Dutch Baby Pancake [for two; with homemade blueberry compote]

Dutch Baby Pancake is a large and fluffy pancake that can be made in 30 minutes if you got a blender (or a whisk), a cast iron skillet and an oven. Top with homemade berry compote, fresh fruits and maple syrup, it’s a delicious brunch treat.

I really like pancakes, and I’ve been wanting to make a Dutch Baby Pancake for the longest time ever. But it requires the use of a cast iron skillet, which I finally get one two years ago. (And yes the first recipe I made using the cast iron skillet is the Dutch Baby Pancake!)

I posted the recipe on my Instagram but it is quite troublesome to keep scrolling down the feed to find the recipe. So I decided to blog about it here so that it’s easier to refer to whenever the craving for Dutch Baby Pancake strikes.

What is Dutch Baby Pancake?

Dutch Baby Pancake is essentially a fluffy pancake baked in an cast iron pan in the oven. Despite its name “Dutch Baby”, apparently 1) it has German origin, not Dutch; and 2) it’s actually a pretty large pancake. The pancake batter is also different from the usual pancake batter, it is more liquid-y, owing to more eggs and milk, and lesser flour used.

The recipe I used is from NYT Cooking. I made a few changes:

• Converted the recipe from cup measurement to metric measurement. I don’t want to be washing additional equipment in the morning. Metric measurements allow me to weigh everything directly in the measuring jug.
• Omitted the nutmeg. I love having fruits, compote and maple syrup with my pancakes, which will likely over-power the nutmeg flavour.
• Halved the amount of butter. Glad I followed the recommendations by other users to halve the butter. 30 grams of butter is more than enough for this pancake.
• Started on the stove, finished in the oven. The original recipe calls for heating the skillet and butter in the oven, then pouring in the batter. I don’t like it because knowing myself, there will be a day when I’ll somehow end up pouring the batter in the oven instead of into the skillet. (I am that accident-prone.) So I chose to heat up the skillet on the stove instead.

Getting the Puff (i.e. the Rise)

There are two things to note to ensure the Dutch Baby Pancake will puff up during baking:

1. Room temperature ingredients. It is important that all the ingredients are at room temperature. I usually will take out the eggs from the refrigerator the moment I wake up and put them in a bowl of tap water. (Or the night before if I already know I’m going to make Dutch Baby Pancake the next morning.) As for the milk, the microwave is my best friend – a quick 10 seconds in the microwave is all the milk needs to be warmed up.
2. Bread flour instead of all-purpose flour. Bread flour gives a little bit more structure in the batter which supports the lift but if you do not have bread flour, all-purpose flour will work as well.

Step-by-Step Photos
1) Warm up some milk - I microwave on high for 10 seconds, but not too hot to prevent scrambling of the eggs. If you don't have a microwave, you can warm it up in a pot or just let the milk come to room temperature.	2) Crack in the room temperature eggs.
3) Add in flour, sugar and vanilla. I'm using coconut sugar here but you can use caster or brown.	4) Blend until well-mixed and combined. I'm using my trusty immersion blender here.
5) Heat up a 10-inch cast iron skillet over low heat for 3 to 5 minutes. Add in the butter.	6) Swirl to coat the skillet with the melted butter. Let the butter become nice and foamy.
7) Give the batter a stir then pour it in all at one go. No need to stir or swirl the skillet.	8) Immediately transfer the skillet into a preheated oven and bake for 20 minutes.
9) Watch it puff and turn a beautiful golden brown.	10) While pancake is baking, make your blueberry (or any other berry you fancy) compote. Combine berries and sugar in a 3:1 ratio and bring to a simmer over low heat. Simmer for 5 minutes and remove from heat.

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Dutch Baby Pancake

[Serves 2 as main, 4 as side] A large and fluffy pancake that can be made in 30 minutes if you got a blender (or a whisk), a cast iron skillet and an oven. Top with homemade berry compote, fresh fruits and maple syrup, it's a delicious brunch treat.

Prep Time5 minutes mins

Cook Time25 minutes mins

Total Time30 minutes mins

Servings: 2 people

0.511.523

Makes: 10inch10 x 10inch round

EQUIPMENT

• Oven
• 10-inch cast iron skillet

INGREDIENTS

 

Pancake

• ▢ 125 grams milk, warmed (I microwave it on high for 10 seconds)
• ▢ 3 eggs, at room temperature
• ▢ 60 grams bread flour, all-purpose can be used but the pancake may not rise as high
• ▢ 1 tablespoon sugar
• ▢ Dash of vanilla
• ▢ 30 grams butter

Blueberry Compote (can substitute with any mix of berries)

• ▢ 75 grams blueberries, fresh or frozen
• ▢ 25 grams sugar, caster or brown

To Serve

• ▢ Icing sugar
• ▢ Fresh fruits
• ▢ Maple syrup or honey

INSTRUCTIONS

Pancake

• Preheat oven to 200°C (conventional) / 190°C (convectional).
• Place warmed milk, eggs, bread flour, sugar and vanilla in a blender. Blend (or use an immersion blender) for 2 to 3 minutes until well-mixed and combined, scrapping the sides every minute. Set aside.
  125 grams milk, 3 eggs, 60 grams bread flour, 1 tablespoon sugar, Dash of vanilla
• Place a 10-inch cast iron skillet over low heat for 3 to 5 minutes until hot (when water is sprinkled into the skillet, the water should sizzle and evaporate immediately).
• Keeping the heat low, add in butter and tilt the skillet to coat the skillet all over with the melted butter. The butter should sizzle and foam almost immediately. Give the pancake batter a stir then pour it all into the cast iron skillet.
  30 grams butter
• Immediately transfer the cast iron skillet into the oven. Bake for 20 minutes until well-risen and golden-brown.

Blueberry Compote

• Combine blueberries and sugar in a small pot over low heat. Stir frequently until liquid is released and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat.
  75 grams blueberries, 25 grams sugar

To Serve

• Serve the Dutch baby pancake directly in the cast iron skillet. Dust with icing sugar, top with blueberry compote and fresh fruits, and drizzle with maple syrup or honey as desired. Dig in immediately.

NOTES

1. Ingredients must be at room temperature so that the pancake will puff and rise. The milk can be microwaved or warmed in a small pot. The eggs can be put in a bowl of room temperature water so that they return to room temperature faster.
2. If you need to make the batter by hand: Whisk the milk, eggs and vanilla first in a measuring jug. Whisk the flour and sugar in a mixing bowl. Pour in the liquid and whisk until incorporated.
3. Recipe adapted from NYT Cooking.

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