Dutch Baby Pancake

Here’s an easy breakfast for a weekend or holiday morning—a Dutch Baby Pancake! According to Sunset’s Ideas & Recipes for Breakfast and Brunch, this recipe is inspired by the miniature version of German pancakes that Victor Manca made in his restaurant. (Manca’s was a popular restaurant in Seattle in the first half of the 20^th Century.) His children called them “Dutch babies”, and the name has stuck for oven pancakes of all sizes.

The recipe can serve 3 – 6 people, depending on the size that you make. The 3-egg recipe will serve 3 (or 2 hungry people); the 6-egg one, made in a very large skillet or paella pan, will serve 6.

Sunset suggests that you can use a large baking dish or even a foil roasting pan. If you’re unsure of your pan’s size, you can pour in quarts of water to see how much it holds.

My 10-inch cast iron skillet is perfect for the 3-egg recipe. If I’m serving 4, I’ll use the 4-egg recipe in my 12-inch skillet. My Calphalon EveryDay Pan works well for the larger Dutch Babies.

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This morning’s 3-egg Dutch Baby made in my 10-inch cast iron skillet:

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(Adapted from the recipe in Sunset Ideas & Recipes for Breakfast and Brunch)

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(print the recipe)

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Serves 3 – 6

 

Pan Size                      Butter                         Eggs                Milk & Flour

 

2-3 qt.                           ¼ cup                            3                   ¾ cup each

3-4 qt.                          1/3 cup                           4                   1 cup each

4-4½ qt                         ½ cup                            5                   1¼ cups each

4½-5 qt                         ½ cup                            6                   1½ cups each

 

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1. Preheat the oven to 425˚.

2. Put the butter in the pan or baking dish and put it in the oven to melt.

3. Put the eggs in a blender and blend well.*

4. Put the milk and flour in the blender and blend well. (You might want to stop and stir it once so there aren’t any lumps of flour.)

 

5. Tilt the pan so the melted butter is evenly distributed; pour the batter in the pan and put it in the oven.

6. Bake until the pancake is puffy and well browned, about 20 – 25 minutes. The timing will depend on the size of your pan.

7. Serve immediately with your favorite topping.

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Classic topping: sprinkle with powdered sugar and then squeeze lemon juice from a lemon wedge over it.

Fruit topping: serve with fresh fruit or cooked fruit. Sunset suggests sautéing apples, pears, banana slices or papaya in melted butter.

Maple syrup and honey make great toppings, too.

* If you don’t have a blender, just beat the eggs really well in a bowl, and then beat in the milk and flour. I haven’t done it that way, but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work.