Shortly after the discussion, I went to a supermarket and looked at the pancake/waffle mix aisle. Was I surprised to see so many brands! Initially, they all seemed to be 32-oz boxes, about six brands.
Upon a return trip for a closer look-see, I found 12 brands and took more detailed notes. All but two "complete" mixes are 32-ounce boxes. One anomalous brand is Krusteaz' Heart Healthy Light & Fluffy Buttermilk Complete Pancake Mix—28 ounces. The other anomalous brand is Betty Crocker Bisquick Buttermilk Pancake Mix Shake 'n Pour, which comes in two shaker-bottle sizes—5.1 and 10.6 ounces.
I googled the 12 brands and many of the ingredients. (Many of the chemical-sounding names seemed confusingly similar.) My compilation table, which I based on my previous article, includes compilation of ingredients for my scratch recipe ("0") and the 12 brands. I listed the general order of ingredient types as follows:
flours, sugars, milks, fats, eggs and non-egg emulsifiers, leavenings, salt, thickeners, and other additives (some groupings based on various Google researches on chemical names and purposes).Note: In the table, each number in the heading row points to the URL of the pancake mix brand. Hover your pointer to see the brand name. Click to find details of the brands, including lists of ingredients and nutrition tables.
The total number of ingredients is near the bottom of the list. The scratch recipe ("0") ingredients—from Pillsbury's Simply From Scratch Volume 2 book—requires only eight items. Of course, this recipe requires getting and putting the ingredients together, as opposed to the convenience of using only powdered mix and water.
Ingredient, etc. | 0 | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flour | y | y | y | y | y | y | y | y | y | y | y | y | y |
| Whole wheat flour | n | n | n | n | n | n | n | n | n | n | n | y | n |
| Wheat gluten | n | n | n | y | n | n | n | n | y | n | n | n | n |
| Soy flour (defatted for brand #12) | n | y | n | n | n | n | n | y | n | n | y | y | y |
| Yellow corn flour | n | n | n | n | n | n | y | n | n | n | n | n | n |
| Sugar | y | y | y | y | y | y | y | y | y | y | y | y | y |
| Dextrose | n | y | y | y | y | y | y | y | y | y | y | y | y |
| Corn syrup solids | n | y | y | y | y | n | y | n | y | n | n | n | n |
| Whey | n | y | n | n | n | n | n | y | n | n | n | n | n |
| Buttermilk or milk/vinegar rplcmt | y | n | y | n | y | y | y | y | y | y | y | y | y |
| Nonfat milk | n | n | y | y | n | n | n | y | n | n | n | n | n |
| Lactic acid | n | n | n | n | n | n | n | n | y | n | n | y | n |
| Cooking oil (whatever's handy) | y | n | n | n | n | n | n | n | n | n | n | n | n |
| Palm oil | n | y | y | n | y | n | n | n | n | n | n | n | n |
| Soybean oil | n | n | n | n | n | y | n | n | n | n | n | n | n |
| Canola oil | n | n | n | n | n | n | n | n | n | y | n | n | n |
| Canola or soybean oil | n | n | n | n | n | n | n | n | n | n | y | y | n |
| Hydrogenated Soybean and/or Cottonseed Oil | n | n | n | n | n | n | y | n | n | n | n | n | n |
| Partially Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil (Soybean and Cottonseed Oils) | n | n | n | n | n | n | n | y | n | n | n | n | y |
| Partially hydrogenated soybean oil | n | n | n | y | n | n | n | n | y | n | n | n | n |
| Monoglycerides | n | y | n | n | n | n | n | n | n | n | n | n | n |
| Mono & diglycerides | n | n | n | y | n | n | y | y | y | n | n | n | n |
| Mono diglycerides | n | n | n | n | n | n | n | n | n | n | n | y | n |
| Egg white | n | y | n | n | n | y | n | n | n | n | n | y | y |
| Egg | y | n | n | n | n | n | n | y | n | y | n | n | n |
| Egg yolk | n | n | n | n | n | y | n | n | n | n | n | n | n |
| Sodium caseinate | n | y | n | y | n | n | y | n | y | n | n | n | n |
| Lecithin (soy lecithin for brand #12) | n | n | n | n | n | n | n | n | n | n | n | n | y |
| Sodium stearoyl lactylate | n | n | n | n | n | n | n | n | n | n | y | n | n |
| Sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) | y | y | y | y | y | y | y | y | y | y | y | y | y |
| Baking powder | y | n | n | n | n | n | n | n | n | n | n | n | n |
| Monocalcium phosphate | n | y | y | y | y | y | y | y | y | n | y | y | y |
| Calcium acid pyrophosphate | n | n | n | n | n | n | n | n | n | n | n | y | y |
| Calcium phosphate | n | n | n | n | n | n | n | n | n | y | n | n | n |
| Sodium acid pyrophosphate | n | y | n | n | n | n | n | n | n | n | n | n | n |
| Sodium aluminum phosphate | n | n | y | y | y | y | y | y | y | y | y | n | n |
| Salt | y | y | y | y | y | y | y | y | y | y | y | y | y |
| Modified food starch | n | n | n | n | n | n | n | n | n | n | y | n | n |
| Modified wheat starch | n | n | n | n | n | n | n | n | n | n | n | y | n |
| Corm starch | n | n | y | n | y | y | n | n | n | y* | n | n | n |
| Guar gum | n | n | n | n | n | n | n | n | n | n | n | y | n |
| Potassium bicarbonate | n | n | n | n | n | n | n | n | n | y | n | n | n |
| Calcium carbonate | n | n | y | y | y | n | n | y | y | y | n | n | n |
| Dipotassium phosphate | n | y | n | n | n | n | n | n | n | n | n | n | n |
| Tricalcium Phosphate | n | n | n | n | n | n | n | n | n | n | n | n | y |
| Soy Protein Isolate | n | n | n | n | n | n | n | y | n | n | n | n | n |
| Natural flavors | n | n | y | n | y | n | n | n | n | n | n | n | n |
| Natural and artificial flavor | n | n | n | n | n | n | n | y | n | n | n | n | n |
| Caramel color | n | n | y | n | y | n | n | y | n | n | n | n | n |
Total ingredients/option (0-12) | 8 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 12 | 13 | 18 | 15 | 13 | 12 | 16 | 13 |
Water (C) for each 1 C of mix (3 svgs) | NA | 2/3 | 2/3 | 3/4 | 2/3 | 2/3 | 3/4 | 3/4 | 3/4 | 3/4 | 2/3 | 3/4 | ** |
One serving of mix (C) | NA | 1/3 | 1/3 | 1/3 | 1/3 | 1/2 | 1/3 | 1/3 | 1/3 | 1/2 | 1/2 | 1/2 | |
Total servings/container | NA | 18 | 23 | 20 | 23 | 15 | 23 | 18 | 20 | 17 | 18 | 14 | |
Price/32-ounce box | NA | 2.78 | 1.85 | 2.37 | 1.85 | 1.47 | 1.78 | 2.11 | 2.37 | 1.98 | *** | *** | *** |
In preparation instructions, about half the brands call for a ratio of 2/3 cup of water to 1 cup of powder, and the rest of the brands call for 3/4 cup of water. (** Bisquick Shake 'n Pour's water requirement depends on the shaker-bottle size.)
The ranges for yields of 4" pancakes run as follows when using the 1 cup powder and 2/3 or 3/4 cup water: 5-6, 6-7, 6-8, 6-9, 7-8, 8-9, considered to be three servings. The total estimated servings for 32-ounce pages vary widely: from a low of 15 to high of 23. The Krusteaz Heart Healthy and Bisquick brands are special cases because their box weights are not 32 ounces.
Note: In brands' nutrition tables, most of the brands consider 1/3 cup of mix as one serving.
The prices for the powders range from $1.47 (Hill Country) to $2.78 (Whataburger).
*** Pricing for anomalies:
Krusteaz Heart Healthy mix, $2.08 for 28 oz
Bisquick Shake 'n Pour, $1.54 for 5.1 oz and $2.24 for 10.6 oz
Giving a backward glance to the compilation, my following thoughts:
- Most of the brands use buttermilk.
- Dextrose, another form of sugar, is listed as a separate item. And all the brands use both.
- The brands vary in the numerous fats they use.
- Sodium amounts per serving are high, and from more than just salt.
- Many listed chemicals names and their inclusions as ingredients are mind-boggling. Many are leavenings, emulsifiers, and thickeners. Some seem to have obscure, niche purposes.
Additional pancake-theme articles:
