More Moo! How to Make 4-Ingredient Pantry Pancakes

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Last week I was reading The Ministry of Food: Thrifty Wartime Ways to Feed Your Family Today. The author grew up during World War 2 and includes personal memories from during the War.

World War 2 Pancakes

What caught my eye the other day was her comment, “If you had dried eggs and dried milk in the larder, you only needed flour and water to make pancakes.” What a filling meal could be made with next to nothing!

In Great Britain, the Ministry of Food published information about how to make the most of the milk ration. Even so, there was not enough fresh milk. Civilians, wounded soldiers and prisoners of war needed more. So, dry milk was imported. It was not looked on with enthusiasm.

I have long had dry milk in my food storage. It has stayed there because I found it difficult to mix and more difficult to drink! But this World War 2 pancake recipe made me curious enough to figure out how to use it.

Two Kinds of Dry Milk

There are actually two kinds of dry milk—regular dry milk and instant dry milk. I decided to try both.

You’d think the instant dry milk would be, well, instant. I was surprised to learn dry milk of either variety tastes better after allowing it to chill several hours. Even the instant dry milk instructions say to refrigerate overnight for best flavor. That gives the milk powder time to fully reconstitute.

The only real difference I noticed between the two versions is that regular dry milk takes more elbow grease to mix. Instant dry milk can be shaken in a jar of water. Regular dry milk mixes better in some kind of shaker container. It is best to add dry milk to water instead of the other way around.

Taste Test Results

Once mixed and chilled, both types of dry milk are perfect for anything you would use fresh milk for. When I tasted them alongside fresh milk, the regular dry was rich and creamy with a slightly sweet aftertaste. The instant dry looked like skim milk and was the least visually appealing but had a fresh, light taste. To me, it tasted closest to fresh milk.

I now feel like a dried milk expert able to use our dry milk storage any time we need it. It can be used to fortify bread dough, smoothies and milkshakes. It is a key ingredient in hot cocoa or pudding mix. It works in homemade ice cream or ice milk. It can even be used to make bechamel sauce, yogurt, ricotta or cottage cheese! Dry milk is a viable way to add calories, taste and nutrition in a pinch.

Be sure to get the highest quality you can find. Some are 100% dried milk while others have other additives. With this budget-friendly homemaking item in your pantry you’ll never feel nervous when someone asks if you’ve got milk!

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How to make 4-Ingredient Pantry Pancakes

Yield 2-3

Author Harriett Sebastian

My 4-Ingredient Pantry Pancakes recipe inspired by 1940s homemaking.

Ingredients

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 3 level tablespoons dried egg Dash of salt
• 1 1/3 cups reconstituted dry milk

Instructions

1. Mix flour, dried egg and salt well in a medium bowl. Make a well in the center and add milk. Whisk to thoroughly combine until lumps are smoothed out. Batter should be fairly thin but not watery.
2. Pour batter into hot skillet in 2-3 tablespoon measures. Pancakes brown better if fried in butter, if you have it. Turn when small bubbles appear on surface. When cooked through, remove to a serving plate and fill as desired, or top with syrup and butter.
3. Filling/Topping Ideas: softened cream cheese or mascarpone with fruit jams; apple or cherry butter; peanut butter; maple syrup; confectioner’s sugar; golden syrup; molasses.

Notes

Reference: Fearnley-Whittingstall, Jane. The Ministry of Food: Thrifty Wartime Ways to Feed Your Family Today. Hodder & Stoughton, 2010, p. 126.

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