Dutch babies, or German pancakes, are famous for the way that they rise up in the oven in a dramatic display. A traditional Dutch baby recipe is very simple to make and requires only a few common key ingredients. Learn the tricks to making the perfect Dutch Baby, and some suggestions for toppings and sides.
Try putting your Dutch babies on a platter and dusting them with powered sugar. Maple syrup and butter go really well as toppings, but you can also serve them with a fruit compote, like a blueberry raspberry compote.
Looking for more breakfast ideas? Check out recipes for Chunky Coconut Granola, Breakfast Quesadillas, or Cajun Scrambled Eggs.
Tip: If your Dutch Babies won’t rise, it could be because either your pan was not hot enough or you didn’t whip the pancake batter enough. Or you may have ingredients that are too cold. Let them sit until they reach room temperature.
Dutch Babies require a piping hot pan with melted butter, such as a cast iron skillet heated on the stove top or oven, so that the batter reacts quickly.
The batter also must have enough air so that it can rise, which is why so many recipes call for the mixture to be processed in a blender or food processor. Simply mixing the ingredients together by hand will likely result in heavier batter that is more difficult to rise into the Dutch Baby’s famous puffs.
No Cast Iron Skillet?
You can easily make Dutch Babies without a cast iron skillet by using baking pans or a casserole dish. In fact, you can use any dish that is oven-safe. Remember to proportion your ingredients so that the pancake is neither too thin nor too thick. Be sure to heat your pan or casserole dish well before adding butter and brushing melted butter on the sides and bottom.
Also try:
Dutch Baby
Equipment
- 1 10" cast iron skillet or 10" baking pan
- 1 Blender or whisk
- 1 spatula
- 1 Knife
Ingredients
- 1/2 Cups Milk
- 1/2 Cups Flour
- 3 Eggs
- 1/2 tsp Vanilla
- 2 Tablespoon Butter
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees
- Allow eggs and milk to reach room temperature
- Mix the following ingredients in a blender: 3/4 C milk, 1/2 C flour, 4 eggs, and vanilla.
- Heat cast iron skillet in oven or stove top.
- Melt 2 Tablespoons of butter in the cast iron skillet (or pan), coating the sides. Quickly pour the batter into the skillet and put it back it into the oven.
- Cook for about 20 minutes and do not open the oven.
- Remove the Dutch Baby from the oven. It will likely come out of the oven big and puffy. Allow the Dutch Baby to cool for about 5 minutes, (and it will likely deflate).
- Slice and serve with optional topping such as or maple syrup or berry compote.