Our family LOVES pancakes. They’re such a weekend staple. Pancakes have this amazing magic trick: that bit of fluffy bread always seems to sweeten up childhood memories. And that’s why we’re sure to always have pancakes on the menu when we’re camping. What childhood memory could be sweeter than a delicious stack of homestyle camping pancakes?
Pancakes are really simple to make from scratch. I cannot emphasize this enough, so I’m going to say it again:
Pancakes are really simple to make from scratch.
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Scratch vs. box
Don’t get me wrong, the box variety is a bit simpler, but really, scratch is also super simple. They taste WAY better, too.
Ten years ago, we were totally guilty of buying boxes of pancake mix. If you don’t keep things like eggs and milk in the house, it makes sense. And we were those people. If we had milk in the house, it was plant-based (which isn’t very good in pancakes) and eggs were only a maybe. But eventually, we came to the conclusion that boxed pancake mixes are just not very good.
So we started keeping these things in the house and started toying with recipes. We made the recipes from big names and small sites until we figured out the keys to fluffiness and sweetness. Eventually we managed to find just the right balance and created a recipe that was also just the right quantity for our family of four. (Plus dogs, ‘cause they like them, too!)
Life Lessons: Benefits of Scratch
Part of the reason that we switched from box was because we knew that pancakes were going to play a role in our kids’ lives. (Yes, this was a talking point in our kitchen.) There are some key life lessons in making things from scratch.
Easier isn’t better
As parents, Ryan and I think it’s super important that we teach our kids the benefits of taking time to do things — to unplug and get away from modern amenities. That’s the whole point of camping, right? So making pancakes from scratch is kind of like camping. We also like to bike v. drive and DIY most of our projects. This models resourceful attributes that we want them to adopt. It teaches them that they have the ability to create things to their preferences and that easier isn’t always better.
Quality ingredients
When you make pancakes from scratch, you have control over the ingredients. Flour from the next state instead of across the country, eggs and milk from local farms… these things matter in the big scheme of things. Talk about it — yes, over pancakes!
Other educational points
In addition to discussing ingredient quality and source, there’s the benefit of mixing and making that kids don’t get in school anymore. (Did you have home economics?) This is how things have been done for hundreds of years and there’s value in that. Making things on your own gives the opportunity to discuss recipe modification and the role of each ingredient in a recipe. There’s science in pancakes! Leavening, binders, consistency, flavor balance — these are all terms that play a role when making things from scratch. Discuss!
Camping Pancakes
When it comes to packing food for family camping outings, we try to keep it minimal. We have no desire to pack all the individual ingredients + a big bowl, but we’re also not going to sacrifice quality just because we’re camping. Prep is key to keeping clean up simple, which is why we love this hack:
A single batch of this pancake batter fits perfectly in a half gallon milk jug. By pre-making the batter and packing it this way, we avoid:
- Morning whining. (“I’m hungry!”)
- Hauling excess ingredients in limited space.
- Making a mess while pouring.
- Camping cleanup – just rinse and recycle! (You can even save the dirty water to put out your campfire later!)
We also only pack a finite amount of syrup in order to conserve space. Our house uses a lot of maple syrup, so hauling along a half gallon is not advantageous.
Eggs another day?
One of my favorite parts of packing pancakes this way is that it eliminates the need to pack eggs. However, when we camp, we usually have pancakes one morning and breakfast sandwiches the next. Instead of hauling eggs along in their store container, we just crack ‘em and put them in a jar. It’s much less worrisome than bringing along a paper container.
Butter
In the recipe below, I have butter listed as optional. We accidentally made them without butter once and we couldn’t tell the difference. We’ve since done it again (on purpose) and it continued to be true.
However, food isn’t just about flavor. I rely on my kids getting enough fat from their food, so we continue to add in butter. (Plus butter on top, of course!) Other oils won’t cut it, so don’t try to swap.
Here’s the recipe – for camping or home. 🙂
Makes approximately 16 half cup pancakes.
Simple, Homestyle Camping Pancakes
- 3.5 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda.
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoon sugar
- 4 eggs
- 3.75 cups milk
- 4 tablespoons melted and cooled butter (optional)
1.Mix together all of the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, sugar) in a large bowl.
2. Make a well in the middle and slowly whisk in the milk.
3. Crack the eggs in a separate container and whisk in one by one.
4. While whisking, slowly mix in the melted butter.
Once all the ingredients are combined, ladle onto a hot griddle. Flip when bubbles begin to pop.
Enjoy!
We really hope that you’ll try this pancake recipe — camping or not! Share your go-to camping breakfast in the comments below. We’d love to hear your ideas!
— Melissa, The Joneses Four
