Dutch Baby – A Wonderful Breakfast or Brunch Treat

 A Dutch baby pancake, sometimes called a German pancake, is a sweet breakfast dish similar to Yorkshire pudding and derived from the German Apfelpfannkuchen. It is made with eggs, flour and milk, and usually seasoned with vanilla and cinnamon, although occasionally sugar is also added. It is baked in a metal pan and falls soon after being removed from the oven. It is generally served with fresh squeezed lemon, butter, and powdered sugar or fruit toppings or syrup.

So, basically, it’s a cross between a pancake and a popover.  That sounds easy.

We went to have brunch at the local Pancake House and I noticed there was a Dutch Baby on the menu.  OK, now I really had to make it.

There are so many recipes for Dutch Baby on the Internet; I didn’t know which one I wanted to try.  By chance I was flicking through Gourmet magazine, issue April 2009 and eyed the words Dutch Baby.  I was so excited to find that the recipe was included and what was more the preparation time was only 10 minutes.  Scanning the recipe, it fitted my idea of easy cake recipes.  I had an ideal Dutch Baby recipe I could try.

I followed the recipe but was so disappointed!  I was sure my face looked like one of those sad emoticons.  My Dutch Baby didn’t look like any of the pictures I had seen and I was pretty sure the texture wasn’t supposed to be that chewy either!  The expression “flat as a pancake” was coined definitely for my first Dutch Baby attempt. Not to be defeated, I tried the same recipe again (it was such an easy and truly quick recipe) – sadly with the same result. 

The 2 pictures below are proofs of my disaster.  At this stage, I was even more frustrated but more determined to have a successful result because:

• I was really curious as to what success would look like and taste like.
• The recipe I had used was really easy.
• The ingredients were simple and plentiful in my kitchen.
• I had bought a cast iron skillet (called for in the recipe) specifically from Sur Le Table for this recipe.

                                                            

Not to be defeated yet again, I rang a friend for her Dutch Baby recipe.  I broke my own rule and stayed longer in the kitchen and made yet another Dutch Baby.  My third attempt was well rewarded (or third time lucky?) The result was awesome!  And there were left over eggs for my husband to make his poached eggs.

I served mine with lemon juice and powdered sugar; my daughter had hers with butter, maple syrup and berries.  Or you can serve it with jam.

If you’d like a change from pancakes or French toasts for breakfast or brunch Dutch Baby or Dutch Baby pancake is a wonderful alternative – it is delicious with dense egg-y cake texture and fluffy edge, it is a triumphant combination of simple ingredients on hand in most kitchens and lastly it’s a true easy cake recipe.

                                      

Here is the recipe that I used to give me the success that I expected – it got puffy while cooking.

Recipe: Dutch Baby, serves 8 – 12

Active Time: 10 minutes, Cooking Time: 20 minutes

1 stick butter

6 eggs

1 ½ cup whole milk

1 ½ cup all purpose flour

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon cinnamon

• Put butter in an 10-inch cast iron skillet (I used the Lodge Logic 10-Inch Chef’s Skillet)in middle rack of oven.  Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
• In blender, mix eggs for a minute and then alternately add flour and milk (in 3 batches).  Add nutmeg and cinnamon to the batter.
• Add batter to melted butter and return skillet to oven.  Bake until puffed and golden brown, approximately 20minutes.

Notes:

1. If 1 stick of butter seems excessive, you can use less.  Make sure that the skillet is coated with butter.
2. If you don’t have a cast iron skillet, you can use an oven proof frying pan.
3. Make sure that the oven is hot and the skillet is hot enough.  Sizzling butter is a good indication.
4. The Dutch Baby looks strange after baking. It puffs and curls up near the sides of the pan. This is normal.
5. Dutch Baby is more eggy and dense than a traditional griddle pancake.
6. Serve the Dutch Baby while it’s warm.
7. This is a very filling, so start with a small piece.