Shelf-stable dry food mixes?

I'm looking to start stocking up some dry food mixes and I'm wondering what the shelf life for these might be? For example, I would like to make some homemade bisquick type mixes and store them in mason jars. The ingredients include flour, salt, sugar, baking powder, shortening(I'll probably substitute for lard). Most of the websites that I have found with this type of recipe say they will only last 6 weeks on the shelf or 6 months in the freezer. I'm wondering if I am very careful to avoid contamination (wear gloves and whatnot) and add an oxygen absorber, could these mixes last longer? Seems like they should last about as long as the ingredient with the shortest lifespan, right?

The things I'm looking to make dry-mixes are simple, everyday things like the following;
Biscuits
Pancakes
Waffles
Cookies
Oatmeal (with stuff added like cinnamon/sugar or dried fruits)
Bread
Tortillas
etc

What recipes have you used? How long do they last?

You could make your mixes last long by leaving out the lard and baking powder.  Just make your recipe to include these ingredients when preparing the item.  All purpose flour, sugar and salt all have a very long shelf life. Whole wheat doesn't have a long shelf life and the oatmeal would depend on the kind of oatmeal.  Cinnamon would last a long time but the dried fruit might be better added when you prepare the item.

Part of why they say the short shelf life is CYA in this litigious world.  Part of it is science, those things in combination can cause the others to decay faster.

They didn't go BAD for us, but they definitely tasted off.  

Once you get the hang of it, it doesn't take long to make it from scratch as part of a recipe.  

R Scott wrote:
They didn't go BAD for us, but they definitely tasted off.  

What specifically didn't go bad? And how long before it started to taste off?


The problem with making them from scratch is that I'm not the one doing the cooking. I work full time and my boyfriend is the 'house husband'  He cooks everyday but if it were up to him, he would just buy the one-serving packages of biscuit mix or whatever we are having at the time. I'm thinking, if I can make those kinds of things ahead of time, he will be less inclined to waste the money on the individual packets...

Also, we're having trouble even just storing the raw ingredients separately. Flour bugs have taken over. I need to start re-packaging stuff anyway, might as well make some mixes while I'm at it...  

They tasted stale and slightly rancid while the remainder of the same bags/boxes of ingredients tasted fine if mixed just before using. I think it took longer than six months in the freezer, though.

If you can put them in the freezer you will be fine (which you need to do if you have big problems). You should use them up in plenty of time.