The Easiest Way To Transform Trader Joe's Pancake Bread Into An Easy Breakfast

If the breakfast debate is, which is your favorite between pancakes or French toast, then Trader Joe's answer is: Why not both? The retailer is continually churning out trendy and adored new products that quickly become fan faves for their unique qualities — after all, the store is known for its foodie finds that you can't get anywhere else. One such viral product worthy of a second look is the pancake bread sold in TJ's bakery section. The grocer's bouncy, cakey pancake bread looks like a sweet loaf of banana bread or coffee cake, and it's billed as a "twist on a buttermilk short stack, baked into a sweet, moist loaf." If that sounds every bit as delicious and uniquely unexpected as so many of Trader Joe's goodies, you'd be correct. 

Not only is the loaf drool-worthy just as it's intended to be enjoyed, sliced up for breakfast or a tea-time sweet treat — but you can crank the decadence up another notch by spinning the pancake-inspired bread into another breakfast and brunch-time go-to: French toast. The loaf has a vanilla-cake-esque interior and a sugary streusel-like topping, all infused with the official flavor of Saturday mornings — pancake syrup. It doesn't take much reworking to turn this breakfast-inspired treat into French toast, just dunking slices of the pancake bread loaf into a batter and frying them up, for the most extra plate of French toast you've ever sunk a fork into.

French toast is traditionally — and ideally — made with crusty rustic loaves of bread, better still if it's a day or two old so it holds up when submerged in the milk, egg, and cinnamon bath. Common amped-up twists on basic French toast often involve steps like stuffing the bread with fruit or cream cheese, baking in the oven versus frying up the stovetop, or even creating the toast with untraditional starting points like pillowy Japanese milk bread — or, for our purposes, this sugary Trader Joe's pancake loaf. 

Simply follow the basic French toast-making process as usual — mixing up your typical wet ingredients (if vegan, try substituting with a flax egg and plant-based milk), and using it to coat slices of the pancake bread. Then, drop the slices into a hot skillet and cook until golden brown and crispy on each side. The result will be a stack of impressively thick, sugar-crusted goodness that you'll be looking forward to enjoying on a Saturday morning all week long.

Of course, there's really no limit to how this breakfast-inspired loaf can be enjoyed. Try your creation plain, with a drizzle of syrup, or perhaps even a fruity compote. Or, as some fans of this bread suggest online, you could even serve up a slice of the plain loaf that's been warmed in the microwave with a scoop of ice cream for a mashup of breakfast and dessert that brings together the best of both culinary worlds.