masher to mix it together. I mixed it really well for about 5 minutes to make sure all the big lumps of shortening were mixed in.

The texture was identical. The color- Bisquick was a shade whiter, but you wouldn't notice unless you had them side-by-side like I did. as a matter of fact, I had to move both bowls into the sunlight to confirm that it wasn't just the lighting or the different containers I had them in.

For $1.89, I had DOUBLE of what I would get in a large box of Bisquick!!! I actually had to store the extra in a gallon zip-top bag because my usual container (12 cups) wouldn't hold it all.

Even better than the savings was the taste. The first batch was a mixture of what Bisquick I had left and the new recipe. I made a second batch with just the homemade version and I would choose this homemade version over Bisquick any day. The waffles were crispy on the outside and very tender and fluffy on the inside. I haven't tried it on pancakes yet, but I can't wait to!

I may have to try some other recipes from that cookbook using this mix- for experimental purposes, of course. ***wink***

Sorry I didn't take any pictures, but when I am cooking, I am cooking and when I am eating, I may accidentally take a bite of the camera if its in my hand. LOL!

5 comments:

Stephanie Appleton said...

That is a good one! I usually make everything from scratch, but have often thought it would save me some time to put together my own baking mixes. I should try it!

Heather @ Marine Corps Nomads said...

Do you need to refrigerate this mix? I love making things ahead and using them later.

Anonymous said...

I will try this one out. Thank you.

Alexandra said...

This sounds like a good one. I'll have to try it. Thanks!

Anonymous said...

I just have to pass on this hilarious rant on Eggo waffles (how are these considered true waffles? yech!). www.marksdailyapple.com/fume