Recipe: Dutch Baby Pancakes (German Pancakes)

Motivation enough to wake up and get going on the weekend.

Talk about easy. You can even do this half-asleep.

The first time I ever heard about a "German pancake" or a "dutch baby" was from a friend when we took a trip to Chicago a number of years ago. We had scheduled to visit Carl's family in Chicago and they tagged along for an Easter brunch. Before we met up for brunch, our friends told us they went to have breakfast at "Walker Bros. The Original Pancake House" the day before and they were raving about this dish, the German pancake. So immediately, I looked it up and was instantly intrigued by this. I'm always fascinated to try new food items, especially breakfast food. So this hit the spot, dead-on. 

Needless to say, when we had the chance to have some scrumptious breakfast with my husband's family, we took it. And we had it goooood. (Thank you, Tita Mabel and Tito Sam for taking us there! 😁)

 

  

 

"German Pancakes" that synonymously translate to a "Dutch Baby Pancake" are the Americanized version of this dish; using a cast iron skillet to bake, the end-product resembles a giant popover with a crepe-like centre. There have been many accounts of where this originated from but one thing in common is that it came from North America. It was said that it was in Seattle, in the Manca's Cafe that Victor Manca (the owner) came up with this dish. It was technically supposed to be "Deustch" (for 'German' pancake) but his daughter would pronounce it as "dutch"... and the name "Dutch Baby" was immortalized. They served 3 small pancakes, that's why they called it "babies". So the original, regular-sized pancake was referred to as a "Big Dutch Baby" 😂 Sounds silly now. 

The real German pancake (like from Germany, also known as a Pfannkuchen) is not prepared the same way at all. They may have the same ingredients but the real ones from Germany are flat, almost resembling a crepe. That's where you also see pancake variations like the Apfelpfannkuchen (pronounced as "Ap-fel") which are apple German pancakes. 

Whatever the origin, I thank whoever thought of this and shared it with the rest of humanity. 💛 They made weekends and breakfast cookery so much happier. 

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Dutch Baby Pancakes (German Pancakes)

For this recipe, I used my 10-inch cast iron pan. You can use 2 smaller 4- or 6-inch cast iron pans and make individual servings instead. 

You'll need a cast iron pan, a food processor/blender (I used my Ninja), a baking sheet (optional - just so you don't have any spill-overs), and a spatula. 

Ingredients

1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 tbsp sugar

1/4 tsp salt

3 large eggs, room temperature

1/2 cup milk, warm
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1-2 tbsp butter, unsalted

For toppings:

icing/confectioner's sugar

assortment of berries (strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, or blackberries)

devonshire custard (optional)

Procedure

1. Preheat your oven to 425℉. Leave your cast iron pan inside the oven so it heats up the same time. 

2. Using your food processor, blitz the dry ingredients first for a few seconds (flour, sugar, and salt). Add the wet ingredients (eggs, milk, and vanilla extract) and blend/blitz until all ingredients are well incorporated together. Make sure to scrape the bottom and the sides of the container and give it another pulse. Let this rest for about 5 minutes.

  

 

3. Once the oven is heated up, take out the cast iron pan and place on the baking sheet. Swirl around the button on the pan, make sure to coat the full surface of the pan. Pour the pancake batter on the cast iron and gently swirl around again let the batter stick to the sides. Pop in the oven and bake for 18-20 minutes. 

 

 

4. You'll see this rise and it's amaaazzeee-balls. It will rise a good amount but will settle down and deflate slightly. Once it's done, set it on top of the counter and give it a good dusting of icing sugar. 

 

5. Top with a heaping spoon on Devonshire custard and dress with an assortment of berries. 

 

6. ENJOY!!!! I can't believe it was that easy!!!

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*If you want to enjoy it plain, go ahead! Slather it with a good helping of maple syrup, serve with a side of eggs and bacon and you're good to go!

**There's a wide assortment of topping options. Go nuts. You can serve it with whipped cream and strawberries, with lemon curd and blueberries, with caramelized bananas and pecans, with a good slather of Nutella, with grilled peaches and toasted walnuts... the topping world is your oyster. 

***Devonshire Custard is a typical thick custard made with rich dairy goodness such as Devon cream, milk, eggs, and is sweetened. You can use this cold or warm. This is a very good source of calcium and is enjoyed together with other pastries, as a layer when making bread puddings, and a lot more. One of the most well-known brands is Ambrosia (however this doesn't contain any eggs), a tinned product. I was able to find a local counterpart here, I used the PC brand. 

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