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I grew up in a small town where all the pancakes were regular, boring flat ones. They have never been my favorite thing – kind of heavy and carby for breakfast.
But, a few years after high school, I found myself in Boulder Colorado for awhile, which is where I was introduced to another whole world of pancake amazement. There is a diner in Boulder called Dot’s, where we went for breakfast one morning. While I was perusing the omelet selections, the waitress sailed by with an amazing puffy, fragrant delight held aloft as she made her way to the lucky person who had ordered it. I was immediately seized with an overwhelming desire to have one, but upon looking at the menu, where they were called German Pancakes, I saw that they take 25 minutes, and we were in too much of a hurry to wait.
It was a few years later, when Larry I were back in Boulder for a visit, that I finally got back to Dot’s and was able to order one. It was everything I had anticipated, and more – eggy, fluffy, crispy on the outside and reminiscent more of a crepe than a pancake. Heaven.
To this day, regular pancakes aren’t my favorite thing, though I do sometimes make them when the family is all here. They are time consuming and a bit heavy for breakfast, but Larry and the grandkids love them, so a few times a year I turn out a batch. The trouble with making pancakes for a bunch of people is that even with a griddle and two iron skillets, it takes awhile to get them all cooked – which means the cook is standing in the kitchen while everyone else is eating.
But a Dutch Baby is something else again. You zap the batter up in the blender, and then let the whole thing cook in the oven while you enjoy your coffee and hanging out with the rest of the family. A Dutch baby is light and airy, with a slightly custard-y flavor, and the perfect resting place for a big pile of fresh fruit.
When I get up, I set the oven to preheat, with my cast iron skillet in there, and by the time I’ve had a chance to really wake up, it is heated enough, and in just a minute or two, I can have the pancake baking. For a larger crowd, I just make two at once with no more effort than making one.
Dutch Baby
Ingredients
- 3 large eggs
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup all purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons soft butter
Instructions
- Set the oven to preheat to 400º, and place an empty, dry 8 inch iron skillet inside while it heats. Let it get completely warmed to temperature before proceeding.
- Place all of the ingredients except the butter in a blender, and blend at high speed for about 30 seconds. Scrape down the sides of the blender jar to make sure there is not dry flour around the edge, and blend again for another 10 seconds or so. The batter will on the thin side and very smooth.
- Put the butter into the hot skillet [you can take the skillet out of the oven to do this, or just pull out the rack, which is what I do] and let it foam and sizzle and melt completely. Be really careful not to forget and touch the pan without an oven mitt, and keep everyone away from the stove.
- Pour the batter into the center of the skillet.
- Return the pan to the oven and allow the pan cake to bake for about 25 to 30 minutes. It will puff up outrageously, but don't worry - it won't run over.
- When the pancake is done, remove the pan from the oven, and carefully loosen the pancake, [an offset spatula works nicely for this] sliding it onto a cooling rack for a couple minutes, so that the trapped steam can escape, rather than making the bottom soggy.
- Serve immediately, by cutting into wedges, and dusting with powdered sugar, topping with a squirt of fresh lemon and a generous slurp of maple syrup. Or top with fresh fruit and a drizzle of honey. Or whipped cream and chocolate sauce. Or Greek yogurt and berries. There is no wrong way to do this!
There are tons of different ways to top it, but I think my favorite is with some fresh squeezed lemon and dark amber maple syrup.
Finally – you can vary how a Dutch Baby turns out by increasing the amount of batter – a double recipe, cooked in an 8 inch skillet will have a thicker inner layer which will be more like a custard. I have an 8 and 10 inch skillets, so if I am making these for a crowd, I use both at the same time and triple the recipe, dividing the batter roughly 40 – 60 between the two. They always come out perfectly, no matter how I do it.
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Hi Donalyn!
Oh that’s just too funny. I’m making Apple Dutch Babies for dinner tonight! We often do breakfast for dinner on Wednesdays (or pasta) and tonight I decided I want Dutch Babies! Have you ever made them with apples? Oh my word!
I’m going to follow your batter recipe and just cook some apples in the bottom of the pan. Thank you so much for sharing this timely recipe Donalyn. Isn’t it amazing how one dish can “haunt” you until you really experieince it:)
How cool is that Louise? I wish I could do breakfast for dinner, but I married a farm boy and he believes that breakfast should only be eaten at breakfast time. Occasionally I can sneak a frittata past him for dinner, but nothing like this 🙂 I will have to try your version the next time I make one!
Lol, I was married to “one of those” too, Donalyn. Before my husband passed away the only time the kids and I had breakfast for dinner was when he was out of town:)
I stopped by to tell you I made these Dutch Babies last night for dinner with some homemade sausage patties and believe it or not, two small servings of homemade coleslaw “spiked” with apples. The Apple Dutch Babies and the coleslaw were surprisingly good together. (I just cooked the apples with a bit of cinnamon and brown sugar in the butter before adding the batter) Anyway, thank you so much for last night’s dinner inspiration, Donalyn. It was delectable!
So glad to help, Louise! It’s funny – when the girls were little and Larry was working out of town, they always asked me to make eggs with fried potatoes for dinner. A silly thing to consider a treat, but to them it was 🙂
I have always wanted to both eat and try making a Dutch Baby. It hasn’t happened yet, so I have pinned your recipe to remind me.:)
They are really easy to make and even easier to eat, Nancy – I know you will love it!
Oh, but I love Dutch Babies! I remember the first time I tasted one. I just could not imagine what was coming to the table. “Dutch Baby?” I wondered “What ever could it be?” I was totally unprepared for the light and delicious treat with a custard-like center that came my way. It’s good to meet another Dutch Baby fan!
Amen to that Adri – they are a delight!
I’ll make pancakes for dinner sometimes, almost never for breakfast — I agree they’re too heavy. A Dutch Baby I’ll eat almost any time, however (although again, better for dinner IMO). This looks terrific — thanks.
I don’t think I can talk my husband into seeing this a dinner, John, but I guess I can get by only having it for breakfast!
I have never had Dutch baby…now that I have a cast iron, I will definitely give this recipe a try…looks awesome, and yes, it sure makes a great breakfast.
Hope you are having a fabulous week Donalyn 😀
It is a great use for your cast iron, Juliana – hope you love it and that your week has been great as well!
I am lucky mom was an inventive and innovative cook and introduced us to Dutch Babies ( but she called them something else….can’t remember) and we rose above regular boring pancakes. Great post!
You find them called all sorts of things Debra- I think it depends on the culture a specific recipe is coming from. All delicious though!
Surprisingly easy to make and very good.
Much easier than normal pancakes.
Works well with the sweet and sour flavors.
Thank-you
Recipe turned out perfect! This is my new go-to Dutch Baby recipe!
So very glad it turned out well for you! Thanks for letting me know ❤️