A good friend of mine introduced me to the Dutch baby pancake with an Instagram photo of one she’d made. When I asked her about it, she told me, “It’s better than crepes.”
“Better than crepes?” I asked, disbelieving.
“Better than crepes,” she said, solemnly.
Now, I love me some crepes. If I’m at the Saturday Farmers market and they still have Nutella, I am getting myself some crepes. If I am at the food cart park on SE Hawthorne, satisfying a poutine craving, I am sliding over to the crepe cart as well. I had crepes instead of cake for my last birthday. I have a pretty high opinion of crepes. So please believe me when I say these things are fucking delicious.
After some initial research and using TheKichn’s website as recommended by my friend, Dutch babies are described as a combo pancake-crepe-popover.
Yes, please.
The original recipe calls for a blender or food processor. I have neither of those. I do, however, have an immersion blender that worked out well. A hand mixer or KitchenAid might work too, but I haven’t yet had the opportunity to try it out. If you want to try it, I suggest mixing on high for longer times (and let us know how it worked).
If you don’t already have a cast-iron skillet, do yourself a favor and purchase one, and treat it with the love and respect it deserves. Do some research. Watch a couple of YouTube videos. See how cooks and chefs revere and treat their cast irons.
Imagine your cast-iron to be like a well-loved family member. One who will actually reciprocate the respect you give it.
Materials:
—9–10” oven-safe skillet, cast iron preferred (My 8” also worked well)
—Blender (upright or immersion) or food processor
—Rubber spatula
Ingredients:
—1/2 cup all-purpose flour
—1/2 cup whole or 2 percent milk
—2 large eggs
—2 T granulated sugar
—1 t vanilla extract
—1/2 t salt
—2 T butter
—Powdered sugar, maple syrup, jam, Nutella, fresh fruit, butter for topping
Place all ingredients (minus the toppings and butter) in your blender, blend for 10 seconds. Scrape the sides with the spatula and blend for another 10 seconds. Set the batter aside to rest for 20–30 minutes. This allows time for the flour to absorb the liquid.
While the batter rests, place your skillet on the middle rack of the oven and begin preheating to 400 F.
Once the oven and skillet are heated and the batter has rested, take the pan out of the oven and coat it with the butter.
Add the batter to the hot skillet, spreading an even layer. Place the skillet back in the oven.
Bake until the batter puffs up, the edges are a dark brown, and the center a lighter brown. Approximately 15–20 minutes.
Dust with powdered sugar and any other toppings you have on hand.
TheKitchn seems to think that the appropriate serving recommendation for this is two people. I mean, if you want to share with somebody deserving, you should. But my immediate thoughts are that you should eat that whole damn thing by yourself and enjoy every minute of it. You go, Glen Coco. Eat that Dutch baby.
