I mentioned it in my frozen mini pancakes post that I would need to try making pancakes from scratch.  Though I had to pick up some buttermilk I had all the other ingredients in my cupboards.  Here is the recipe I went with:

 

Buttermilk Pancakes Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 cup flour
• 1 tablespoon white sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1.25 cup buttermilk
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

 

Directions

• Combine dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking powder/soda, salt) into a large bowl and mix to incorporate.
• In a smaller bowl add buttermilk, egg, oil, and vanilla and mix with a whisk for 30 seconds.
• Immediately before you are ready to cook, add the wet ingredients to the dry and briefly mix though do not overdo it.
• Cook on medium heat on a lightly oiled skillet until brown on both sides

The Contender – Store Bought

Here are the costs of making pancakes using Bisquick baking mix

Ingredient	Amount	Cost
Baking Mix	1 cup	$ 0.289
Milk	1/2 cup	$ 0.093
Egg	1 egg	$ 0.133
Vegetable Oil	1 teaspoon	$ 0.009
Electricity	Stovetop (15 minutes)	$ 0.003

So for only $ 0.53 you can make your own pancakes.

The Challenger – Homemade

Here is the cost of making the pancakes from scratch:

Ingredient	Amount	Cost
Flour	1 cup	$ 0.12
Sugar	1 tablespoon	$ 0.020
Baking Powder	1 teaspoon	$ 0.032
Baking Soda	1/2 teaspoon	$ 0.004
Salt	1/8 teaspoon	$ 0.001
Buttermilk	1 1/4 cup	$ 0.559
Egg	1 egg	$ 0.133
Vegetable Oil	1 tablespoon	$ 0.026
Vanilla Extract	1 teaspoon	$ 0.028
Electricity	Stovetop (15 minutes)	$ 0.003

 

So for only $ 0.93 you can make your buttermilk pancakes.  There is a little extra effort to add a couple more ingredients, though I would consider this marginal

The Decision…

	Store bought	Homemade
Price
Taste
Difficulty

The cost to making pancakes homemade was actually more expensive this time, though the taste between the two were not even comparable.  The homemade buttermilk pancakes were very light and fluffy and that hint of vanilla also helped out.  So going to have to give this one to homemade.