In praise of the dutch baby

[MillCreek]

Here in the Seattle area, the dutch baby/puffy pancake/oven pancake/big pancake is very popular. Many restaurants in the area are famous for them and they are a big seller. 'Dutch baby' is the term most commonly used up here.

They are very easy to make at home, and I thought I would post my thoughts and recipe:

Dutch baby

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and put a 9 inch glass pie plate into the oven while it is heating.

In a bowl, mix together until smooth

1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup whole milk
1 egg
dash of salt
1/2 teaspoon of the extract of your choice, if used. Vanilla and almond are popular choices.

2 tablespoons butter for the pie plate cut into small pieces

When the oven is at temp, remove the pie plate and add the butter. Swirl the pie plate until the butter melts and immediately pour the batter into the pie plate and return to the oven. Bake 20-25 minutes until the pancake is puffy and browned. I used to make these four at a time in the oven when the kids were at home.

The key to success in making a dutch baby is that you pour the batter into a very hot pan and immediately place it into the hot oven. You are essentially making a popover, and in order to get a good rise out of the batter, it must be a very hot pan. I heat the pan in the oven for about 15 minutes, pull it out, throw in the butter and swirl it around to melt ASAP without burning, and then pour the batter and put the pan back into the 400 degree oven.

If you put the butter into the pie plate as one big chunk, it takes too long to melt and the pie plate cools off too much. Putting the butter into the pie plate to melt as the oven heats to temperature can work, but you must watch it closely to ensure the butter does not burn.

In Seattle, popular garnishments for the dutch baby include powdered sugar and a squeeze of lemon, fruit sauces, fresh fruit, syrup or preserves. I enjoy topping them with sauteed apples (apples, brown sugar, butter, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves) from the backyard apple trees.

[HankB]

Back when I lived in Minnesota there was a restaurant chain called "Sytjes Pannekoeken Huis" that made these "Pannekoekens." For a number of years they were quite good, but then, almost overnight, things took a turn for the worse; prices went up, quality and service both went down - way down. 

Shortly before I left Minnesota, the State was closing the restaurants down for tax evasion . . . I don't know how or if those problems were resolved. (If it happened today, Obama would probably recruit the tax-evading management for Executive Branch positions.)

[Werewolf]

That really sounds good and I'm gonna try it...

That said you sure it's All Purpose Flour and not Self Rising Flour that should be used? Not to nitpick but in my experience with other cakes/pastries all purpose doesn't rise worth a hoot without adding baking powder.

[AJ Dual]

That really sounds good and I'm gonna try it...

That said you sure it's All Purpose Flour and not Self Rising Flour that should be used? Not to nitpick but in my experience with other cakes/pastries all purpose doesn't rise worth a hoot without adding baking powder.

I would think that it would "steam rise" pretty well. That's very close to a popover recipe, which will give you a taste more like a ginormous thick crepe, than a pancake. I'd guess it's mainly it's the egg. It'll cook quickly and seal the outside of the cake so the moisture inside can't escape as readily and will fill it up.

Added rising would probably leave you with something more akin to a round loaf of bread or a cake.

[MillCreek]

AJ is correct.  The heat and the egg is what causes this to rise.  The edges will puff up but the center will still be somewhat dense.  I would not use self-rising flour in this recipe; use all purpose flour.

To my above recipe, some people use a total of two eggs and then split the batter between two pans, which gives you a somewhat thinner final product. Through trial and error, the above recipe is how my kids like them, so I have stayed with this version.

[Werewolf]

AJ is correct.  The heat and the egg is what causes this to rise.  The edges will puff up but the center will still be somewhat dense.  I would not use self-rising flour in this recipe; use all purpose flour.

That explains that... 

Thanks to you both.

[sanglant]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UmKcegIBtkU

here's a howto

[PTK]

Just made some for me and the SO. GREAT recipe, though at my altitude (~5500 feet) I had to add more flour (1Tbsp)