One of my favorite things to do is share a Dutch baby with my husband on Sunday morning. They are quite delicious. However I often get asked, what is a dutch baby? A Dutch baby, also called a German pancake, is like a very egg-y pancake. It’s baked in a skillet in the oven where it rises and when you take it out, it collapses leaving sides of a sort. We find it is best topped with lemon juice and powdered sugar.
I first had a Dutch baby at the Original Pancake House. I tried making one from scratch. It didn’t turn out so hot. So I bought the Williams-Sonoma mix–this is super easy and turns out great. But one Sunday we were out so I attempted to make my own again. This time I used a modified version of Cooks Illustrated German Apple Pancake recipe. The real secret though? Use a blender. Immersion blender is fine (that’s what I use), just use a blender. Doing it in the mixer won’t give you the right consistency.
Here’s my recipe:
- 3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3 large eggs
- 3/4 cup milk (I use lactaid)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp butter
- lemon juice (optional, for topping)
- powdered sugar (optional, for topping
- Place a cast iron skillet in the oven and put the oven to 425 degrees to let the skillet heat as the oven does.
- Meanwhile, wisk the flour, sugar and salt together in a bowl.
- In another bowl, mix the eggs with the immersion blender until foamy, about a minute. (If using a traditional blender, put eggs in the blender and blend until foamy.)
- Add milk and vanilla extract to eggs.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix with immersion blender until completely mixed, about 1-2 minutes. (If using a traditional blender, add dry ingredients to blender cup and blend for 1-2 minutes until completely mixed.)
- When the oven is fully heated, take out the butter and drop the tablespoon of butter in. Swirl it around until the butter coats the skillet. If the butter has not fully melted, place the skillet back in the oven until it does.
- Pour the batter into the center of the skillet. Place skillet back into the oven and cook for 20 minutes.
- Promptly remove the skillet. The Dutch baby should be quite poofy. Allow the Dutch baby to settle and transfer to a plate. Top with lemon juice and powdered sugar and enjoy!
