Trader Joe's Pancake Bread

During my latest foray through the aisles at Trader Joe's, I noticed a peculiar display. Next to the vinegars sat a barrel of lemons. Why would lemons be away from their other citrus friends? Because of a suggested use for a new organic raw apple cider vinegar - a detox drink for the new year! I feel sorry for the person who actually spends the $13 ($2.49 for the vinegar, $5.99 for the organic honey, $0.50 for one lemon, and $1.99 each for cinnamon and cayenne) for the sole purpose of making that detox drink. As a health conscious person, I like exploring healthy foods and whatnot. But the gray zone of unsubstantiated claims and certain trendy, at best placebo-y beneficial and at worst gimmicky, health fixes irk me. And I usually beeline for something polar opposite. Like pancake bread. 

A reader request! I don't really purchase things from the bakery section often, mostly because I bake enough sweets pretty regularly. And as I've gotten more into baking over the years, my interest in store-bought baked goods has waned. But this - a pancake flavored baked good is pretty intriguing. Even though I like savory breakfast better, I do appreciate a good pancake.

Let's take a note from the Brits and recognize this product for what it is - CAKE. Yes, cake that you can get away with eating for breakfast, maybe, by calling it bread. It has all the good stuff that makes baked goods delicious - buttermilk, oil, and cream.

You don't need to know the full amount of sugar in this (or scan this with your weight watchers app like I saw a few ladies doing in the store. Does the app have info on TJs products?) to know that this is an indulgence. I mean this modest loaf is supposed to have 8 servings. EIGHT. Not three.

I say modest because this is definitely smaller than the loaf pan I use for quick breads at home. The height of each slice is less than two inches. Calorically dense yes, so hopefully the flavor is worth it.

1) "Oh wow." A true statement spoken upon first bite. That's a good sign y'all.

2) Definitely tastes like pancakes. Like diner buttermilk pancakes, though maybe not as much butter as my diner (I really don't want to know how much butter they use), drizzled with maple syrup. All in one bite. Admittedly impressive.

3) It had a good moist crumb. Not dry at all.

4) Very sad streusel topping. I purposely picked one that had more topping too for this review, but the topping didn't really add anything to the bread. Not impressive in flavor or texture.

5) Minus points for packaging. Perhaps this cardboard business is more environmentally friendly, but the bread was kind of hard to release from the pan so when you cut it you have to be extra careful in order to get it out in one piece.

My personal biases against store-bought baked goods aside - this is worth the sticker price of $3.99. It delivers on flavor and would go really nicely with some coffee or tea. Or whatever you like to have with your pancakes. A was impressed too. Very dangerous that such a little bread packs so much flavor. Stamp of approval on this one.

TL;DR: Trader Joe's Pancake Bread. Indeed buttermilk pancakes drizzled with maple syrup in compact loaf form.  8 out of 10. Mantou Joe repurchase? No, too dangerous.