Camping Pancakes

I know most campers believe that pancake mix is a no brainer when it comes to packing up the family for a camping trip - but I will share with you my recipe for "pancakes from scratch" because I have found a way to bring what I call "real pancakes" to the picnic table at your favorite campground.

This practice is not new, it's the way I was raised. I never really understood pancake mixes - pancakes have relatively few ingredients and you have to dirty the bowl either way! Though many of the mixes are good, when you assemble your own ingredients, I think you will find your pancakes to come up a notch or two in quality. It really is hard to go wrong here.

So I have a tried and true "recipe" for a pancake mix that travels easily. We always take eggs and oil with us, so to add these and water to my mix is really not a problem or a bother. I like to use Grapeseed Oil for baking and cooking.

Fresh Strawberries & Pure Maple Syrup on Camping Pancakes

Camping Pancake Mix

1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
3 Tablespoons sugar
1 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 cup powdered milk
(I omit the 3/4 teaspoon of salt that most recipes would call for, but you can add that if you want to.)

I do have a secret ingredient that gives the pancakes the best flavor! I sometimes add 1/4 teaspoon of Penzey's Baking Spice or a dash of Cardamom. It gives it a little bit of a Swedish pastry flavor.

You can put these dry ingredients in a jar or a quart storage bag and add a label with directions:

Add 2 eggs, 1 1/4 cups water, & 3 Tablespoons oil.

You can opt to replace one of the eggs with 1/2 cup shredded apple (delicious!)
Add some Cinnamon too!

That's it!

Wisk the ingredients up and pre-heat the griddle or fry pan to medium-low heat, you are on your way to bake some pancakes to remember.

Tip: when the bubbles stay indented on the first side, the pancake is ready to flip.
Enjoy!