Bread Pudding Pancakes with Buttery Cinnamon Syrup

Lately I’ve been craving pancakes. Keith and I generally like the same foods, but on pancakes we differ.

He once told me that eating pancakes feels like swallowing a blanket; he’s more of a french toast guy. More accurately he’s a cheesy eggs and toast with butter guy, but if he’s in the mood for something sweet, french toast it is.

I got to thinking about french toast. Then I thought about eating out and how we sometimes order bread pudding for dessert.

Lightbulb.

What do you get when you combine french toast and bread pudding? Bread pudding pancakes of course. More specifically, you get lofty, custard textured pancakes that melt in your mouth.

Guess what? He loved them. I hope you will too.

Bread Pudding Pancakes with Buttery Cinnamon Syrup

You can use any syrup you have on hand, but if you have a few extra minutes, the homemade syrup is worth the effort. This recipe serves two (with syrup to spare), but you can easily double or triple it.

For the pancakes:
4 ounces whole wheat sourdough bread, crusts removed and cut into 1″ cubes
1 cup whole milk
1 egg
1/3 cup white whole wheat flour
1 tablespoon natural cane sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
butter for cooking

For the syrup:
1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
dash salt
1/4 teaspoon real vanilla extract

Place bread in a medium bowl.

Combine milk and egg in a small bowl and whisk to combine. Pour over bread and stir gently to coat.

In another small bowl, combine next four ingredients – flour through salt – and stir to combine. Add to bread mixture and stir. Let stand 15 minutes.

In the meantime, make the syrup. Add all syrup ingredients to a small saucepan over medium heat and bring to a low boil. Boil and stir until sugar has dissolved and syrup coats the back of a spoon. Remove from heat. (If this cools too much before your pancakes are finished, just reheat it for a minute or two.) When you’re about to eat, transfer syrup to a small pitcher.

To make the pancakes; melt 2 teaspoons of butter in a large skillet over medium heat until bubbling. Stir batter, then scoop 1/3 cupfuls into skillet. Cook until bottoms are golden and bubbles start to form on the top – 2 minutes or so. With a thin spatula, carefully flip pancakes. Cook another 2 to 3 minutes, or until golden and cooked through.

Transfer to serving plates and serve with warm syrup.

Serves 2 (see note above)