Dutch Baby

Great Pancake Alternative!

Prep: 10 Minutes | Servings: 2-3 Cooking Time: 20-25 minutes | Est. Cost: $1.20-2.10

Cost at Restuarant: $12-18

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup of packed flour

  • 3 eggs

  • 2/3 cup of milk

  • 1/4 tsp. salt

  • 1 tbsp of butter

    Optional (any combination):

  • 1 tsp Vanilla Extract

  • 1 tsp Cinnamon Powder

  • 1 tsp Nutmeg

Instructions:

  1. Set out your eggs and milk about 15 minutes before cooking so they can warm to room temp.

  2. Heat your oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.

  3. When the oven is preheated, grab a deep dish pan or cast-iron skillet, add butter, and place in oven.

  4. Add flour, eggs, milk, salt, and optional flavoring to a blender and blend until bubbly and smooth.

    1. If you don’t have a blender, you can whisk the batter rigorously instead for about 2 minutes or until bubbly and smooth.

  5. Once the butter in the pan is melted and pan is preheated, pull the pan from the oven and quickly pour the batter in a spiral motion.

  6. Place pan back in the oven immediately and cook for about 20 to 25 minutes.

  7. Serve and add preferred toppings.

This recipe is something that I was extremely lucky to grow up with. A Dutch Baby is a custard-like textured pancake with crispy, buttery, edges. My mom would typically make this recipe when she:

A. Did not want to deal with batter, a bunch of dirty dishes, or flipping and cooking individual pancakes. Or,

B. Wanted to give us a healthier version of pancakes that were higher in protein and contained less sugar.

Typically, when I make this recipe as a 20-something adult for friends, they have had no idea what a Dutch Baby is but are always highly impressed by it. Dutch Baby’s are a great way to impress guests with minimal effort as it is really made of only 3 ingredients that most households have handy: flour, egg(s), and milk. I typically also add any combination of vanilla extract, cinnamon powder, and/or nutmeg.

Why Room Temperature?

While it isn’t the end of the world if you do not use room temperature eggs and milk for this recipe, it certainly will guarantee a fluffier Dutch Baby with better height and texture. You can place the eggs in a bowl of warm water to speed up the process and put your milk in the microwave for 15-20 seconds.

Pan:

This recipe requires some type of deep dish pan that is safe for oven use. This can be a glass or metal pan, as long as it is at least 1.5-2 inches deep. Keep in mind, though, a glass pan means it will take about 5 minutes longer to cook than a metal pan. Another thing to keep in mind when selecting a pan is that the wider the width, the more flat the Dutch Baby will come out, and the slimmer the width the Dutch Baby will come out more fluffy and with more height. I personally use a 1.5 inch deep and 12 inch wide cast-iron pan when I make this recipe.

Toppings:

You can definitely get creative with your toppings on this just as you would for waffles or pancakes. I like mine with simple powdered sugar and maple syrup. It is also delicious with nutella spread and strawberries, hazlenut spread and bananas, or with jam.