Bread Griddle Cakes

Stale bread breakfast magic. Long before pancake mixes, cooks turned yesterday’s bread into today’s griddle cakes by soaking bread crumbs in milk and butter to soften them, then folding in eggs, flour, and baking powder. The result is thicker and more custardy than ordinary pancakes, with a faint bread-pudding sweetness in every bite.

The soak is the whole game. Pour warm milk and melted butter over the bread crumbs and let them sit until completely softened, usually 5 to 10 minutes. Skip the soak and the crumbs stay crunchy in the finished cake, which nobody wants. Hot milk speeds the process but isn’t required.

Four teaspoons of baking powder is more than typical pancakes need. The bread crumbs absorb a lot of liquid and weigh the batter down, so the extra leavening fights back to give you cakes that actually rise.

These cook a touch slower than regular pancakes because the batter is denser. Use medium-low heat so the centers cook through before the outsides go too dark.

Kitchen Tips

• Use fresh, soft bread crumbs from real bread rather than dried packaged ones. Packaged bread crumbs are too fine and make the cakes pasty.
• Tear up day-old bread (sourdough, white, or whole wheat) and pulse in a food processor for the best texture.
• Wait until you see bubbles open across the surface before flipping. These take longer than buttermilk pancakes.
• Serve with maple syrup, honey, or fruit compote. The bread-y flavor takes well to almost anything sweet.

Variations

• Add a tablespoon of sugar and a teaspoon of cinnamon for a sweeter, breakfast-leaning version.
• Stir in ½ cup raisins or chopped apple for a bread-pudding-pancake hybrid.
• Use leftover cornbread crumbs instead of regular bread for a Southern-style griddle cake.