Self-Raising Flour for Kruidnoten: Mix or Flour?

Who is this choice relevant to?

Home bakers who want to make kruidnoten

You’re looking for a base for a pliable dough that’s baked in the oven. Jumbo and PLUS recipes for kruidnoten use self-raising flour, along with other recipe ingredients.

Budget-conscious pancake makers

You want to make ordinary pancakes and compare plain mixes. Check whether you already have the milk, eggs and cooking fat listed in the preparation instructions, too.

Bakers with few separate ingredients at home

You want to make ordinary pancakes without adding milk and eggs to the batter. According to their instructions, complete mixes from Koopmans and PLUS are made with water; you’ll still need cooking fat for the pan.

What should you look for when choosing?

Start with what you want to make: Jumbo and PLUS recipes call for self-raising flour for kruidnoten, while plain and complete pancake mixes differ in what you need to add to the batter.

What to consider	What to check before buying	Who it matters to
Base for kruidnoten	Follow a kruidnoten recipe and check that you have self-raising flour and the other ingredients it lists.	I want to bake kruidnoten in the oven, not make pancakes in a pan. For around 50% of consumers, choosing a base that suits the kruidnoten recipe comes first.
Ingredients for pancakes	Compare plain mixes by pack weight and check which milk, eggs and cooking fat the recipe calls for.	When I make ordinary pancakes, I want to know which ingredients I need to buy in addition to the mix. For around 30% of consumers, a straightforward, budget-conscious shopping choice matters most.
Fewer separate ingredients	For a complete mix, check what needs to go into the batter and whether you’ll still need cooking fat for the pan.	With few ingredients at home, I want to be able to make pancake batter with water. For around 20% of consumers, convenience comes first.

Common mistakes

Assuming pancake mix is the obvious choice for kruidnoten

Jumbo and PLUS recipes for kruidnoten make a dough with self-raising flour; the product instructions for pancake mix describe batter for cooking in a frying pan.

Decide whether you want to bake kruidnoten or make pancakes first, then choose ingredients for that recipe.
Looking only at the packet of mix

According to the preparation instructions, plain pancake mix also needs milk, eggs and cooking fat.

Check the recipe and see which additional ingredients you already have before you go shopping.
Assuming ‘complete’ means ‘nothing else needed’

You use water for PLUS Complete batter, but the preparation instructions also mention butter or oil for the pan.

Read both the batter instructions and the cooking instructions.
Skipping the label if you have a food allergy

Whether a product is suitable depends on the ingredients and allergens in that specific pack, not just the words ‘baking mix’ on the front.

Check the current label. If you need to eat gluten-free, use a recipe and ingredients that are specifically suitable.

Relevant brands to compare

Koopmans

Koopmans offers original and complete pancake mixes, as well as a shaker bottle for making a smaller batch of pancakes.

Koopmans says its complete mix only needs water to make the batter.
The preparation instructions for the original mix list milk, eggs and cooking fat. Neither version is automatically a suitable base for kruidnoten.

Albert Heijn huismerk

Albert Heijn offers a range of pancake mixes, including plain, complete, multigrain and wholemeal varieties.

The different varieties give you a choice of pancake mix.
Check the preparation instructions on each pack; pancake mix isn’t necessarily suitable for a kruidnoten recipe.

Jumbo huismerk

Jumbo offers plain, complete and wholemeal pancake mixes.

If you want to make pancakes, you can compare the varieties by the extra ingredients they require.
For kruidnoten, Jumbo’s recipe uses self-raising flour rather than pancake mix.

PLUS huismerk

PLUS offers plain and complete pancake mixes, as well as self-raising flour.

The PLUS kruidnoten recipe uses self-raising flour; its complete pancake mix is made into batter with water.
PLUS also lists cooking fat for the pan when using its complete mix. If you have allergies, check the label on the pack you choose.

ALBONA

ALBONA, ALDI’s own brand, sells pancake mix and self-raising flour as separate baking products.

You can choose the product type to suit what you want to bake.
Check the packaging and your local shop’s range for the variety you need.

Belbake

Lidl lists Belbake Original Pancake Mix as a mix for ordinary pancakes.

The listed pack contains 400 g of mix and, according to Lidl, makes around 12 pancakes.
Lidl says this product is available in store only; it has not been shown to be a substitute for self-raising flour in kruidnoten dough.

Product for baking kruidnoten

For making kruidnoten, we’ve selected self-raising flour: a base to use with a suitable recipe and the other ingredients it calls for.

Koopmans Self-raising flour 500 g

Suitable as a flour base when following a kruidnoten recipe that calls for self-raising flour; you’ll need the other recipe ingredients separately.

View at Joybuy

Frequently asked questions

Can I use pancake mix to bake kruidnoten?

For Jumbo and PLUS kruidnoten recipes, it’s better to use self-raising flour: they use a pliable dough that’s baked in the oven. According to the product instructions, plain pancake mix is made into batter for pancakes.

Are pepernoten and kruidnoten the same?

No. Albert Heijn Allerhande distinguishes between small, hard kruidnoten flavoured with speculaas spices and softer pepernoten with a more irregular shape. In everyday conversation, kruidnoten are often called pepernoten.

Which pancake mix needs fewer separate ingredients?

A complete mix can reduce the number of ingredients you need to add to the batter: Koopmans and PLUS say their complete mixes are made with water. You may still need butter or oil for cooking, so check the instructions on the pack.

Can I use ordinary pancake mix if I need to eat gluten-free?

Don’t assume that ordinary pancake mix is gluten-free. Check the current label for ingredients, allergens and information about cross-contamination. For kruidnoten, Jumbo has a separate gluten-free recipe using buckwheat flour and almond flour; check the packaging of the ingredients you buy for it, too.