dutch baby!
August 21, 2013 § 76 Comments
Several months ago a friend of mine introduced me to the idea of dutch babies and by her description I knew I had to seek out a recipe and make one. Dutch baby also known as a German pancake, a Bismarck, or a Dutch puff is a pillowy crispy edged baked custard delight. The first time I made one I gasped in sheer delight when I opened the oven and found a wonderfully brown puffy cake so beautiful and aromatic. After reading this post from Sarah’s blog holdsworthandwalter I was inspired to not only make her triple berry oven pancakes (using peaches) that morning, but to make my dutch baby the following morning.
In my wiki search I discovered “Dutch babies were introduced in the first half of the 1900s at Manca’s Cafe, a family-run restaurant that was located in Seattle, Washington and that was owned by Victor Manca. While these pancakes are derived from the German pancake dish, it is said that the name Dutch baby was coined by one of Victor Manca’s daughters. In 1942, Manca’s Cafe owned the trademark for Dutch babies, although the cafe later closed in the 1950s”. A nice bit of “local” Seattle food history.
Served with fresh fruit and a dusting of confectioners sugar. Also delightful with warm maple syrup or a drizzle of fresh lemon juice and dusting of confectioners sugar.
I n g r e d i e n t s
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 tablespoon is for the baking dish)
- 3 extra-large eggs
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- a pinch of salt
- warm pure maple syrup
- sprinkling of confectioners sugar
- fresh fruit, if desired
M e t h o d
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
Place 1 tablespoon butter in your baking dish and set aside. Crack the eggs into a medium bowl and using a hand mixer beat on medium speed until mixed. Add the milk and combine. Slowly add the flour, vanilla, 2 tablespoons melted butter, and the salt and mix just until smooth.
Place your baking dish in the oven for a couple of minutes, until the butter is hot and bubbly. Make sure the butter covers the bottom of each dish. Pour in your batter and bake for 12 to 14 minutes, until puffed and lightly browned.
Serves 2.
COTTAGE GROVE HOUSE 
yum yum yum!
Wow, these look amazing! I’ve never heard of Dutch babies. Obviously I’ve been deprived. Hopefully I can try these sometime soon. Thanks for the recipe!
I felt the same way when I heard about them…where have I been? It is such a delight when you open the oven door and see such a wonderful poof! It’s worth making just for that reason alone. :)
I’ve never had or actually heard of a dutch baby…Looking at your pics, I’m thinking this is something I need to try to make tonight. If it’s as delish as it looks, then I know that my very finicky eaters will be pleased!!
Forgive me, I might have missed it, but what size baking pan do you use? Is this an individual thing, where I would use my serving size baking pans?
My baking pan is the same size as a pie pan. You could make them individual by dividing your batter into 4 “serving size” pans. It really is delicious, custardy & crispy. My son likes it with maple syrup or even with a sprinkling of confectioners sugar. Hope you enjoy!
This looks fantastic! I have never made a Dutch baby, but this recipe description reminds me of the “Far breton” a kind of “eggy-clafoutis” with prunes. Perhaps this is lighter if it can be eaten for breakfast with fruit! In any case, it looks absolutely delicious!
I am not too familiar with clafoutis but my curiosity is growing as I keep hearing about it. Once the “poof” settles (or falls) the Dutch baby turns out very thin and custard-y. Of course my son sweetened his with confectioners sugar , but I didn’t. I just had blueberries and it was perfect.
Oh, if it ends up being very thin then it is quite different from clafoutis! I think I would go for the blueberries only ;) I am not much of a sweet tooth.
I looooove Dutch babies! They were a staple of Saturday morning breakfasts growing up. Love!
What a nice thing to look forward to on Saturday! I think it is a favorite of my son’s now too. He has asked for them twice since last Saturday. Maybe I just create a memory for him too…Saturday morning breakfast only! :)
Yum! I will need to try this out!
It is so simple and such a treat for breakfast. Or anytime really!
Wow. This is so cool. I hadn’t heard of these either. It’s like a one pot pancake. So easy. Beautiful pics. I’m definitely going to try this.
Yes and it really beats standing over a skillet and flipping pancakes! :) I actually like the flavor, texture and consistency of the Dutch baby way better than pancakes. Thank you!
Never heard of dutch babies in my life! But looks amazing. Plus the berries sure make them look so cute!
You have to make this one Felicia! It is another super easy recipe with huge results! You will love it. I really enjoyed the berries and I don’t always serve them with a Dutch baby. It is such a fun recipe to make.
Yum! I’ve seen a few recipes for Dutch baby floating around the blogosphere recently. They look so delicious! Interesting reading the history. I never would have guessed they were American in origin! Definitely trying this recipe! xx
Well, from what I have read.. the original idea came from Germany. It was called Pfannkuchen. However, it does not puff up as the Dutch baby and so yes, it was Americanized! Who really knows.. :) it is delicious and I really think you should make one just for the “wow” factor. It is so impressive hot out of the oven.
Thanks so much for including me!!! Interesting history as well :)
Well, thank you for sending me down that path. :) It is worthy to be shared!
I’ve heard of these but, have never made one myself. It looks delightful! I have fresh blackberries that might just taste mighty good with this :)
Yes, blackberries would be fabulous! Do try it Suzie it is so wonderful. You will find yourself making them quite often as I have since I discovered it.
I have been inspired tiny white cottage! Thank you! I am off to pick blackberries for my very own Dutch baby… Yay!
:) (big smile) Thank you! Hope you love it!
Beautiful dutch baby!! I love how varied the shapes can be when they rise in the oven :) Always a surprise and a treat (not to mention actually eating them…).
So true! Every time they rise it is a lovely presentation. I always gasp in delight!
Wow! How pretty and it looks so delicious!
Thank you. :)
I got to the 3rd photo and pinned this recipe. I’m not a breakfast person but I could make an exception for these. Topped with fresh fruit, this is the way to start the day! Thank you for sharing.
Yes and while I was eating this particular slice I realized how there is really such a small amount of flour in the pancake. 3 eggs and 1/2 cup of flour, in the whole recipe. So, I figure it is a great way to change up your typical “egg” breakfast! Thank you for pinning!
I love Dutch Babies! Yours turned out pretty. I like to add fruit (and sometimes cream cheese) to mine before I cook it in the oven.
Oh! That sounds so good! I’ll try that next time I make one, especially the cream cheese. Thank you.
You are welcome! My favorite combo is cherries and cream cheese. So good. My Dutch Babies are not as pretty as yours, but if you are interested, here is my post about them: http://recipesforsustenance.wordpress.com/?s=dutch+baby+pancakes
I love Dutch Babies and this one is beautiful. We always called them German pancakes because my mom had German heritage. They made them at the Pancake House on Cedar Springs near Love Field in the early 60s when I was a young boy. We would go there every year when we picked my grandfather up at the airport. I love them with a little butter, lemon and powdered sugar. Such a treat!!
Also, if you’re looking for clafoutis recipes check out my post
http://remcooks.com/2013/07/29/cherry-clafouti/
It is really tasty and so simple to make. The hardest part is pitting the cherries.
Thank you Richard. I head over and visit your clafoutis post. Great story! I love butter, lemon and powdered sugar on these too. I didn’t even mention that in my post so thank you for saying it! :)
Oh dear. My list of ‘must try’ recipes is growing by the day. I’m trying to be good and keep an eye on my waistline. Another inspirational and gorgeous dish.
:) Tell me about it! I was just thinking I need to get a handle on my “must try” list! I’m pretty good about making at least two dishes a week off of the list, but, my is it getting out of hand lately. Thank you!
I just love dutch babies. They are good with fruit or just a squeeze of lemon and powdered sugar. Delicious, and your photo’s are beautiful!
:) Thank you!
That has to be the prettiest Dutch baby I have ever seen. Simply gorgeous.
:) Thank you Janet.
After my foray into A Kentish Batter I will definitely try this. Especially if it’s to be eaten straight from the oven. And I’ve found a really good conversion site for differing ingredients, like flour, liquids and such. So I should be able to convert this quite easily for one or two portions.
A Kentish Batter? Enlighten me. :) I wish I was savvy with conversions and could provide them for ease of following a recipe. May I ask what site you are using? I find myself “googling” for conversions and am always a little concerned I am not getting the right conversion. This particular recipe fit into a regular size pie pan, in case you needed that bit of information…
A Kentish Batter is on my blog. It’s a 13th century version of a modern day clafoutis. Here’s the link I’ve just started to use. How accurate this is I don’t actually know. But it’s very easy to use: http://dianasdesserts.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/tools.measures/Measures.cfm
Oh yes. As you can see I have a short term memory! We did, indeed, have a conversation about your Kentish Batter. I remember scratching the idea because I was afraid of the conversions….however, I did make the chickpea soup! And it was wonderful. Thank you for the conversion site. I bookmarked it and I am sure I will refer to it. :)
Thank you for introducing these dishes which not all of us know about. This looks pretty delectable in looks and the ingredients used.
Thank you Fae. I am not one for posting too many “sweetish” type recipes so when I do find one I love….I want to shout it out to the world! :)
definitely at the top of the Fun Breakfast list. Know exactly what you mean about the gasp when you see it puff. Hadn’t known its history–always enjoy learning where food comes from. Thanks for the great post :-)
It is so fun. To see it go from a liquid-y batter to a huge poof is so fun and exciting! I was actually surprised it came from a little spot in Seattle. I sure love it!
Love love love dutch baby!!! :)
Never heard of them, is it like soufflé ‘s where it could fall in If you take it out of the oven? If not, I certainly Will try :-)!!
Well, I have never made a soufflé. (or even seen one in real life before!) The Dutch baby does “deflate” after a couple of minutes, however, it still has some puffy form to it. It is truly delicious and well worth giving it a go. Have you made a soufflé?
No, I haven’t made soufflé yet ( I’m a bit scared ;-) ) I would have a go at this first
No, I’m terrified to make them and as I’m not an expert in desserts I don’t think Soufflé’s would be a good start ;-)
Corr – simple and look delicious. I guess a cheesy savoury version might work too?
I do think so. Good idea!
LOVE the look of this, especially as I was a Dutch baby myself a lifetime ago (born in Holland)! My boys devour traditional pancakes, and I know they’ll love these for a change! Have pinned your recipe for later.
You’re boys will get a huge kick out of this one. Make sure they are standing near when you take it out of the oven. You won’t want them to miss the big puffy pancake! They’ll probably love that it is called Dutch baby….after their momma. :)
I made them last weekend! My boys absolutely loved them. Wish I could’ve posted you a movie to capture their moans of appreciation. We drizzled them in maple syrup. Beautiful!
I’m so happy! (big smile) I love the way dutch babies present themselves. And, maple syrup is my favorite way to enjoy it. I would have loved to see their excitement and appreciation. Thank you for the feedback!
I too have never heard of Dutch babies but you had me at ‘baked custard’ now I can’t wait to try this out!
Hope you get a chance you won’t be disappointed Lisa. Some of the most fun you’ll have cooking. (that is when you open the oven to take it out)
I gasp in sheer delight too, I’ve never heard of Dutch babies, even though I lived in Holland for a short period. They do look so beautiful and I would love to taste them and try them out. Thanks so much for sharing. Have a pleasant day!
Thank you for your kind comment Liz. :)
Oh this sounds fantastic!! Will need to definitely try this! :-)
Kenley
Thank you Kenley! It’s good alright! :)
Gee that looks scrumptious! Can’t wait to give this a try!
Sorry! Hope you are not still tortured still by seeing this type of post! Thanks for coming in and commenting Lidia!
looks gorgeous!
Thanks! :)
Simply lovely!!!
Love the snippet of history!
Beautiful pictures–again! That first clean dutch bay photo is perfect! oh yummm.
This dessert looks so elegant! And your pictures are beautiful :) Sorry for all the notifications haha, I’ve been having a look around your blog and you have some wonderful recipes :) Looking forward to seeing what you have in store for 2014 – Niki x
Great to hear from you….no apologies necessary for your comments, I love them! Thank you for browsing around and I hope you have a chance to make the watermelon salad, it’s wonderful! Wish they were in season here right now, I would make it too! :)
I’ve bookmarked the recipe so I’ll definitely give it a go :) x