Looking for a fun breakfast or brunch? A Dutch Baby, also known as a Bismarck, German Pancake, or David Eyre's Pancake is a lovely idea. (Eyre said he found the recipe in a 1919 cookbook and Craig Claiborne popularized it by printing it in The New York Times back in 1966.) This giant pancake is quick, easy, dramatic (and thus fun for kids). I actually call it my "Poor Girl's Soufflé" because the ingredients are so common, the method so simple.
There are many variations of this pancake out there. Some recipes tell you to use a blender. In my opinion, you don't need one. A hand whisk is all I've ever used to blend ingredients. Some recipes tell you to use a big, cast iron skillet. You don't need one of those, either.
Cleo Coyle writes two bestselling mystery series with her husband. To learn more, click here. |
While I often use an *oven-safe* skillet for this recipe, I began to worry (as I considered this post) about the occasional cook out there who may not have a truly oven-safe skillet in his or her cupboard.
Because a Dutch Baby is really just a giant popover, there is no artificial leavening (baking powder or soda). A preheated pan in a very hot oven is what makes the pancake rise (via steam), and there are far too many pans out there that are not oven safe (their handles, for instance, will melt in a very hot oven).
What to do? Well, I reasoned that almost every kitchen has a cake pan in its cupboard and cake pans are certainly safe to place in a screaming hot oven. Hence the unique "Cleo" name of my recipe for you today...
Cleo Coyle's
"Cake Pan" Dutch Baby
Cleo Coyle's
"Cake Pan" Dutch Baby
"Cake Pan" Dutch Baby
Makes 1 giant Dutch Baby
pancake for a 9-inch cake pan
Ingredients:
2 large eggs
1/2 cup whole milk (or whatever you have on hand - I've used lowfat and half-and-half!)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
Pinch of salt
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg - Feel free to experiment with other flavorings: cinnamon, vanilla or almond extract, orange zest, or my "Cappuccino" (Chocolate) Dutch Baby variation, see below**
3 Tablespoons of butter (salted or unsalted, I've used both)
Finish with:
Classic topping: Lemon juice from freshly cut lemons and confectioner's (icing) sugar (see my "Coffeehouse" musings on this flavor combination at the end of this recipe :-)
Other topping ideas: Maple syrup, fruit syrup, honey, whipped cream, fresh berries, yogurt, or a squeeze from an orange wedge
Method:
Step 1 - Screaming hot oven: First place a cake pan in your oven. Then preheat your oven to 450° Fahrenheit. (Note: If you have an older oven, you may need to preheat your oven for a good 30 minutes to get a true reading of 450°-- to read my post on whether your oven is lying to you, click here.)
Step 2 - Whip up batter: Using a simple hand whisk, blend your eggs, milk, flour, salt, and flavoring(s). Set aside.
Step 3 - Melt the butter: When your oven is fully preheated and your cake pan hot, put on an oven mitt and remove the cake pan from the oven. Throw in your 3 Tablespoons of butter and quickly swirl the pan so the butter does not brown or burn. When most of the butter is melted (not all just most), pour in your Dutch Baby batter.
Step 4 - Bake and serve: Place the pan bake in the hot oven and bake for 7 or 8 minutes. You may need an extra minute or two, depending on your oven. You should see a dramatic rise in the pancake as in my photos. Remove the pancake from the pan to a serving dish and finish with (depending on your flavorings...) a classic squeeze of lemon and a generous dusting of confectioner's sugar (aka icing sugar). Or you might be finishing it with a squeeze of orange and confectioner's sugar. Or a drizzle of sweet, warm maple syrup; your favorite honey; or whipped cream and fresh berries, or whatever strikes your gastronomic fancy.
**Variation...
Cleo's "Cappuccino"
(Chocolate) Dutch Baby
In Batter Ingredients:
Replace 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg with...
3 Tablespoons cofectioner's sugar1 Tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
(for a mocha version) 1/8 teaspoon instant espresso powder
Finish with...
A dusting of 3 Tablespoons confectioner's sugar mixed with 2 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa powder
Cleo's final
"Coffeehouse" musings...
But this made absolute sense to me because I knew of old Italians who liked to drink their espressos with this flavor combo. They would rub the rims of their demitasse espresso cups with lemon, encrust them with granulated sugar (by inverting on a dish, just as you'd encrust the rim of a margarita glass with salt). They would then fill their cups with hot espresso and sip their java through the lemon-sugar. (BTW - This is not an authentic Italian method of drinking espresso. As far as I know, this lemon-sugar method arose among Italian-American immigrants.)
Consequently, the idea of lemon-sugar sounded wonderful to me. And it was. :) The classic lemon-sugar Dutch Baby topping is still my favorite. I find it so much lighter and refreshing than traditional maple syrup. My husband and I often share a big Dutch Baby in the morning, simply cutting it in two. You can also cut it like a pizza, into four wedges, and share it with others as part of a larger breakfast spread.
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