Pancake Squares

As much as I love to cook and bake, I've never enjoyed making pancakes. I could blame it on the electric stove, which makes using any kind of griddle hit or miss. I could blame it on the fact that you either have to eat them as you make them or hold them in a warm oven, which never keeps the pancakes the same as those fresh off the grill. And while I don't mind standing at the frying pan with potato pancakes, somehow standing there flipping pancakes has never been as rewarding. Enter King Arthur. No, not the sword-wielding Knight of the Round Table, but the King Arthur Flour Blog, which has the most incredible recipes and ideas. It was there that I read about pancake squares. (Like probably everyone else who saw that post, I slapped myself up along the side of the head and said, "Now, why didn't I think of that?") So, while I'm late to the party, I decided to give the idea a try.

You could certainly use a pancake mix, but why bother when making them from scratch is just as easy and tastes better. This is enough batter for this recipe:

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
2 tbs sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/4 cup milk
2 eggs
3 tbs melted butter

Mix well. Pour into a very well greased 9 X 13 inch baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 22-25 minutes, until  a cake tester inserted in the middle comes out clean.  The batter will brown around the edges, but the top will not be golden brown. You could add berries or chips or other add in's before you bake. I chose to bake mine plain and top with blueberries and syrup warmed together. You could even make a simple confectioners' sugar glaze. Any way you top them, they are ready in under a half hour and you can sit and sip your coffee while they bake.

TASTE NOTES
In addition to the wonderful smell of pancakes that will waft through your home, if  you close your eyes while you eat these pancake squares, you won't even know they haven't been cooked on a griddle. An added bonus is leftovers can be frozen and reheated for a weekday breakfast. I seldom eat pancakes,but that may change.