Dutch Baby, also known as a German pancake, is a large pancake with an amazing texture soft on the inside, crispy on the outside, airy and puffy. This texture reminds me choux dough in a simpler version.
Dutch baby is best served for breakfast topped with melted butter, lemon juice, and icing sugar. Savory Dutch baby is nice too, this is very close to Yorkshire pudding. I love it warm with cream cheese, smoked salmon, avocado and dill. So, I can cook it at any time day or night.
I have a few tips which I`d like to share with you.
Tip 1: Try to use ghee butter (clarified butter) in this recipe.
Used traditionally in Indian food, ghee is derived from butter. Whereas butter contains butterfat, milk solids and water, ghee is pure butterfat cooked longer, until all moisture is removed and the milk solids are caramelized and then filtered out. Ghee has health benefits that make it healthier than butter.
Did you know, Ayurvedic practice use ghee for Panchakarma – primary purification and detoxification treatment. This is a central part of this diet that is believed to help improve gallbladder function and jumpstart digestive systems. Ghee actually attracts other fats and removes toxins that are traditionally difficult to eliminate.
You can heat ghee at a much higher temperature than butter because it’s a highly saturated fat and you don’t run the chance of burning any of the milk solids.
Tip 2: Try Cast iron skillet.
I fell in love with my old-school cast iron skillet.This is an absolutely must-have kitchen tool. Finally, I got the perfect quality crepes, pancakes, and Dutch baby.
Cast iron allows you to get gentler, more radiant heat for searing, frying, and baking in the oven. There is simply no other pan that holds heat as well. Hot cast-iron skillet sears beautifully, giving a thick, browned crust.
This is working great for many things as caramelized vegetables, steaks, cornbread, shakshuka, Tarte Tatin and more. This frying pan works perfectly also if you grill something but your dish needs a few extra minutes of time in the oven.
Ingredients
2 -3 Serves
- 3 Large room temperature eggs
- 2/3 Cup lukewarm milk (cow milk or coconut milk)
- 1/2 cup flour
- Pinch of cinnamon
- Pinch of salt
- Few drops of Vanilla extract
- 2 Tbsp Ghee butter, melted
To serve:
- 1 tsp Melted ghee butter (optional)
- 2 Tbsp Lemon juice ( Meyer lemon is sweet and nice)
- 1-2 Tbsp Icing sugar
- Coconut yoghurt (or Greek yoghurt)
- Fresh blueberries and kiwi berries
Directions
- Preheat oven up to 220C (425F).
- Combine all ingredients except ghee butter in the blender. Mix until a very smooth texture and no lumps. The batter may also be mixed by hand.
- Preheat 25cm (10 inches) cast iron skillet on low to medium heat about 5 minutes. I recommend using cast iron skillet for this recipe. It allows you to get gentler, more radiant heat in the oven and this works great for Dutch baby crust. Stainless steel frying pan is also suitable here, this is absolutely safe for the oven. Please be sure that no plastic parts there.
- Add melted butter to the skillet (watch it so it does not burn), then add the batter to the pan. Transfer to a oven and bake for 20-25 minutes or until the pancake is puffed and golden brown.
- Remove the pancake from oven. Drizzle with melted butter and lemon juice. Sprinkle with icing sugar. Cut into slices and serve immediately with a great dollop of delicious coconut yoghurt and lots of fresh berries.
