Are you trying to save money at the grocery store by not spending a ton of money on premade mixes?
Did you run out of something while you are making a favorite dish?
What if you could make homemade dry mixes with pantry staples you probably already have?
You can make most homemade dry mix recipes for your pantry at home by purchasing normal everyday items and keeping them on hand. To save time, you can make these easily on the weekends and even let the kids help and store them in your pantry for when you are ready to use them.
I used to be a single mom of one with a huge debt. By saving money on my grocery bill I was able to pay off a 5 figure credit card bill with my entry level job within six months. I used mixes just like these to help stretch my grocery budget and still make most of the same meals we loved so much. It is all in how you think about it.
Having these mixes made and on hand will help save you time during meal time. If you are trying to cut back on your budget, your pantry is the best place to start. Start making your own mixes to have them on hand when ever you need them. Or keep these handy in case you run out. These have definitely saved me a time or two. Be sure to check out my complete list of pantry staples and homemade seasonings you can make at home.
How to stock your pantry
One thing for sure, buying the basic ingredients costs way less than purchasing a box of a premade mix. Plus you know exactly what ingredients you are putting in to your mixes.
Use this pantry list I have already created to help you keep your pantry stocked and help you know what you need to buy next. Try to buy bulk items like flour, oatmeal and beans to keep on hand. Use my homemade chicken stock recipe to keep in the freezer for soups and stews.
It is best to get organized with great containers to keep all your basic ingredients and your homemade mixes in order. I highly recommend storage containers like this starter set from OXO or this smaller set. These containers easily stack together to create a clean an organized shelf. I like to label all my mixes and ingredients with a label maker like this one. That way everyone can find what they are looking for, and it keeps your pantry nice and tidy. It is also a great idea to have a great set like these Pyrex glass measuring cups and these metal measuring spoons to help you while creating your mixes. I recommend using medium glass jars like these or quart jars like these for larger mixes like the brownies or cookies. Label the jars the with the recipe and the wet ingredients you need to add. Simply wash and refill when needed.
It warms my heart hearing from you and seeing the recipes you create! Share your creations on Instagram and tag me @mainlyhomemadeand use #mainlyhomemade, or you can also find me on Facebook, and Pinterest. Thanks for helping me spread the word about homemade delicious food!
Since you are making these pantry staple mixes yourself, use quality ingredients you will feel glad feeding your family. Let the kids help you make these mixes, since measuring helps with math and baking is science.
A substitution to consider instead of using white flour, try organic whole grain wheat flour for your mixes like this one.
Same thing with oatmeal, use organic rolled oats like this brand to make cookies, muffins and just plain ole oatmeal.
Next store your mixes in glass jars to keep them fresh.
Once all the dry ingredients like flour, salt, etc are in the bowl, start stirring them together. Use a wooden spatula in a manner that pushes the dry ingredients against the sides of the bowl creating a well.
Blend: To mix two or more ingredients together, until they are combined into one mixture. This is done by hand, with a blender, or by using an electric mixer.
Dry blending is a classic and increasingly popular process commonly used in the food industry. It involves combining dry ingredients such as powders, grains and spices to create a unique mixture.
Your dry ingredients are piled into a mound on your work surface. You make a well or hollow in the middle of the mound to receive the liquid that you're adding, so it doesn't spill all over the work surface. Then you push some of the dry ingredients from the sides of well into the liquid and mix them together.
Stir the dry ingredients (flour, leavening, salt, spices) together. Then use a spatula or wooden spoon ($3, Target) to gently push the dry ingredients against the sides of the mixing bowl to make a well (pictured above).
Baking powder is a two-in-one chemical leavening that combines a powdered alkali (sodium bicarbonate) with a powdered acid (originally, tartaric acid). When moistened in a dough or batter, a chemical reaction takes place that produces carbon dioxide gas, inflating cookies, cakes, and pancakes.
Why:Overmixing batters and dough will toughen and strengthen the gluten in the flour, leading to tough, dense baked goods. Mixing the dry ingredients together first, and then doing the same with the wet ingredients, means that once you combine the two, you will have to do very little mixing.
Dry ingredients are ones that don't level out: flour, sugar, nuts, powders of all sorts including spices lumps, clumps, solids, butter, spreadable fats, and so on.
Binding together for a better finished food product
Syrups are employed in the baking industry to bind together dry ingredients. In flapjacks, golden syrup can be used to coat the oats, sticking them together to form a soft, chewy final bake.
It is important to sift the dry ingredients together both to remove lumps and to blend the dry ingredients evenly, which will in turn help to ensure a fully combined batter with minimal mixing time. II. A short mixing time is an important factor, as gluten development is undesirable.
But from there, there is actually much debate about which order of combining is best. Some say that adding dry into wet leads to clumps of dry ingredients floating in the batter, while others say that actually the opposite, adding wet to dry, leads to, well, clumps.
Introduction: My name is Lidia Grady, I am a thankful, fine, glamorous, lucky, lively, pleasant, shiny person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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