Battle of the Pancake Mixes!

Choosing a new pancake mix is the first and easiest transition in the kitchen when going gluten free. When I first went gluten free I thought I would have a hard time retiring my favorite homemade pancake mix, but what I soon learned was that there are a multitude of gluten-free pancake mixes on the market these days. Choosing a good mix can be a costly venture if you have to sample six varieties before settling on one with a taste and texture that meets your criteria.

Caryn posted a recipe a while back that uses Pamela’s Baking and Pancake mix, and it looks great, but the mix is made with buttermilk and almond meal. It is not an option for those trying to stay away from lactose, casein, or nuts. So I decided to try two other gluten-free brands that don’t contain milk products or nuts in their mixes: Arrowhead Mills and Bob’s Red Mill. These two mixes would work for anyone on a GFCF diet, but both contain corn products, so unfortunately they are out for corn allergy sufferers.

I made the Arrowhead Mills for breakfast and Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Pancake Mix later in the day. Both packages call for 1 tbs oil in each recipe, but I substituted melted butter in both cases. This was the only change I made from the original recipe on the packaging. After sampling an abundance of pancakes the verdict weighed heavily in favor of one brand.

My family felt the Arrowhead Mills Gluten Free Pancake and Baking Mix is a bit gritty from the whole grain organic corn flour. They much prefer Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Pancake Mix. It cooks up more like “real” pancakes, is fluffier, and generally tastes more like the real thing.

Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Pancake Mix includes potato starch, sorghum flour, tapioca flour, corn flour, evaporated cane juice, baking powder, baking soda, sea salt, and xanthan gum.

Next I will give in and buy the Pamela’s mix, so I can have a corn-free choice, but my ultimate goal is to find or create a recipe that does not use a mix, since I’m just not a mix kind of cook!