Dutch Baby Pancake

Dutch baby pancakes are a really yummy, low-maintenance, easy breakfast or brunch food.  The pancake is super puffy and also crispy and buttery around the edges, yet a little bit custard-y in the center.  Sorry for using the word "custard-y" because not only is that not a word, but its a really weird non-word.  I can't think of a better way to to describe the texture of this delicious breakfast though.  If you have never had a dutch baby, my description may sound odd but they are very good.  Think kind of like a cross between a regular pancake and french toast.  

One of my favorite things about making a dutch baby is that it just cooks in the oven, by itself without having to be dipped or flipped and you can bake bacon or sausage right along side of it without any mess or fuss.  So with only about 3 minutes of actual interactive prep time and about 20 minutes of baking time you can have a beautiful and tasty breakfast.  I really enjoyed the traditional garnish of melted butter, lemon juice, and powdered sugar but this would also be great sprinkled with maple or fruit syrup of some kind.  Let me know what kind of toppings you like to serve your dutch babies with!       

Dutch Baby Pancake

3 large eggs
2/3 cup milk
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt
3 tbsp butter

To garnish: additional melted butter, freshly squeezed lemon juice, powdered sugar, maple syrup, fresh fruit, etc

Preheat your oven to 425F.  This recipe works best if your eggs and milk are room temperature. You can warm cold eggs up by placing the whole eggs in warm water for a few minutes and you can microwave the milk for about 15 seconds to take the chill off.  Add the eggs, milk, flour, vanilla, and salt to a bowl and whisk vigorously until very well combined or blend these ingredients together in the blender.  Heat a 10" cast iron skillet on the stove until very hot.  Add the butter and once it has melted, pour in the pancake batter. Do not stir! Carefully place the hot skillet in the center of the oven and bake for 20 to 25 minutes.  The pancake will be very puffy at first and will deflate as it starts to cool.  The traditional garnish for the dutch baby is melted butter, a squeeze of lemon juice, and lots of powdered sugar.  However, you can top this pancake with anything that you like! Just cut wedges of the pancake to serve and enjoy!

Inspired by Food Wishes