A pfannkuchen is a pancake that is common in Germany, however it’s not a “German pancake” or Dutch Baby, as Americans know it. Instead, a pfannkuchen is more like a crêpe.
A pfannkuchen recipe has all the common ingredients that are similar to other pancakes: eggs, milk, and flour. The difference is the amount of ingredients. Also, with the pfannkuchen you typically add sparkling water. If you don’t have sparkling water, adding the same amount and milk is fine.
Just as you do with making crêpes, you’ll want to swirl the pan when your pfannkuchen batter is in it to create a thin widespread pancake.
You can use your pfannkuchen as a crêpe and fill it with a filling like a blueberry compote or other fruit compote. Or you can drizzle it with maple syrup or honey or spread a bit of butter on it. You can also dust it with powdered sugar. These pfannkuchen are versatile just like crêpes.
For the perfect side dish, try this Spicy Candied Bacon recipe, which is perfect with a pfannkuchen recipe. You’ll simply make bacon as you normally would, but dust it with brown sugar and a bit of cayenne pepper before you cook it.
Pfannkuchen
Equipment
- 1 Hand mixer or whisk
- 1 Frying pan
- 1 spatula
- 1 Mixing Bowl
Ingredients
- 2 Eggs
- 1/2 Cup Milk
- 1/4 Cup Sparkling Water
- 1 Cup All Purpose Flour
- 1/4 Teaspoon Baking Soda
- 1/4 Teaspoon Salt
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, stir the dry ingredients together: Salt, flour, and baking soda.
- Use a hand mixer or whisk to blend the mixture as you pour in the milk and sparkling water. (If you don't have sparkling water, you can use 3/4 cup of milk.) Blend until there are no lumps.
- Add the eggs and mix until frothy. Let the mixture sit for about 10 minutes.
- Use a ladle or other cup to pour about 1/2 cup of batter onto a hot skillet. Swirl the skillet to spread the batter evenly and thinly across the pan. Cook for about 2 minutes on each side, or until they are tinged with a light golden brown.
- Optional: Top your pfannkuchen with any combination of toppings such as butter, syrup, powdered sugar, or a fruit compote.
Why Do You Have to Let Pancake Batter Rest?
One step in the process of making pfannkuchens is to let the batter rest. You want to let the pancake batter rest because the ingredients (including flour, eggs, and water) don’t mix perfectly right away. You want to give them time to give the batter more stability.
With this pfannkuchen recipe you can let the batter rest about 10 minutes.
Also try: Mini German Pancakes in Muffin Tins for smaller versions of a Dutch Baby with a blueberry compote topping.
Crepes with Yogurt Instead of Milk
You can make crepes with yogurt instead of milk by following a traditional crêpe recipe and substituting the milk portion with a yogurt portion. Using a more liquid yogurt would be ideal.
If you are using a thicker yogurt, you may want to use only half of the portion that is called for for milk, and then substitute water for the other half of the milk ingredient.
Many types of liquids can serve as a milk substitute for crepes, including water, sparkling water, almond milk, coconut milk, or yogurt.
Apple Pfannkuchen
To make an apple pfannkuchen, or Apfelpfannkuchen, simply follow a traditional pfannkuchen recipe, but add thinly sliced apples. You’ll want to arrange the apples on the crepe on top of the batter in a spiral pattern. Do this when you first pour your batter, then flip the whole crepe so that the top of the apples cook a bit as well.
Low Carb Crepes
Low carb crêpes are crêpes that have lower carbohydrates than other crêpes by using substitutes for all purpose flour. Instead of flour, you can use a low carb substitute like almond flour or coconut flour for the crepes.
