Dutch Baby Pancake

Made in a rounded skillet, a Dutch baby pancake is flavorful and delicious. It can be made sweet or savory!

This Dutch baby pancake isn’t your traditional Pancake recipe, but it sure is just as good! Similar to German Pancakes, it’s light, and fluffy and goes perfectly with fresh berries and homemade Buttermilk Syrup.

What is a Dutch Baby?

A Dutch baby pancake is one of my absolute favorite breakfasts. My mom would make this all the time when I was little and then when I was a teenager, my brother and I would make it for ourselves on the weekends. But, what are they exactly?

A Dutch baby pancake, sometimes called a German pancake, a Bismarck, or a Dutch puff, is an American baked pancake that can be served for breakfast, brunch, lunch, or dessert. It is derived from the German Pfannkuchen.

So, are they really that different from German Pancakes? Other than using a little more butter, the real difference between the two is how they’re made. Dutch baby pancakes are usually made in a Dutch baby pan or skillet with rounded edges.

German pancakes are typically made in a baking pan or casserole dish. If fruit is involved, most people put the fruit on top of their Dutch babies vs. baking the fruit IN German pancakes.

So Easy!

Dutch babies are seriously the easiest pancake to make. It has few ingredients and since it bakes in the oven you only have like a .001% chance of burning it. When it comes to regular pancakes, I almost always burn one or two.

PREP. Preheat oven to 425°F.

BATTER. Place flour in a medium mixing bowl. Whisk in the milk a little at a time until smooth. Whisk in the eggs and salt. Set aside.

BAKE. Melt butter in a 10-inch cast iron skillet or oven-safe skillet over medium-low heat. Once melted, remove from heat, pour in the batter, and place pan in the oven for 15 minutes until pancake is puffed and golden.

Lower oven temperature to 300°F and cook for 5 more minutes.

SERVE! Remove from oven, slice, and serve topped with berries, powdered sugar, and syrup.

Toppings

Meanwhile, you can prep the toppings. You can go as simple as just syrup or powdered sugar (or both). You can make a sweet or a savory Dutch baby.

Here are several topping suggestions to change the flavor:

• Sweet. Fresh blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, bananas, maple syrup, dust with powdered sugar, or apple slices sautéed in cinnamon and butter. Drizzle Caramel or Hot Fudge Sauce, or fruit pie filling topped with a scoop of Ice Cream. 
• Savory. Slices of avocado, fried, scrambled, or poached egg, ham pieces, sausage crumbles, bacon bits, shredded cheese, salsa, hot sauce 
• Nuts. During the last 2-3 minutes of baking time sprinkle candied chopped nuts over the middle of the pancake.

Recipe Tips

Substitutions. Unfortunately, this recipe doesn’t work great for making substitutions. There are only 3 ingredients (four if you count salt) and all are things I’m sure you always have on hand. The eggs are what make this pancake rise, so substituting the eggs totally changes the look and texture.

I’ve tried whole wheat flour to try to be a little healthier but that caused the pancake to not rise up much. As for the milk, I’ve only tried making these with 1% and 2% milk because that is what we drink.

I don’t buy milk substitutes but if you do, give it a try and let me know how it works.

Room temperature ingredients. Use milk, eggs, and butter that are at room temperature.

Prep. Preheat a heavy skillet so it’s ready to go as soon as the batter hits the pan. You either heat the skillet on the stovetop or place it in the oven as it preheats. 

Batter. Allow the batter to rest before cooking! This helps it to rise correctly. 

Adding flavor. Try flavoring the batter with cinnamon, allspice, ginger, and nutmeg. You can also try vanilla extract or almond extract, ¼ – ½ tsp should do the trick.

Storing Info

Make ahead of time. Using cold batter helps create the tallest fluffiest pancake. The batter can be stored, covered, in the fridge for 1-2 days. Remove batter from the fridge while the oven and skillet are heating up.

Make this Dutch baby recipe this weekend! I’m sure your family will love them and be begging for more. Enjoy!

Recipe FAQ

For More Pancake Recipes, Check Out:

• Banana Pancakes
• Yogurt Pancakes
• Swedish Pancakes
• Cinnamon Roll Pancakes
• Protein Pancakes