Whenever I’m hosting a brunch, a serve a variety of sweet and savory options including lemon sour cream waffles, bacon and egg casserole, baked donuts, and this simple yet satisfying Dutch baby pancake.
I don’t know about you, but sometimes I get tired of standing at the stove flipping endless amounts of pancakes. This Dutch baby is one giant pancake that bakes in the oven – no flipping required! It’s a show stopping addition to any menu that’s sure to get rave reviews. You can top it with any type of fruit you have on hand, or even a drizzle of chocolate sauce for a delicious finish.
What is a dutch baby?
A Dutch baby is essentially a giant sweetened popover that’s baked in a skillet. It’s also sometimes called a German pancake, puffed pancake or Dutch puff. It’s said that the Dutch baby originated in the 1940’s in a cafe in Seattle, Washington and it was adapted from the German version of this dish.
How do you make a dutch baby pancake?
The batter for this pancake is made in the blender and consists of eggs, sugar, flour, milk and vanilla extract. Everything gets mixed until a smooth batter forms. The next step is to pour the batter into a pan that’s been coated in melted butter. Let the pancake bake in the oven until golden brown, then you’ll be ready to eat!
Tips for Dutch baby pancake
The pancake will puff up impressively when it first comes out of the oven, but will quickly deflate after that. Don’t be discouraged when that happens as it’s all part of the process! You can serve your puffed pancake with maple syrup, a sprinkling of powdered sugar, or even with Nutella. Change up the flavor of your pancake by sprinkling a cup of fresh fruit over the top before it goes into the oven. The fruit will bake into the batter, I often do this with blueberries, raspberries, apricots, peaches and apples. You can also sprinkle chocolate chips over the batter before it bakes. I find that this pancake is best served fresh from the oven. If you need to reheat it later, you can warm it through at 300 degrees F. Looking to feed a crowd? You can double the amount of batter and cook it in a 9″ x 13″ pan, then cut into squares and serve. You can make individual sized puffed pancakes by mixing the butter into the batter, then pouring the batter into a greased muffin tins.
Once you try this pancake, you’ll find yourself making it on a regular basis! Standard pancakes are delicious and all, but there’s just something special about pulling an impressively puffed up pancake out of the oven. It’s a must-have for a leisurely weekend breakfast.
More breakfast recipes
Strawberry Waffles Cream Cheese Danish Cinnamon Roll French Toast Casserole Nutella Crepes Donut Bread Pudding
This post was originally published on June 10, 2015 and was updated on May 21, 2019 with new content.
