Good Idea: Toaster Pancakes

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?

(Image: Tammy Everts)