From the "Duh... eureka!" files: I'm embarrassed to admit to how many perfectly good pancakes I gave to the dog before it occurred to me to start freezing leftovers to reheat in the toaster. It's a wonderful way to get a taste of the weekend on an otherwise rushed weekday morning. Here are a few tips.
While I know lots of people who reheat pancakes with a toaster oven, for some reason (perhaps the fact that I don't own a toaster oven) it took ages for it to occur to me to just use the toaster instead. Along the way, I've made a few little discoveries.
I've found that the best toaster pancakes are those made with whole wheat or any other non-white flour, which gives them a satisfying ever-so-slight crunchiness on the outside and keeps them from tasting doughy and starchy on the inside. (These days, I've been loving Emma Waverman and Eshan Mott's recipe for buttermilk pancakes from their cookbook Whining and Dining.)
Make sure that all your leftover pancakes have come to room temperature before you pack them up for the freezer. Otherwise, the condensation will cause them to form ice crystals and freeze together - not an appetizing look. I spread mine out on a cutting board, making sure to flip them over so that each side gets a chance to cool down.
Pancakes will keep for a few weeks, if properly sealed, but I recommend eating them within the first week or so. This should be no problem, especially if you have kids, like mine, who love toaster pancakes so much they demand you make double batches on the weekend in order to tide them through the week.
Pancakes, to me, are the perfect breakfast food. They have no sugar and no yeast, so you don't get that sugared-up bloated feeling that comes with breakfast pastries and the like. And toasted, they're endlessly versatile. You can serve them up the traditional way, with maple syrup and a knife and fork, but I like to take advantage of the portability of pancakes to make mine a handheld breakfast on the go. They're wonderful with chevre and strawberry jam, or even just butter and a sprinkling of icing sugar or cinnamon. You can also use two small toaster pancakes to make incredibly cute breakfast sandwiches. (Mmm... Nutella and jam.)
This simple little trick has been my weekday breakfast salvation. Have you made any similarly lifesaving breakfast discoveries?
Related: Weekday Routines: Do You Usually Eat Breakfast?
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I actually make pancakes just to freeze for weekday breakfasts. After they're cooked I put them on a wire rack to cool, and then stick the rack straight in the freezer. Once frozen, I toss 'em in a gallon Ziploc bag. Tada!
I'm giving myself a duh! I never thought to freeze pancakes. Good post.
I usually make buckwheat and blueberry pancakes, and they freeze great! Just like you say, the non-white flour gives them a nice crunch in the toaster.
I do this too with homemade pancakes, waffles, and muffins. My toddler loves it!
I do this every time I make pancakes (and waffles), except they actually rarely make it to the freezer--usually I just put them in the fridge and eat them Mon. morning (and occasionally Tues. too if there were enough)...
love left over pancakes with applebutter or peanut butter. yum!
I freeze homemade sourdough pancakes all the time. In fact, I took a toasted pancake and peanut butter sandwich with me when I walked to class this morning. The sourdough pancakes are a little more sturdy than regular pancakes, so they work great as a hand-held snack.
I used to toast left over pancakes but I found they got too crisp on the outside - I like a soft, cakey pancake - so now I place a frozen pancake on a plate; tent it with an upside down bowl and steam heat it in the microwave. Much yummier in my opinion.
BTW, Here's my pancake recipe in case anyone needs one:
http://danamccauley.wordpress.com/2008/02/05/mmmpancakes/
I do this whenever I make waffles. Way better than the frozen waffles you can buy at the store!
My mom has been doing this as long as I can remember - both with pancakes and french toast.
Freezing pancakes & waffles is a necessity w/two little kids... we'd never get out of the house if we didn't have something quick (and warm) available for breakfast. I use a great recipe from Laurel's Kitchen (there's a buttermilk and "regular" version) - I modify it w/a little wheat germ and flax seed/meal and cook a huge batch over the weekend.
I do this with waffles all the time. I find they work best if I zap them in the microwave for just a few seconds first, then toast them
I love to sandwich them with vanilla icecream for a mid week desert.
it's a life saver for sure, especially with little boys that wake up early and ALWAYS want pancakes. works with waffles, too.
Great idea! This reminds of last week when I felt so brilliant because I reheated naan in the toaster. Seriously, it's just as good as the night before when you get it from the indian food restaurant, instead of the microwaved chewy day-old naan I'm accustomed to eating.
I love peanut butter and boysenberry jam sandwiches on toasted oat bran pancakes! It's the only peanut butter and jelly sandwich I've ever liked.
Thank you for posting this. I never thought to do this with my pancakes - I'll have to make extras on the weekend!
does anyone have a buckwheat pancake recipe?
Oh, my grampa always used to do this. makes me all nostalgic.
Pancakes keep fine in the fridge for 6 or 7 days - we do it all the time. We make a big stack on the weekend and the kids have them all week.
And always whole wheat
Wow, that is a very excellent idea! We are breakfast challenged and the husband LOVES pancakes...
@Sara (in US): I hate to beat the [cookbook] to death, but some of my favorite whole-grain baking -and many of my soup- recipes are launched from anything out of the New Laurel's Kitchen cookbook. You can probably find a used copy just about anywhere (1/2 price books always seems to have a few barely-cracked-open copies). There's a really great buckwheat pancake recipe there.
french toast too!
...you know, I was reading this article on my phone (no images) and racking my brains trying to figure out how you'd put a pancake in the toaster; would you fold it in quarters and lay the toaster on its side so it didn't collapse? Or maybe, I thought, toasters could be like cars - bigger in the US.
Fortunately, the post-commet box wouldn't work on the phone either, so I got to finish work, come home, and discover that it's not giant toasters or folding technique, just that 'pancake' apparently means something completely different... :D
I bet the dog is really bummed now...Ours LOVES leftover pancakes.
These are called scotch pancakes in England. My family always made our own sturdy, little, reheatable pancakes so we grew up with this idea.
But you can also buy them in packages in the refrigerated section at any supermarket. You warm them up, slather with butter (and jam if you like) and eat for tea.
Sounds better and way cheaper than frozen store-bought pancakes. I'll have to have a pancake Sunday and test this out.
thanks, keltrue! i'll check it out.
My mom always just made extra batter and kept it in the fridge for the next couple days. All it took then to have FRESH pancakes was a few minutes on the stove (as opposed to a minute in the toaster). Worth the extra minute or two, in my opinion.