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Pancake Fridays: Basic Dutch Baby

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Get ready for the simplest pancake you’ll ever make.

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Growing up, my dad’s pannekoeken was a Sunday brunch treat. My dad, who lived in Indonesia until he was 8, learned how to make the thin, crepe-like Dutch pancakes from his mom. My sister, brother and I would eat them as fast as he could make them, alternating syrup (my favorite) with nutella (my brother’s favorite). I loved pouring a thick line of amber syrup down the middle of the pancake (bonus if the sugary crust around the top of the syrup container broke off), rolling it up and cradling it as I bit into it, trying to keep the syrup from spilling.

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So when I heard about dutch babies, I was like WHAT is this other dutch pancake business?

Basic Dutch Baby // The Pancake Princess

The first dutch baby I ever made was the Wednesday Chef’s Baked Apple Pancake and it was DI.VINE. I can’t explain why I haven’t made another dutch baby since then except for the fact that I only just bought a cast-iron pan a few weeks ago.

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I’m about to go wild.

Notes

Woohoo!! A pancake recipe with NO sugar! This is an eggy, delicate and tender blank canvas of a pancake ready for a generous swoop of powdered sugar and an assortment of delicious toppings, from fresh fruit to nutella. Think of this as your plain Jane best friend and she’s getting a makeover!!* You’re aiming for a puffed, browned beauty that has crisp outer edges and an almost custardy inner layer.

The basic dutch baby is essentially equal parts milk and flour with eggs and a tiny bit of salt, baked in searing hot butter. I like to add vanilla and cinnamon for extra flavor and I melted only 1 tablespoon of butter instead of 2 into my pan and it seemed like plenty.

However, that could be why mine didn’t puff as much as some others I’ve seen. Next on my list to try is this baby, which cooks the pancake at a lower temperature for longer, this, which adds an extra egg and ups the flour and milk amounts, and duh I’m making this again. Like tonight.

If you don’t have an oven-safe pan, you can also make mini dutch babies in a muffin tin!

Dutch Baby
Adapted from allrecipes

2 eggs
1/2 cup milk (I used almond milk)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup flour (I used whole wheat)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)
1-2 tablespoons butter

Place a 10 inch cast iron skillet inside oven and preheat oven to 475 degrees F.

In a medium bowl, beat eggs with a whisk until foamy. You want to incorporate LOTS of air at this point. Add milk and vanilla; whisk to combine. Gradually whisk in flour, salt and cinnamon, if using.

Remove skillet from oven and reduce oven heat to 425 degrees F. Melt butter in hot skillet so that inside of skillet is completely coated with butter. Pour all the batter in the skillet and return skillet to oven.

Bake until puffed and lightly browned, about 20 minutes. Remove promptly and sprinkle with powdered sugar. Serve with fresh fruit, citrus sugar, syrup, jam, PB&J, nutella, or any other concoction you like.

*(P.S. Just watched the finale of America’s Next Top Model (my first season following the show). That show is crazy! How is it over already? It almost makes me want to brush my hair in the morning)

Basic Dutch Baby

Reader Interactions

Comments

  2. rebekahgg

    HI Erika,
    The name of these makes me want o make them even more! So cute. I love that there is no sugar…I’m going to test these out on my toughest critic, my 16 month old mini foodie, I think he’ll love them!

    • erika

      I literally just awww-ed out loud and had an urge to type it out in all caps, but it looked kind of scary. So let’s just say that is super cute and YAY! I hope he likes it!! Have a great weekend!

    • erika

      Aww yay glad I could introduce you to something new! You really should try these if you have a cast iron skillet, they’re so good!!!

  6. Allison

    Dutch baby pancakes are among my favorite things to eat for breakfast! I love them with fresh lemon juice, powdered sugar, and fresh berries.

    • erika

      That sounds fabulous! I can’t wait until berries are back in season here in Houston so I top these with tons of all the above 🙂

  9. christina @ smallkitchenchronicles

    Yum, yum, and yum, Erika! Oh, so delicious looking, I want to jump in my car and drive straight to your house for one right now! And really, how can it get any better when it’s made in a cast iron skillet? And as if that all wasn’t enough, the little heart-shaped plate had me at “hello”. Cuteness! =)

    • erika

      Aw thanks 🙂 You can come over anytime! I was so excited to finally buy a cast iron skillet–there are so many things I want to make…skillet lasagna, skillet pasta bakes, skillet baked everything basically! Let me know if you have any favorite skillet recipes!!

  11. cookingactress

    Dutch babies are totally on my list! This looks soo good and now all I want to do is make this and spread nutella alllll over that baby….that…dutch…baby….yeah 😛

    • erika

      Oh man! I’m not sure if mine will measure up to ones in Amsterdam, but glad you might give this one a try! I envy you and all of your world travels! 🙂

  13. girlinafoodfrenzy

    Beautiful! For some reason I always forget about pancakes and how much I love them. Thank goodness I can come here to see some very decent food pork and get my cravings in check again! Absolutely delish 🙂

    • erika

      Haha aww thank you so much! Lucky for me I never have to forget about pancakes since I started Pancake Fridays, but by all means, please come by and get your fill! If you weren’t in Australia, you would definitely have an invite to brunch every Friday! (Actually, you can have one anyway :))

  15. Nancy @ gottagetbaked

    Mmm…my Fridays just aren’t complete until I’ve read your Pancake Friday post. I’ve never had a dutch baby but every recipe I ever see makes me want to try one. They sound simple but so delicious (especially with a giant slather of Nutella inside, drool…). Btw, I heart your heart plate!

    • erika

      Aww thanks for making my day, as always 🙂 And I heart my heart plate too!! $2 from Goodwill!! Oh man. You must try a dutch baby soon. Please! For me! Go all out and try the sow’s ear apple pancake (ugh that name always grosses me out but it really was sooooo delicious :))

  16. Leah

    I’m so excited about this post!! Not only because this looks delicious and sounds super easy but because I asked for a cast iron skillet for Christmas and am already stock piling recipes for it!

    • erika

      Aw YAY! That is super exciting. I put off buying one for so long and then I was like, truth: what are you going to wear more, that $40 shirt, or a cast-iron pan? So I finally got one at Target! A good-quality one is such a good idea for a Christmas wishlist item…I can’t wait for you to get it and start baking up a storm!! Oh and here’s a yummy looking recipe I just came across today that I’m excited to try (if you like falafel…): http://cookieandkate.com/2012/baked-falafel/