We love biscuits for breakfast . . with real butter and a little sorghum poured over them. Yum! I rarely use biscuit mix to make biscuits but I sure use it for lots of other recipes. Have you looked at the price of the storebought box of biscuit mix? I always make my own but while at the grocery store yesterday, knowing I was going to share this post today, I checked the prices and I was pretty surprised. It’s so simple to make at home using ingredients you probably already have.
Like most anything else you want to make, there are plenty of biscuit mixes posted on the internet. Since I don’t usually use it for making biscuits, but for baking, I like this sweeter version.
Biscuit Mix:
9 cups all purpose flour
1-1/2 cups non-fat dry milk
1/2 cup sugar
4 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
3 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cream of tartar
2 cups vegetable shortening
Mix all the dry ingredients and then cut in the shortening. I mix all the dry ingredients in the same container I’m going to use for storing the mix. Then I place about half of the dry mix in the mixer, and about half the shortening. Then I gradually add more dry mix and more shortening. If I put it all in my Kitchen Aid at once . . a lot of it is flung out of the mixer. If I use the larger Bosch mixer, I can dump it all in at once.
However you do it, mix til it’s very well mixed, then store it in an air tight container.
To use, follow any recipe that uses biscuit mix.
One of my favorite recipes, probably because my dear husband buys twice as many bananas as we eat . . because he loves Banana Nut Bread and at least once a week, he will say “These bananas are going bad. Can you make Banana Nut Bread?” Well . . if you wouldn’t buy twice as many bananas as you want to eat, they wouldn’t go bad! But then he says . . But I love Banana Nut Bread!
This recipe is so easy and I like that it makes one 8″ loaf . . plus a dozen mini muffins.
There really were 12 little muffins but the smell overcame my senses and I couldn’t help myself . . I ate one before taking the picture.
I suppose if I didn’t love those little mini muffins so much, I could use a 9″ loaf pan and things would work out just right.
Banana Nut Bread
1 cup sugar
1/4 (scant) cup shortening
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 cup mashed very ripe bananas
2 cups biscuit mix
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (toasted is nice)
Cream shortening and sugar.
Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Pour into greased loaf pan.
Bake at 350º for 50 – 55 minutes.
Denise :) says
I love having my own, homemade biscuit mix on hand … but I’d never thought of using it to make banana bread! And we’ve *always* got those “too ripe” bananas! Thanks for sharing!! 🙂
JudyL says
I’m making an apple cobbler type desert with the biscuit mix tonight . . if I don’t run out of time before getting it made.
Judy D in WA says
This is funny. I just made biscuit mix Tuesday! Great minds?~?
I use it all the time–simple, cheap and easy.
JudyL says
I like that “great minds” part!
Patti Tappel says
Judy, check out this publication: http://extension.missouri.edu/p/GH1055
I have my original copy that is 40+ years old. A 4-H project.
Patti
marion morgan says
I have not done it yet, but all my friends and my daughter tell me you can freeze bananas and use in cooking (not for eating). They say even the slightly overripe ones are just great. That way, Vince, can still buy too many, but not have his prize, banana bread, for perhaps a week later.
Judy in Michigan says
Yes, I’ve frozen bananas and it works great. Leave them in the skin so when you need 1 or 1.5 bananas for a recipe, just take what you need and squeeze it out of the peel. Already smooshie!! Now, back to the biscuits. You have all this mix in a container, how much do you use for the biscuits? And then what?? Clueless in Michigan
JudyL says
You use it just like any other biscuit mix. There are plenty of recipes on the internet for biscuits, pancakes, waffles, etc.
Sharon Spingler says
This is my recipe for banana bread that is super easy and quick.
3 very ripe bananas
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs ( mix until small clumps of banana are left)
Add 2 cups self rising flour and mix
Add raisins and crushed walnuts (This I stir by hand)
Bake at 350 for 50 minutes
JudyL says
There are tons of recipes for everything out there. I never ever have self-rising flour in the house. Yes, I could make it with AP flour and add in the salt and baking powder. I also do not like raisins at all . . never use them in anything!
Beth in AZ says
I freeze bananas, esp if I only have one. When I hit 5, I make banana bread too. No nuts in mine (the men in my house don’t like them), but I use chocolate chips instead (!). One time a frozen banana fell out of our freezer and hit my DH on the foot. He looked at it..and asked “WHAT is it and WHY are we saving it?”!! We still laugh about that when he sees a frozen banana. They are great in smoothies too. I cut them in chunks and freeze them on a cookie sheet, then bag them when they are frozen hard. If you use them frozen, you will not need ice or sugar.
barbara says
doesn’t the shortening spoil? do you keep it ‘fridged? i’ve never done this.
JudyL says
I suppose everything will spoil if you keep it long enough. I’ve never kept shortening in the fridge unless it was at a camp or some place where I wasn’t using it often. My kitchen stays pretty cool and I’ve never had a problem with the shortening spoiling but I go through a batch of biscuit mix in a month or so.
Gana says
If you don’t use this mix for your biscuits, could you share your biscuit recipe?
Ranch Wife says
I use a very similar recipe. Haven’t bought a mix in decades. I hope Vince knows how good he has it! 🙂 You mentioned a while back that you grind your own flour – do you have a Whisper Mill? I have really cut back on my baking and bread baking at hubby’s request. I’m still adjusting to cooking for 2 instead of 5.
Rosie Davis says
This is a keeper!! thank you!
Doreen says
I have, also, put together such a mix. Since I am quite lactose intolerant, I use powdered non-dairy creamer (generic) in place of the powdered milk and there is no difference in the finished product. If you prefer a sweeter mix, the powdered French vanilla creamer gives a very subtle sweetness that is wonderful!!
Linda Steller says
Oh yum! I can almost smell the banana bread. I love it too, but it’s on the list of stuff I can’t eat. Heck, I can’t even eat the bananas. You tell Vince he has to enjoy it for me too, so he’d better like it even more!
Helen Hubert says
Judy, you have probably already investigated this (I know you are totally UP on your cooking info)… I use lard (which is a natural product) instead of shortening, to avoid the hydrogenated vegetable fats. I love your blog and recipes – thanks for all the sharing you do.