Cast Iron Skillet Dutch Baby Pancake Recipe

I first made a Dutch baby pancake with peaches in the skillet, but decided I liked to cook a plain Dutch baby and then add our peach preserves when serving. This way the crispy integrity of the pancake is held up and not softened by the peaches.

A Dutch baby pancake, or sometimes called a German or Bismarck pancake, is a sweet popover with tall crispy sides and a soft, custard-like bread center.

Ingredients:

• 3 Tbsp melted butter
• 1/2 cup flour
• 3 Tbsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 eggs

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 deg F
2. Place 2 tbsp of the melted butter into a 10″ cast iron skillet and place in the oven. Make sure the skillet gets heated for at least 10-15 minutes before you pour the batter into it.
3. Place the flour, sugar, salt, milk, eggs and the remaining 1 tbsp of melted butter into a blender or food processor and mix for 30 seconds. You could also use a hand mixer or just your muscles and a whisk too. 🙂
4. Pour the batter into the preheated skillet.
5. Bake on the middle rack in the oven for 30-35 minutes or until the edges are puffed and golden brown.
6. Top with your choice of powdered sugar, preserves, maple syrup, fruit compote, cinnamon sugar, whipped cream and sliced strawberries, squeezed fresh lemon (traditional) etc.. I don’t see why you couldn’t use it as a savory component as well (leaving out the sugar and vanilla from the batter)  with something like eggs, cheese and breakfast sausage.

Eat It Now!

This is not something you make and save for later. Although it looks all nice and poofy when it comes out of the oven, it quickly collapses…but do not be alarmed! It’s still yummy, but it’s not something you want to eat later cold.

I love making a Dutch baby as an alternative breakfast dish because it is so easy to make, uses only 2 kitchen items to be washed and is very versatile with flavorings.

Make Sure Your Skillet Is HOT

The most important step and where you only can go wrong is not getting your skillet hot enough. It is the hot skillet that makes the pancake poof up. If you put it in a cold or lukewarm skillet, you will get a dense, floppy pancake instead. Nobody wants that.

Why is it called a Dutch Baby pancake?

Apparently, they were introduced to diners at Manca’s Cafe in Seattle Washington during the early 1900s. One of the owner’s daughter is credited with giving them their name. You can read more about it here at wikipedia.

Cast Iron Skillets Are Awesome

I’ve been using my favorite black skillet for lots of recipes and I love it! Here are the latest cobbler and crisp recipes we make after having a bumper crop of peaches from our trees.

And another quick and easy dessert recipe to try is Clafoutis. Since I have a black skillet, I’ve only used it to make Dutch babies.

Have you ever made a Dutch baby pancake without an iron skillet? I imagine you could if you use one that has higher sides as opposed to the smooth, lower edged skillets. If you have, let us know below!