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TL;DR: 

  • Alton Brown’s pancake mix is made with five pantry ingredients.
  • The Food Network star uses the mix as a base for ‘instant’ pancakes.
  • Alton Brown’s pancake tips include not overmixing the batter and watching for bubbles.
Alton Brown, known for his pancake mix, speaks into a microphone
Alton Brown | Brad Barket/Getty Images

Of all the Food Network stars’ recipes for making pancakes, Alton Brown’s pancake mix is probably one of the simplest. The Good Eats alum uses a combination of five pantry items to create a basic pancake mix. Then what he calls his “Instant” Pancake Mix is ready for whenever the mood strikes. 

Alton Brown pancake mix is made with five basic ingredients

Brown’s pancake mix (Food Network has the full recipe) appeared on the “Flap Jack Do It Again” episode of Good Eats. The cookbook author shared his recipe for making pancakes at home, demonstrating that it’s pretty simple. 

“You can make great pancakes from scratch frustration and failure-free,” he said. “All you’ve got to have is a few ingredients, a couple of basic tools, the science to bring them together, and, of course, an appetite.” 

“At least four or five, or 20, times a year, I make big batches of my own pancake mix,” he said as he measured out the ingredients. After combining all-purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, sugar, and kosher salt in a bowl he shared that mixing it is crucial.

“We have reached the first minefield on the road to pancake heaven,” he said. “You have got to mix this thoroughly now and before every time you open this vessel. Why? Because if you don’t, you’re going to end up making something resembling lumpy crepes, which isn’t the same thing as a pancake.”

Finally, he explained that once the pancake mix has been made, it has to be used within three months. The reason being, as noted on Good Eats, is that baking powder “loses its punch over time.”

Alton Brown’s pancake tip No. 1: don’t overmix the batter

With Brown’s pancake mix ready the next step is to follow his pancake-making tips. As he prepared a batch of his “Instant” Pancakes, the Food Network star explained why it’s so important not to overmix the batter. 

“The great majority of pancake fatalities result from overmixing,” he said, noting that it creates gluten. What’s more, “a lot of pancakers don’t realize that they are over-mixers.”

Brown’s tips to avoid overmixing include putting the wet ingredients on top of the dry and walking away from the bowl after about 10 seconds of folding.

Keep those in mind along with Brown’s other cooking hacks, such as his trick for chewy chocolate chip cookies and how he boils pasta with less water.

Alton Brown’s pancake tip No. 2: Flip when bubbles start to set

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Lastly, Brown answered the age-old pancake question of when to flip. “Unfortunately, time is irrelevant,” he said. Instead, he recommends looking out for tell-tale signs. Namely, when bubbles show up. 

“When bubbles start to set, not break but set, around the edges just slide under and take a peek under there,” he said. “If you’ve got good color, a nice bronzy brown, just slide under and flip as close to the surface as you can.” 

Brown’s pancake mix and “Instant” Pancakes average five stars on Food Network’s website. What’s more, they’ve been reviewed by nearly 800 people. 

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