Dutch Baby

So yesterday, I was reading a blog post about breakfast doldrums (no, I am not kidding) and somebody casually mentioned in the comments section that they just love Dutch babies, and pretty soon everyone agreed that Dutch babies are just the best breakfast that can be had.  “What?!?!” I shouted to my empty house, “I’ve never even heard of Dutch babies!” Sure enough, when I googled it, pages and pages of recipes appeared. Would you like to know what they are?

Well, my friends, a Dutch baby is a kind of baked pancake, like a cross between a crepe and a popover, but easier to make than either. You will definitely want to add this to your breakfast (or snack, or dessert) repertoire, because it is versatile and impressive, and it will provide some entertainment for the children. Simply preheat a pie plate or skillet (cast iron would be ideal) with some butter, pour in the thin batter and bake it. It will puff way up while it’s cooking and then collapse when you take it out, leaving crispy, high edges and a doughy valley in the center. The kids will love to watch it puff up through the window. (Don’t open the door, though!)

You can serve this many different ways. It seems that the traditional way (in Seattle, where they invented this) is to squeeze some fresh lemon juice over the top when it’s done and sprinkle with powdered sugar, kind of like fried dough. Or you could take advantage of the valley in the center and fill it with fruit, maybe a berry blend or cooked cinnamon apples, almost like a tart. I just treated it like a pancake, serving it with butter and syrup, although it didn’t really need either. Along those lines, though, you can sprinkle berries or chocolate chips into the batter and bake them in. You could serve it at a fancy brunch, or you can make it for your kids’ snack and let them rip it apart with their hands. You could even serve it with ice cream and chocolate sauce for dessert.

How can I convince you to try this? Or did everybody already know about this except me?

The Recipe (adapted from Tasty Kitchen)

1/4 Cup butter

1 Cup milk or Half-and-Half

2 eggs

2/3 Cup flour

1 Tbsp sugar

1/2 Cups blueberries or chocolate chips, optional

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. While it’s preheating, put the butter in a glass pie plate or oven safe skillet and put it in the oven to melt. Blend the rest of the ingredients in a blender or whisk by hand. Once the butter is melted, add the batter and return to the oven for 25 minutes. The pancake will puff up and then deflate when you take it out of the oven. Serve with fruit in the fallen center, or with powdered sugar and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice, or with butter and maple syrup.