Sweet matzo brei pancakes turn the tedious breadless Passover breakfast into a pleasure. Like bread pudding, they make great use of dry bread.
Matzo brei is genius. It’s the same idea as bread pudding – using eggs, milk, and butter to turn dry bread into a delicacy.
In this case, the “bread” – matzo – is inherently dry and boring. The only way to make it more palatable is by spreading it with tasty charoset, or with homemade chocolate hazelnut spread. But softening it, then flavoring and cooking in butter turns matzo into the most delicious matzo brei pancakes. And it’s far quicker than bread pudding!
I still remember the first time I ate matzo brei as a kid. After days of dry matzo, I thought it was the most amazing thing I have ever eaten! I actually still feel this way. It’s truly a very tasty dish, whether you’re keeping kosher or not.
I like to form the mixture into pancakes, but many people don’t – they just scramble it in the skillet. That’s fine too! But pancakes are prettier. 🙂
Can I double the recipe?
Yes! This matzo brei recipe makes two servings. But you can easily double it and cook the pancakes in batches. Keep those that you’ve already cooked in a warm oven. Or just serve them as they become ready as you would with pancakes (speaking of pancakes, these almond flour pancakes are AMAZING).
Is this a healthy recipe?
Not exactly. Matzo is unleavened wheat bread, and I believe that wheat is unhealthy. And even if you use gluten-free matzo, this matzo brei recipe is still a high-carb recipe. I include it here because, as I explained before, this blog is not just a place where I share my recipes with others. It’s also my personal cookbook, and I like to have all my recipes here. Even those that I only make on occasion, for holidays. Even those that are not truly healthy.
What about leftovers?
What if you have leftovers of these matzo brei pancakes? I honestly never had this problem. 🙂 But I’m pretty sure you can refrigerate them in a sealed container for 3-4 days, then reheat them in the microwave on 50% power.
Matzo Brei Pancakes
INGREDIENTS
- 2 matzo
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
INSTRUCTIONS
- Break the matzo into small pieces. Place in a medium bowl.
- Cover the matzo pieces with very hot tap water. Let stand and soften for about 30 seconds, then drain into a colander.
- Wipe your bowl clean with a paper towel and use it to whisk together the eggs, vanilla and cinnamon.
- Add the drained matzo pieces to the egg mixture. Using a fork, mix well, until the ingredients form into a batter.
- Heat a double-burner griddle over medium-high heat. Add the butter and brush to coat. Spoon the batter into the griddle, measuring 1/4 cup batter per pancake. You should get 4 to 6 pancakes, depending on how big you make them.
- Fry the pancakes 1-2 minutes on each side, until golden and cooked through. Serve with warm maple syrup.
