How to Freeze Dry and Store Freeze Dried Pancake Mix

 

Let’s all be honest, who doesn’t love a gourmet breakfast of homemade pancakes? At the same time, who wants to spend an hour making pancakes? Well we have the latest quick pancake making hack for you!

Freeze-drying your pancake mix will save you time when it comes to your lazy morning pancake breakfast. When you freeze dry the pancake mix, you will simply have to reconstitute it with water and it's ready to cook. 

 

Why are freeze dried foods a great resource for long term food storage and emergency preparedness?

Freeze drying is a preservation process that removes moisture from food while maintaining its structure and nutritional value. Therefore, when they are reconstituted, they will still have a large amount of nutrition. 

Not only do freeze dried foods hold their nutritional value, they also are shelf stable for more than 20 years if packaged correctly. 

 

How to Freeze Dry Pancake Mix

1. Mix together store-bought or homemade pancake mix. 

2. Spread the pancake mix out on the freeze dryer trays and then place them in the freezer. 

3. Once the trays are frozen, place them into your freeze dryer. Start the freeze drying and dry the mix according to the directions. 

4. After the mix is completely dry, remove it from the freeze dryer and quickly package it. 

 

How to Package and Store Freeze Dried Foods

Now, you are probably wondering how to store your freeze dried pancake batter. It is simple I promise!

All that you will need is a mylar bag, oxygen absorber, and the food. 

1. Simply label your mylar bag with a sticker and permanent marker. If you just use a permanent marker on the mylar bag, it can wipe off rather easily. You will want to label them with the date, contents, and amount of contents within the mylar bag.

2. Pour your desired amount of pancake mix into the mylar bag.

3. Add the appropriate sized oxygen absorber to the bag. 

4. Remove some of the air from the mylar bag. 

5. Use a heat sealer to seal the top of the bag. 

6. Store in a dark, dry place. 

 

 

Reconstituting Mylar Bagged Pancake Mix

1. Open the mylar bag,

2. Remove the oxygen absorber.

3. Add the recommended amount of cold water to your mix. Stir to combine. 

4. Using a measuring cup or scooping utensil, scoop the batter onto a hot skillet and cook the pancakes as you normally would.

5. Once the pancakes are cooked, you can top them with your favorite maple syrup, fruit syrup or fresh fruit. 

 

Why Store Pancake Mix in a Mylar Bag

Mylar bags are made of foil. This foil creates a light barrier along with a moisture barrier. It is much harder for oxygen to penetrate the bag. Oxygen is the number one reason that food expires. Oxygen creates moisture and moisture creates an ideal living space for mold and bacteria. 

 

What Size Mylar Bag to Use

If you are planning to reconstitute your pancake batter in the mylar bag, you will want to use a bag that is twice as big as the amount of dried mix. For example 2 cups of freeze-dried mix will need a quart size mylar bag. 

If you plan to mix your batter in a separate bowl, a pint sized bag will work for 2 cups of dried mix.

 

When to Use Your Freeze Dried Pancake Mix

• Camping/Backpacking - Pancakes are so much fun to cook over the fire! If you have never tried cooking them in a cast iron pan over the fire, you are missing out!
• Any breakfast  - whether you are home on some weekday morning or having a big family breakfast on Sunday, this mix can make your pancake cooking experience much cheaper. 
• Vacation - This applies to any vacation at the beach, waterpark, mountain resort or even you in-laws. This mix is easy to pack and quick to cook.

 

 

Adding Flavor

Pancakes are one of those things that you ether like plain or you don't. When reconstituting them, you can add chocolate chips, blueberries, or mint chips for more flavor. You can also use maple syrup in place of the sugar of your recipe, this way you will have a maple flavor without adding maple syrup to the cooked pancakes.