Dutch Baby Puffed Pancake

I'm sure I'm not the only person in the world who likes a pancake breakfast complete with warm syrup or fresh berries.  I'm also sure that I'm not the only one who dreads standing over a hot stove at O'dark thirty in my pjs, cobwebs still choking my brain and my stomach doing it's best rendition of a funeral dirge.  And being the cook it's rare that you get a piping hot pancake, not to mention there is at least one burnt one (which is why Pippin the pup loves pancake day) but I have an amazing little recipe that will taste just as good as a pile o'cakes but once, the batter is made, you slide it in the oven and walk away...how freakin amazing is that!?  If that hasn't hooked you yet, wait until you see what the end result looks like.  It's impressive enough to serve to guests for brunch and easy enough to throw together on a weekday morning.

So what does a Dutch baby taste of?  Comedian, and one of my favorite people, Eddie Izzard would say chicken (he tends to be NSFW, so be warned), but the closest I can get to a description is think of the best piece of French toast you've had, soft and custard-y in the middle and slightly crispy on the outside...but to sum it up in one word, holy-buckets-this-is-amazingly-yummy!  This is one of those kitchen magic moments where people will wonder what sort of kitchen witchery you have been up to, but you can giggle to yourself because it was so simple to accpmplsh. 

The key to this recipe is a really hot skillet, and nothing cold should be added to the batter.  The only rising agent in this recipe are the eggs so it's paramount to cook it hot and fast so the eggs will do their duty making a perfectly puffed Dutch Baby. 


Dutch Baby Puffed Pancake

3 Tablespoons butter
3 eggs (see instructions)
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup heated milk (see instructions)
1-1/2 Tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
A pinch of salt

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Place butter in a heavy heat-proof skillet (like cast iron) and place the skillet in the oven to heat as the oven heats.

The eggs and milk must be warmed before placed in the batter.  In a small bowl place the eggs (still in their shells) and fill with hot water.  Then place the milk in a heat-proof bowl and heat for 30-45 seconds. When you stick your finger in, it should be warm, not hot. 

                              

In the milk bowl, add the eggs and vanilla and whisk well.  In a small mixing bowl combine the flour, sugar and salt and mix. Pour the milk mixture into the flour mixture and whisk well until it is free of lumps.  Some recipes for Dutch Babies I've come across call for mixing the batter in a blender, I get lump free batter whisking for about 30 seconds to a minute, I see no need for dirtying another dish (I'm not a fan of doing dishes) once the lumps have disappeared stop whisking so you don't end up with a tough pancake.

      

Now comes the most important part of the recipe, only because you have to be very quick.  Bring your bowl of batter and the whisk next to the oven.  Using a potholder, swirl the butter around the skillet to coat the bottom well.  The butter will be bubbly or frothy and might be a little brown, this is good, the browned butter will give a slightly nutty taste to the pancake.  

Once swirled, pour the remaining butter into the batter, quickly whisk into the batter (2-3 stirs) and pur the batter into the hot skillet in one continuous pour.  If you pause during the batter pour there will most likely be spots that stick to the pan.  Once you've done this a few times, you can pour off the butter into the batter and replace the skillet in the oven on a rack pulled out a bit and then add the batter.  The hotter the skillet is and if all your batter ingredients are at least room temperature the puffier and more impressive it will be.

Bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes.  Do not open the oven door, tempting as it may be, it will deflate like a soufflé.

A few wee tips:

*If you know you will be making a Dutch Baby in the morning, you can leave your eggs on the counter overnight so they come to room temperature.

*Baking for 20 minutes turns out a more custard-y texture, while the extra five minutes crisps up the edges and the tops of the bubbles, experiment and see which one you love best. 

*Once the Dutch Baby is cooked, loosen it with a flexible spatula and place on a cooling rack so the bottom doesn't end up steaming in the hot skillet and become soggy.

*There are a ton of ways to serve it. The traditional way is with a squeeze of lemon juice and a dusting of powdered sugar. Maple syrup is also a winner and so is a fruit compote, like blueberries or apples. You can dunk it in applesauce or yogurt but my favorite way is plain with fresh berries.