Do you Dutch baby? Are you scratching your head as to what I’m even talking about?
For those unfamiliar, a Dutch baby is like an eggy, souffle pancake. Made from a very smooth and light batter, it inflates in the oven and creates a fluffy, “billowy” end result. It is said to have German origins, the name believed to have been adapted from the German word for German – Deutsch.
Similar to traditional American pancakes, Dutch babies are largely unsweetened and are mostly complemented by their toppings. Toppings can be anything – fresh sliced summer fruit, a compote made from frozen berries, sweetened whipped cream, a dusting of powdered sugar, honey or maple syrup, ham, chives, butter, cheese, etc, etc. The custardy texture lends itself to just about any accompaniment.
While spending a little more time at home these days, I discovered that not only are Dutch babies ultra easy to make, it might also be fun to make a video sharing the recipe and process.
I hope you enjoy it, but most of all hope you try making it yourself!
Kathryn’s Dutch Baby Recipe
Recipe slightly adapted from Smitten Kitchen’s Extra Billowy Dutch Baby and Hungry Girl Por Vida’s Blueberry Lemon Dutch Baby.
Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 4 eggs
- ⅔ cup all-purpose flour
- ⅔ cup whole milk
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- macerated fresh strawberries (optional)
- whipped cream (optional)
- Preheat your oven to 425 with a cast iron or other oven-proof baking dish inside.
- Next, whisk 4 eggs thoroughly in a large bowl until there are no streaks remaining.
- Add flour and salt, again whisking very thoroughly until there are no lumps.
- Lastly, add the milk, vanilla, and lemon zest, whisking well to achieve a smooth final batter.
- Remove your preheated skillet from the oven – very carefully with potholders – and melt 2 tablespoons butter in the hot vessel. Swirl to coat. Once fully melted, pour in your batter, return to the oven, and set a timer for 20 minutes.
- After 20 minutes, you should have a beautiful, puffy, golden, dutch baby to adorn as your wish.
Video Transcript
The first thing I did was preheat my oven to 425 with my cast iron inside. You’ll need an ovenproof skillet or baking dish for this.
Next, I’ll begin putting the ingredients together by whisking 4 eggs thoroughly in a large bowl.
When my eggs are well whisked with no streaks remaining, I’ll add my flour and salt, again whisking very thoroughly until there are no lumps.
Lastly, I’ll add my milk, vanilla, and lemon zest, whisking well to achieve a smooth final batter.
Remove your preheat skillet from the oven – very carefully with potholders.
Melt 2 tablespoons butter in the hot vessel and swirl to coat. Once fully melted, pour in your Dutch baby batter, return to the oven, and set a timer for 20 minutes.
After 20 minutes, you should have a beautiful, puffy, golden, dutch baby to adorn as your wish. We’re keeping it simple today with macerated strawberries and freshly whipped cream.
The batter here is unsweetened, so the fruit and cream add a nice sweetness. A savory Dutch baby would also be a good move with cheese, meat, onion, etc.
