Long before I was born, my dad worked as a short order cook at the International House of Pancakes. During each shift, he cooked eggs, ran the waffle iron, and flipped stack after stack of doughy pancakes. While he didn’t mind the work as a line cook, he was singularly dissatisfied with the quality of the pancakes and waffles he was charged with making. He began experimenting with his own recipe for an easily stored baking mix that could be stirred into a batter far superior to IHOP’s.
By the time my sister and I came along, he had perfected his dry mix. The final recipe combines whole grains, a little sugar for sweetener, and just enough baking powder to create lift. Dad’s mix was ever-present during my childhood, always ready to be whipped into action for the griddle or iron.

When I left home, I took the recipe with me and maintained the family tradition by always keeping a jar of dry mix in the fridge (it keeps better there than in the pantry). I soon discovered that in addition to making perfect pancakes and waffles, it also works brilliantly as a base for drop scones. The scones are a particularly handy innovation, as they can be frozen unbaked and then baked off one or two at a time. On chilly fall mornings, it’s awfully nice to be able to pop a scone or two in the toaster oven  while the coffee brews. MORE …