Years ago, when I was in 4-H as a child, we made what we called MasterMix as a cheaper alternative to Bisquick mix. I believe it was released, originally from the County Extension Office. It made huge amounts, as I recall, so here’s a more reasonably scaled recipe as well as a smaller one to substitute if you just need a bit for a recipe.

Home Made Bisquick Substitute:

• 13 c. all-purpose flour, sifted or stirred with a whisk
• 1/2 cup baking powder
• 1/4 cup sugar (leave this out if you plan on making savory as well as sweet items)
• 1 T salt
• 1 teaspoon cream of tarter
• 2 cups cold butter (four sticks) or you could use shortening, or a combination

1. Measure the sifted flour, baking powder and salt into a large bowl. Use a wire whisk to blend thoroughly.
2. Cut in cold butter using a pastry cutter until thoroughly incorporated.  *My note:  I use a food processor for this.
3. To measure, spoon lightly into a measuring cup and level.  Store refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 4 months or in the freezer for up to a year.

My note:  You could cut this recipe down, keeping proportions in mind.

Use this for any recipe that calls for Bisquick in equal amounts, or use it in place of recipes that require flour, butter and baking powder – biscuits, shortcake, etc.  Don’t use for pastry.

Note: This is a frugal recipe, and the amount of butter is very similar to Bisquick (which only uses partially hydrogenated oils, although there is a newer “heart healthy”) but is much less than the amounts found in many recipes I use. For instance, my Buttermilk Biscuit Topping for a 13 x 9″ casserole contains 2 cups of flour and one stick of butter. If you’re looking for a really quality mix, increase the butter to 8 sticks.

If you just need to make a small amount, say you have a recipe that calls for Bisquick and you want to make it, but don’t want to buy Bisquick:

Bisquick, use instead:

• 1 cup of flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon oil, melted butter or shortening

Note: this is going to make slightly more than one cup.

Easy One Dish Ham Bake:  Uses Bisquick Mix in the topping

Forgotten Arts:

• Bisquick Substitute
• Cream of Anything Soup
• Gravies
• Home Made Egg Noodles
• Make Your Own Casserole
• Seasoned (or not) Bread Crumbs
• White Sauces and What to Do with Them