My daughter loves pancakes and I like them, too, so I like to be able to mix up a batch on short notice. This mix, which I've adapted from a recipe in The King Arthur Flour Baker's Companion [1], takes about 15 minutes to make, stays fresh in the fridge indefinitely, and is super easy to whip up into fresh pancakes. Plus, if you use whole wheat pastry flour, I guarantee that no one will know that these pancakes are made with 100% whole grains.

Ingredients for the mix:

• 3.5 cups or 12.25 ounces Rolled Oats
• 5 cups or 21.25 ounces Whole Wheat Pastry Flour
• 3 Tbs or 1.5 ounces Sugar
• 3 Tbs or 1.5 ounces Baking Powder
• 1 Tbs Salt
• 1 Tbs Baking Soda
• 1 cup or 7 ounces vegetable oil (I used canola)

In a food processor, blender or coffee grinder, grind up the rolled oats so that they're well chopped but not quite a powder. Mix up all the dry ingredients well, and then add the oil slowly, continuing to mix. To check the consistency, take a clump and squeeze it in your hand. If it's sticks together, it's ready. If it's still very crumbly, add a bit more oil and try again. Put it in a covered container and pop it in the fridge.

When you're ready to make pancakes, take:

• 1 cup of Mix, packed
• 1.25 cups Buttermilk
• 1 Egg

Mix it all up with a spoon, breaking up any clumps you see. Don't worry too much if it's lumpy, but you don't want any dry mix. Cover and let it sit for 20 minutes so that the whole grains can absorb the liquid. It seems like a long time to wait, but while you're waiting, you can brew coffee, fry up bacon, warm some maple syrup or get some scrambed eggs ready to go.

Heat up a pan or griddle so that drops of water will "dance" on the surface. One 3-inch pancake = 2 Tbs batter. They're ready to flip once the sides start to solidify and bubbles stop breaking on the top.

This recipe makes 12 three-inch pancakes. If you have leftovers, freeze them -- they warm up great in the toaster.