January 20, 2006

Arrowhead Mills Buckwheat Pancake & Waffle Mix

(I think they have recently updated their packaging, so check for either/both when browsing the aisles.)

This is a wonderful mix that takes a little practice to get exactly what you want out of it. Before you panic, let me explain. Buckwheat is much denser than wheat, and a little like lava rock when compared to the Bisquicks and Aunt Jemima's of the world. However, once you go buck you'll never go back. There is a nutty, full bodied taste that makes the other "white" versions taste like whipped wonder bread.

That said, the Arrowhead Mills Buckwheat Pancake & Waffle Mix is hearty but not like mixing gravel. In the recipe on the package it lists the most wholesome ingredients for preparing the recipe. I personally like to add some cinnamon or on special occasions, fruit and/or chocolate chips (Hey! There is a little sinner in all of us!) If you find the consistency is too dense, then add milk -- too thin, add some more mix. Just feel your way around the batter. And I usually find that butter on the griddle works best.

About Arrowhead Mills:

Frank Ford, after graduating top of his class from the Texas A&M School of Agriculture and a tour in the Army, laid down his life savings in 1960 to start a grain company. He believed that herbicides and pesticides, when used over time and resources, would weaken crop varieties, break down resistance to disease and pests, and eventually, pollute the food chain.

With a tractor, an old stone mill and non-irrigated lands, Frank Ford and his partner produced the first organic grain to be sold to bakeries, and the beginnings of the organic revolution in the nation. In the 1990's, Arrowhead Mills was one of the leaders in the movement to create an officially recognized third party certification organization for certifying organic foods and was the number one U.S. supplier of certified organic foods.

Today, Arrowhead Mills is a subsidiary of The Hain Celestial Group, and is shipping over 20 million pounds of food per year with a product line that is over 87% organic.

Ingredients:
buckwheat flour*, whole wheat flour*, sweet whey, non-alum baking powder (monocalcium phosphate, bicarbonate of soda, corn starch), and sea salt
*Organically Produced