How Should I Store Instant Pancake Mix?

Our answer

Nigella's Home Made Instant Pancake Mix (from NIGELLA EXPRESS) is made with a combination of plain (all-purpose) flour, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda (baking soda). The baking powder and bicarbonate of soda are the leavening agents that cause the pancakes to rise and these are the ingredients that are likely to expire most quickly. So when you make the mix make sure that both of these ingredients are within the "best before" dates and have still some shelf life left. We assume that the storage is for the "dry" mix that has not yet been made into batter.

The leavening agents are activated by liquid so the mixture should be stored tightly sealed in an airtight container and in a cool, dry place. It should keep for up to 3 months providing that the leavening agents are fairly fresh. It could be stored in the fridge but as a fridge usually has a humid environment we suspect that this would not extend the life of the mix much. It may also be possible to store the mix in the freezer, but we would suggest putting it in a sturdy freezer bag and expelling as much air as possible before sealing tightly and freezing for up to 3 months. Use the dry mix direct from frozen. The pancake mix may keep beyond this time in the freezer, but as we have not tested this we are unable to guarantee the results.