The Sunday Stash is a large batch of one simple, easy-to-make food that can be mix-and-matched with meat, vegetables, grains, and pasta to create meals throughout the week (or, if frozen, the month).
For this month's Sunday Stash, we're making a big jar of pancake mix that can be turned into pancakes, crepes, and waffles at a moment's notice. But unlike most make-ahead pancake mixes, this one already has the butter; all you have to add are milk and eggs.
It's a trick we learned from pastry chef and Serious Eats writer Stella Park, who likes to use coconut oil in her pancake mix so the blend is shelf-stable. Since our recipe is made with butter—because a pancake without butter is a crime—it needs to be kept in the fridge.
To make the mix, first cube the butter and freeze it for 15 minutes. This initial, brief chill is essential: skip it, and the butter might melt when mixed with the dry ingredients. (That said, if you freeze the butter for too long, it won't incorporate into the flour easily. Watch the time!)
While the butter is in the freezer, pulse the dry ingredients together in the food processor. Add the chilled butter and pulse until the mixture resembles sand. Then transfer the mix to an air-tight container, pop it in the fridge, and wait patiently for Saturday morning to come.
Or don't! The great thing about having pancake mix on hand is that it can be used for so much more than just breakfast (though we certainly make our fair share of weekday morning pancakes, since the mix makes it so easy). Here are some of our favorite ways to transform pancake mix into a totally respectable lunch or dinner:
1. Scallion Pancakes
Add a handful of scallions and a drizzle of sesame oil to the batter before cooking. Serve topped with shrimp, bean sprouts, and cilantro.
2. An Infinite Number of Other Savory Pancakes
Chorizo and potato. Corn and Monterey Jack. Bacon and cheddar. Spinach and leeks. My coworker Anna, who developed this pancake mix recipe, recommends adding two cups of your favorite mix-ins to 4-6 servings worth of batter.
3. Blini
Is there any reason why we save blini for special occasions? Although traditional recipes call for buckwheat flour, we don't think anyone in the family will mind if you set out a platter of tiny, wheat-flour pancakes topped with smoked salmon and a dollop of sour cream. Caviar on a weeknight, of course, is strictly optional.
4. Pancake Sandwiches
Since these pancakes aren't too sweet on their own, they can be swapped in for bread when you're making sandwiches, to very exciting effect. Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches can feel pretty ho-hum, but peanut butter and jelly pancake sandwiches? A thrill. Try this with ham and cheese, or cream cheese and cucumber.
5. Pesto Chicken Crepes
The wonderful thing about crepes is that they can be used as a sort of wrap for pretty much anything, making them an incredibly useful tool for stretching leftovers. Leftover shredded pork? Wrap it in a crepe. Meatballs in tomato sauce? Stuff it into a crepe. Half a rotisserie chicken? You guessed it—wrap in a crepe. (But, uh, shred the meat and toss it with pesto first.)
6. Crepes with Eggs and Leeks
No leftovers on hand? Make a quick batch of crepes and fold them over lightly fried eggs and sautéed leeks or spinach, or whatever cheese you have floating around the cheese drawer.
7. Manicotti
Bon Appétit's Brad Leone makes homemade manicotti with thin, crepe-like pancakes every year for the holidays, but there's no reason you couldn't make it for a regular, everyday dinner—as long as you have this mix on hand (and the time to bake the thing).
8. Crepe Egg Cups
Line buttered ramekins with crepes, drizzle in a creamy béchamel sauce (try the one in this recipe), crack a egg into each cup, and top with Gruyère. Bake at 375ºF until the eggs are set, about 8 to 10 minutes.
9. Breakfast Waffles for Dinner
Making waffles with this mix requires a small extra step: separating the eggs. The yolks get added to the mix with the milk; the whites are beaten to stiff peaks and fold into the batter at the end. To turn these crispy waffles into a complete meal, skip the maple syrup and top with a quick compote of your favorite frozen berries, plus a dollop of yogurt. Serve with plenty of bacon or sausage.
10. Make Chicken and Waffles
If you've got a batch of our crispy, make-ahead chicken cutlets in the freezer, bake up a few while you've got the waffle iron going for the fastest homemade chicken and waffles ever. A drizzle of spicy honey will take it over the top.
