Need To Recreate Pamela's Pancake And Baking Mix

[cruelshoes]

If you have ever tried Pamela's Pancake and Baking mix, you know how good it is. I use it for everything to biscuits to banana bread. I made Zuchini bread with it yesterday and man is it good.

We are totally broke right now, and I can't afford to buy any more for the forseeable future. Has anyone tried to recreate it and had any success? Here is the ingredient list:

brown rice flour

white rice flour

cultured buttermilk

natural almond meal

tapioca flour

sweet rice flour

potato starch

baking powder

baking soda

sea salt

xanthan gum

With all due respect to Bette Hagman, I have tried her recipe for biscuit mix, and it is not as good as the Pamela's mix. I could probably use it as a starting point for creating my own, but I thought I'd ask if anyone had already tried and succeeded.

Thanks for any responses.

[bbuster]

This is what I use, based on ingredients I normally have on hand:

Pamela's substitute

3/4 cup brown rice flour

1/2 cup white rice flour

2 tbsp almond meal

3 tbsp tapioca flour

2 tbsp potato starch

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

3-4 dashes of salt

1/4 tsp Xanthan gum

and here's another good pancake mix I found in a book somewhere:

Make-Your-Own Pancake/Waffle Mix

1/4 cup brown rice flour

1/4 cup sorghum flour

1/4 cup almond meal

1/4 cup soy flour

1/4 cup buttermilk powder

2 tbsp tapioca flour

2 tbsp potato starch

2 tbsp sugar

2 1/4 tsp baking powder

3/4 tsp baking soda

pinch of salt

1/2 tsp Xanthan gum

[Fiddle-Faddle]

I found this on the Internet--don't remember where--and haven't yet tried it.

Almost-like-Pamela's baking mix:

1

[sickchick]

You guys rule... again!

[cruelshoes]

I found this on the Internet--don't remember where--and haven't yet tried it.

Almost-like-Pamela's baking mix:

1

[casnco]

I tried it! IT's great!!!! Woo hoo - I don't have to buy the Pamela's mix anymore. My cheapskate tendencies are so happy right now.

Thank you, fiddle-faddle for posting this recipe. You have made this gluten-free girl really happy.

May I ask how much you save by by making this yourself. I use quite a bit of the Pamela's myself. I even have my in-laws eating it and they do not have a celiac problem. They just like it better. Thanks in advance for sharing your cost.

[pinktroll]

Do you use these Pamela's substitutes in the same way as the real mix? Should I cut out the instructions for pancakes, waffles, etc from my Pamela's bag?

[cruelshoes]

May I ask how much you save by by making this yourself. I use quite a bit of the Pamela's myself. I even have my in-laws eating it and they do not have a celiac problem. They just like it better. Thanks in advance for sharing your cost.

Well, the Pamela's mix costs me about $14 for the large bag, so that's about $3.50/lb. I pay about $.69.lb for rice, tapioca, sweet rice and potato starch. Brown rice flour is $.99/lb. I pay $4.99/lb for almond meal. The buttermilk powder was $5.50 or so for the canister, but I only needed about a third of it for the recipe. Not sure what I last paid for baking powder, baking soda or salt, but I know it wasn't much. I buy my xanthan in bulk 5 pounds at a time, so that must have been only a few pennies worth.

Without weighing out all the ingredients, it would be hard to calculate the exact cost, but I would say that it is less than half the price to make it myself. Add to it that I don't have to make a special trip to Whole Foods (30 minute drive), and I already had all the ingredients in the house to make it.

If you want to see if it will work for you, I would reccommend mixing up half a batch or something and try it out. I am very happy with the results. I have used it in several of the recipes off the Pamela's website, and it works great for me.

[lonewolf]

I pay about $.69.lb for rice, tapioca, sweet rice and potato starch. Brown rice flour is $.99/lb. I pay $4.99/lb for almond meal. The buttermilk powder was $5.50 or so for the canister, but I only needed about a third of it for the recipe. Not sure what I last paid for baking powder, baking soda or salt, but I know it wasn't much. I buy my xanthan in bulk 5 pounds at a time, so that must have been only a few pennies worth.

Where do you shop? I can't get any of these flours that cheap (except tapioca) without doing a huge order from a buying club. I'm from WA state too. I just paid $1.39/lb for potato starch and about $1.65/lb for br. rice flour this morning. I can't buy from our HFS anymore because they put the bulk rice flour ($1.29) and other gluten-free flours right under the cous cous and cracked wheat and won't move any of them.

[cruelshoes]

Where do you shop? I can't get any of these flours that cheap (except tapioca) without doing a huge order from a buying club. I'm from WA state too. I just paid $1.39/lb for potato starch and about $1.65/lb for br. rice flour this morning. I can't buy from our HFS anymore because they put the bulk rice flour ($1.29) and other gluten-free flours right under the cous cous and cracked wheat and won't move any of them.

You are in Federal Way, right? I am too. I get most of the basic flours at the 99 Ranch Market in the Great Wall Shopping Mall in Renton. That is the cheapest place I have found. Brown Rice flour I get from Minkler's Green Earth in Renton. I order it in a 50-poung bag to get the price down. I put most of it in my big freezer and only put a small amount in the fridge at a time. Almond Meal I get from Trader Joe's.

Is the HFS you are talking about Marlene's? I have talked to them about the layout of their bulk section before, but they don't seem to care all that much. I stay out of their bulk section completely now. You'd think with the prices they charge they would be more interesting in listening to people.

[Jo Ann]

Thanks for the Pamela's substitute recipe. Sounds great except that we have to use a dairy substitute. This is probably cheaper since we buy most flours from an Asian/Oriental market. The fours are individually packaged - no bulk items! Sometimes I wonder if the manufacturers aren't taking advantage in charging such high prices for gluten free products!?!

[lonewolf]

You are in Federal Way, right? I am too. I get most of the basic flours at the 99 Ranch Market in the Great Wall Shopping Mall in Renton. That is the cheapest place I have found. Brown Rice flour I get from Minkler's Green Earth in Renton. I order it in a 50-poung bag to get the price down. I put most of it in my big freezer and only put a small amount in the fridge at a time. Almond Meal I get from Trader Joe's.

Is the HFS you are talking about Marlene's? I have talked to them about the layout of their bulk section before, but they don't seem to care all that much. I stay out of their bulk section completely now. You'd think with the prices they charge they would be more interesting in listening to people.

Yep, I'm from Federal Way. I couldn't remember if you were the other one or not. I'll have to look at the stores in Renton. Don't get up that way too often, but I would make a special trip to stock up. Marlenes will order a 25 lb sack of flour, but it's still about $1.17/lb. I have asked them repeatedly to please reorganize their bulk section and they refuse. I finally figured out that the girl who is in charge of it doesn't have a clue about what gluten is and doesn't want anyone telling her anything. I try to stay out of there as much as possible because it's so expensive and they're just not interested in catering to our crowd. I've even talked to Marlene directly and she doesn't get it.

[casnco]

Well, the Pamela's mix costs me about $14 for the large bag, so that's about $3.50/lb. I pay about $.69.lb for rice, tapioca, sweet rice and potato starch. Brown rice flour is $.99/lb. I pay $4.99/lb for almond meal. The buttermilk powder was $5.50 or so for the canister, but I only needed about a third of it for the recipe. Not sure what I last paid for baking powder, baking soda or salt, but I know it wasn't much. I buy my xanthan in bulk 5 pounds at a time, so that must have been only a few pennies worth.

Without weighing out all the ingredients, it would be hard to calculate the exact cost, but I would say that it is less than half the price to make it myself. Add to it that I don't have to make a special trip to Whole Foods (30 minute drive), and I already had all the ingredients in the house to make it.

If you want to see if it will work for you, I would reccommend mixing up half a batch or something and try it out. I am very happy with the results. I have used it in several of the recipes off the Pamela's website, and it works great for me.

Thanks for the information. I guess I will have to check and see what these flours cost me. Some I have, others I would have to buy. Lots of storage issues for me. So I guess I just need to look at the pros and cons. Nice comparison. Thanks for the recipe.

[Fiddle-Faddle]

I tried it! IT's great!!!! Woo hoo - I don't have to buy the Pamela's mix anymore. My cheapskate tendencies are so happy right now.

Thank you, fiddle-faddle for posting this recipe. You have made this gluten-free girl really happy.

Does the "cultured buttermilk" mean the liquid or the powder????

[cruelshoes]

Does the "cultured buttermilk" mean the liquid or the powder????

It's the powdered stuff. Mine is Open Original Shared Link

[Fiddle-Faddle]

Thanks!

[PatBrown]

Yep, I'm from Federal Way. I couldn't remember if you were the other one or not. I'll have to look at the stores in Renton. Don't get up that way too often, but I would make a special trip to stock up. Marlenes will order a 25 lb sack of flour, but it's still about $1.17/lb. I have asked them repeatedly to please reorganize their bulk section and they refuse. I finally figured out that the girl who is in charge of it doesn't have a clue about what gluten is and doesn't want anyone telling her anything. I try to stay out of there as much as possible because it's so expensive and they're just not interested in catering to our crowd. I've even talked to Marlene directly and she doesn't get it.

Why dont you have a chat with the manager of Marlenes. I should think that if they think their sales would increase that they would reorganize a little.

[cruelshoes]

Why dont you have a chat with the manager of Marlenes. I should think that if they think their sales would increase that they would reorganize a little.

I would have thought that too, but I've talked to several manager types, and they don't seem to give a "Rat's rear" about it. I know Lone Wolf has talked to Marlene herself (the store is named after her, after all), and nothing changed then either.

I figure that their prices are too high anyway, so if they don't want to make sure the food is safe, I'll give my $ to someone who cares.

[casnco]

Well, the Pamela's mix costs me about $14 for the large bag, so that's about $3.50/lb. I pay about $.69.lb for rice, tapioca, sweet rice and potato starch. Brown rice flour is $.99/lb. I pay $4.99/lb for almond meal. The buttermilk powder was $5.50 or so for the canister, but I only needed about a third of it for the recipe. Not sure what I last paid for baking powder, baking soda or salt, but I know it wasn't much. I buy my xanthan in bulk 5 pounds at a time, so that must have been only a few pennies worth.

Without weighing out all the ingredients, it would be hard to calculate the exact cost, but I would say that it is less than half the price to make it myself. Add to it that I don't have to make a special trip to Whole Foods (30 minute drive), and I already had all the ingredients in the house to make it.

If you want to see if it will work for you, I would reccommend mixing up half a batch or something and try it out. I am very happy with the results. I have used it in several of the recipes off the Pamela's website, and it works great for me.

I know this is an old thread but wanted to comment for anyone that is reading.

I too have tried this mixture on my own and it is great! I have been making it for about 6 months or so. The other day I needed to make a new batch but was out of some of the ingredients. I live far from a store to purchase such items so I use (Company Name Removed - They Spammed This Forum and are Banned). Anyway, I decided I wanted to know if it was really worth my time to make this or if Pamela's was a better deal.

I set up an elaborate spread sheet. Researched the cost of all of the ingredients. Broke them down to the number of ounces used and cost per ounce. Sadly. Using Amazon pricing for all of my products I found that I was just as well off to purchase the large bag of Pamela's. Pamela's turned out to be about $2.50 a pound and mine was about $5.75 a pound. So I am not going to bother to make the mix unless Pamela stops. Why go through the hassel.

However, this is a great recipe and I can tell no difference in the mix from Pamela's.