Smoky Valley Best Traditional Pancake Flour, 1lb

“Smoky Valley Best” Traditional Pancake Flour from 80-year-old recipe.

Operating from 1898 – 1955, the Smoky Valley Roller Mills on the banks of the Smoky Hill River in Lindsborg, Kansas, was central to the life of “Little Sweden, USA.” The last owners of the Old Mill – Clarence and Arthur Runbeck – ran the mill 1934-1955, and some of their most popular items were a variety of baking mixes, including for a Self-Rising Pancake Mix.

After the mill closed, it remained cold and dark until reopening in 1962 as part of a county museum. The Old Mill was restored to operable condition by 1981. Today the Mill – owned by an independent nonprofit in the Lindsborg Old Mill & Swedish Heritage Museum – is the only historic flour mill of its kind in the Midwest with all its machinery fully operable.

The recipe for the Runbecks’ special pancake mix, however, was lost to time. Or, at least, that is what everyone connected with the museum reasonably thought.

Then in January 2024, workers at a home restoration in Lindsborg found a threadbare notebook and brought it to the museum for donation. Its contents were a huge surprise – multiple flour mix recipes in industrial measurement sizes by the Runbeck Brothers from approximately the 1940s, including the Traditional Pancake Flour.

Working with Sunflower Food Co. out of Lenexa, Kansas, museum staff brought back the classic pancake and waffle flour for sale in March 2026!

This old-world inspired recipe is a taste out of Smoky Valley history and includes instructions for a pancake/waffle mix as well as a thinner more traditional Swedish-style pancake mix. With butter and syrup, it offers a particularly flavorful and delicious breakfast treat. Add lingonberry preserves for a traditional Swedish sweet dessert. The packaging design is based on original bags in the museum’s historical collection.

This premium mix – with all-natural ingredients and an 18-24 month shelf life – supports buying local and buying from Kansas manufacturers. By using Sunflower Food Co., the Museum is prioritizing offering this unique product revival as a “Made in the USA” product with a trusted and experienced manufacturer, staying true to its historical local Kansas roots.