Breakfast for Dinner… And Dessert

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by Hannah (BitterSweet)
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It’s true that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, at least for me, that is. Without my warm bowl of steel cut oats, doused in cinnamon and vanilla, with an over-sized mug of jet-black coffee on the side, I can’t promise I could function like a decent human being. Dramatic, yes, but those two items are so grounding and comforting, I haven’t varied the combo in nearly a year. While everyone waxes rhapsodic about the occasional waffle or donut in the morning, I fear that altering the delicate balance that is a properly composed breakfast would throw an entire day off kilter. If there wasn’t coffee or oats first thing upon waking, oh, there would be hell to pay.

But that isn’t to say that I’m uninterested in other breakfast options. On the contrary, traditional breakfast foods are some of my favorite dishes- I just don’t eat them at breakfast time! From pancakes to french toast to even a bowl of cold cereal, I’m happiest having any of this morning fare for dinner, dessert, and sometimes both at once. It should come as no surprise that my tastes tend to run on the sweet side, so all of these choices come with more than a good dose of sugar, too. Instead of feeling guilty about essentially eating mini cakes fried up in a skillet as a meal, why not embrace that fact and just make the first course also the last course all at once?

Seeking a more hearty variation to the generally light and fluffy pancake, I rifled through my overwhelming assortment of flours until the ancient package of buckwheat came to light. Buckwheat definitely says “satisfying” to me, and by using the flour to create pancakes, you get not only a filling and more healthy meal, but a delectable one, too. Despite the misleading name, buckwheat is gluten-free as well, so it made sense to leave wheat out of the picture altogether for this one. Toss in a few roughly chopped almonds or walnuts if you’d like to further enhance the naturally nutty flavor of the buckwheat.

As for me, well, a scoop of vanilla ice cream sounded like a more appealing addition. Melting luxuriously over the top of a tall stack, the contrasts of hot and cold, light and dense, simple and complex flavors made for a much more exciting dinner/dessert combo than I could have imagined.

Yield: 4 - 5

Buckwheat Pancakes

Buckwheat Pancakes

Naturally nutty buckwheat flour creates pancakes that are not only more filling and healthy for a satisfying meal, but a truly delectable one, too

Ingredients

  • 2 Cups Plain or Vanilla Non-Dairy Milk
  • 2 Tablespoons Lemon Juice
  • 1/2 Cup Granulated Sugar
  • 1 Tablespoon Molasses
  • 1 Packet Rapid Rise Yeast
  • 1 Cup Buckwheat Flour
  • 1/2 Cup Tapioca Flour
  • 1/4 Cup Garbanzo Bean Flour
  • 1/3 Cup Sweet White Rice Flour
  • 1/2 Teaspoon Baking Powder
  • 1/2 Teaspoon Salt
  • 3/4 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
  • 3 Tablespoons Olive Oil

Instructions

  1. Heat the non-dairy milk briefly just to bring it up to room-temperature if it had been in the fridge, and stir in the lemon juice, sugar, and molasses. Set aside.
  2. In a large bowl, sift together all of the flours, yeast, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon, making everything is well mixed and evenly distributed. Pour your wet ingredients into the bowl of dry, along with the oil, and stir with a wide spatula until just combined. Small lumps are just fine, so long as you don’t over-mix the batter.
  3. Heat a large skillet over moderate heat, until you can get a drop of water to skitter around on top. If it instantly evaporates, it’s too hot, and if it doesn’t do anything, it’s too cold. Drop about 1/4 cup of batter on the skillet per pancake, but don’t crowd the pan because it will become difficult to flip them. When a good number of bubbles break on the surface of the pancake, carefully check the underside to make sure they’re ready to flip. It should take about 3 – 5 minutes per side, so just keep a good eye on them and don’t walk away. Stack them on a plate and cover with a kitchen towel to keep warm for a few minutes before serving.
  4. Serve with maple syrup or vanilla ice cream if desired.

Notes

This recipe can easily be doubled to feed a bigger crowd.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

5

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 544Total Fat: 10gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 4mgSodium: 301mgCarbohydrates: 60gFiber: 4gSugar: 37gProtein: 7g
© Hannah Kaminsky
Cuisine: American / Category: Breakfast and Brunch

40 thoughts on “Breakfast for Dinner… And Dessert”

  4. I could (and sometimes do!) eat breakfast foods for every meal of the day. These buckwheat pancakes sound great… especially with a scoop of melting ice cream on top, as in the photograph :)

  6. I love breakfast foods too, but usually make them for dinner. Like you, I have oatmeal almost every single morning. I just can’t do super sweet, heavy meals in the morning. Eating breakfast for dinner is more fun anyway!

  7. Some of my favorite childhood memories are of the nights when my Mom served us breakfast for dinner. We usually had cheerios with vanilla ice cream on top or pancakes with chocolate chips in the middle. Either way, it was super fun and we felt so awesomely naughty having such sweet treats for dinner. Now that I’m a Mom, I can totally understand that on these nights, my Mom was probably trying to recover from a particularly grueling day with the three of us and find a way to restore the family’s equilibrium. After all, breakfast for dinner made everyone happy!

    That stack of glorious and gluten-free pancakes is beautiful. Great job!

  8. I’ve translated and posted your recipe on a German vegan message board, linking back to this page, hope this is ok with you. Recently, several people on this forum have been diagnosed with celiac disease and are now looking for vegan, gluten-free recipes.

  9. You and I are so similar in our breakfast habits it’s insane! I hate messing with my breakfast staples but love having pancakes and french toast and waffles for dinner! These sound fantastic and super healthy!

  11. YEAST??? Did I read that right?? I’ve never heard of a pancake recipe with yeast in it. Can you clarify if you did indeed use rapid rise yeast? Thanks, and thanks for your blog and recipes…I’ve made quite a few things from your site!

  14. hi there! just wanted to let you know that you are today’s featured blogger on the FoodPress.com home page – you have a great blog! :) thanks, jane

  20. I am *so* with you on this! Adore my oats for breakfast (and lunch, and dinner, and snacks…) and love having breakfast for dinner :) I’ve never yet cooked with buckwheat or chickpea flour although I’ve wanted to for some time. I think it’s one of those cases where I have to, you know, buy the flours, and then I can get started. ‘Cause I’ve hread that it’s hard to cook with buckwheat flour when you don’t have any. ;)

    Thank you for the recipe, Hannah!

  24. Are you sure tapioca flour and starch are different? I’ve always heard they are the same thing.

    On your link to Amazon for Tapioca flour, it actually says in the Product Description: “Tapioca Flour is also known as Tapioca Starch. “

  29. I am the same! It’s probably because in Germany pancakes, waffles, and French toast are considered a dessert anyway. Your buckwheat version looks fantastic, especially with the ice on top.

  30. I’m not that big on breakfast foods, but when I do get the pancake craving they always hit the spot. I need to try making buckwheat pancakes myself. I’ve only had them once, but really enjoyed them. Overall I don’t experiment with flours (not a big baker), when I do though, I think I will start with pancakes. :)

  32. Oh, you’ve outdone yourself. Ice cream on pancakes? It seems like such an obvious, natural combination–it’s a wonder *this* isn’t a breakfast staple. I mean, think about it: We dress our pancakes up in what is essentially liquefied sugar (though, and ice cream is, well, composed liquefied sugar, plus (nondairy) milk, right? Regardless, thanks for sharing :)

    About your morning routine: I was exactly the same up until last Christmas, when I decided to detox from all the overconsumption by having smoothies for breakfast. Before then, I’d had oatmeal every day for breakfast for *three* years. Even when I went to Italy, I brought packets of oatmeal to eat every day (and suffered the strange looks when I asked for boiled water at cafés, alongside my espresso). Now, however, I switch it up with granola, smoothies, PB&J and banana sandwiches… Last Christmas ruined my routine! :)

  33. I LUV buckwheat pancakes…haven’t had them in ages. And guess what? I have every ingredient in this recipe in my pantry and I’ve got almond milk so I’m good to go – yay!

    When I was a kid we didn’t have much money and we had breakfast stuff for dinner a lot. It was inexpensive, nourishing and just plain good. Thanks for reminding me that it’s still okay.

  36. I will have to try this recipe–i am planning to go gluten free as much as possible and am scavenge hunting for great gluten free bread recipes.

  37. What a versatile meal! But it looks so delicious, i guess i wouldnt mind having it as breakfast, dinner and dessert either. LOL.

  38. What’s the point of the yeast?
    It seems that you don’t give it any time to rise and just gets killed instantly during cooking,
    Isn’t the baking powder is doing all the work ?

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