Giant Dutch babies liven up breakfast
Dutch baby pancakes
If my Instagram feed is any indication, Dutch baby pancakes have soared in popularity during quarantine. But in my household, our obsession is far from new. My 5-year-old has been enamored of Dutch babies for years.
It’s the most thrilling breakfast either of us know how to make — a super-hot pan and fluffy batter create a magic puff in the oven, resulting in a crispy-creamy pancake big enough for all of us.
Whipping up a Dutch baby together has become a weekly ritual, and we don’t wait until the weekend to make it happen. I pinkie-promise that Dutch baby pancakes are so easy and quick that you can make them on a weekday morning.
Dutch baby pancakes, with their impressive puff and dusting of powdered sugar, seem fancy but are deceptively simple. The batter, which can be mixed up in advance, is just eggs, milk, sugar, flour, a splash of vanilla and a pinch of salt. Memorizing the recipe portions has helped speed up the process for me, but even if it’s your first go-round, prep time clocks in at just 10 minutes.
To make Dutch babies a reality on weekday mornings, we mix up the batter in a small smoothie blender. We also add the ingredients in a slightly different order so that I can dirty just one measuring cup: The two eggs go in first, followed by 1⁄2 cup flour, a pinch of salt and a spoonful of sugar. Then I use the same measuring cup to measure 1⁄2 cup milk.
We let the batter rest in the blender while we pop a cast iron skillet in the oven and crank it up to 425 degrees.
When the pan is hot, we add a knob of butter and give the batter a quick buzz again in the blender, which helps it puff in the oven, before pouring it into the hot pan. In the time it takes for the Dutch baby to bake, we chop strawberries or bananas for topping.
Out of the oven, we cover the Dutch baby with powdered sugar and serve up slices with the chopped fruit. This easy breakfast feels like a treat to my kids, but it has a little more protein than traditional pancakes and takes a fraction of the time than it takes to flip a whole batch.
Makes: 2 to 4 servings cup all-purpose flour large eggs teaspoon fine 1. Place 2. Leave the batter in the blender and set aside to rest 20 to 25 minutes. This gives the flour time to absorb the liquid.
3. Meanwhile, 4. When ready to make the pancake, remove the skillet from the oven using oven mitts and place it on top of the stove. Add the butter and swirl the pan to melt the butter and coat the bottom and sides of the pan.
5. Pour 6. Bake until the Dutch baby is puffed, lightly browned across the top, and darker brown on the sides and edges, 15 to 20 minutes.
7. You
Recipe notes: For a fruit-filled Dutch baby, arrange fruits like blueberries, raspberries or sliced peaches over the bottom of the skillet and then pour the batter over top. (Scattering fruit on top of the batter will keep it from rising as impressively.)