You're going to love this Dutch baby recipe--it's impressive enough to serve for a special weekend brunch yet so easy you can even make it on a busy weekday morning.
It's also customizable depending on what your taste buds are craving and what fruit's in season. This is a must-have breakfast recipe you're going to want to add to your repertoire.
When I'm stuck in a rut of having the same ole' breakfasts, this recipe comes to the rescue. I love to see everyone's faces when I pull the puffy pancake out of the oven--they're all always amazed at how gorgeous it is.
Just like eggy popovers and Yorkshire puddings, and even soufflés, this German pancake puffs up tall and then deflates, creating delicious nooks and crannies to capture the syrupy berries, cream, and powdered sugar that are spooned on top. It really is a special, yet easy breakfast dish, and I know your entire family will love it!
If you're new here, you may not know that skillet recipes are one of my favorite things. A cast iron pan does a great job for all sorts of recipes.
If you are a fan too, you'll want to check out more of my delicious recipes made in a skillet like my skillet sweet potato cornbread, chicken pot pie with Red Lobster Cheddar biscuit topping, and crescent roll apple dumplings recipes.
But, back to that Dutch baby pancake. Ready to make it? Let's do it.
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Ingredients
Before we get started, let's gather the ingredients we need for this recipe:
- large eggs
- whole milk
- all-purpose flour
- granulated sugar
- lemon zest
- lemon juice
- kosher salt
- vanilla extract
- salted butter
- fresh strawberries
- fresh raspberries
- fresh blueberries
- powdered sugar
- sweetened whipped cream
(See recipe card for quantities.)
Instructions
Now that we've got our ingredients, it's time to get cooking!
- First, preheat the oven to 425°F. Place a large cast-iron skillet in the oven while it preheats. Zest and juice the lemon. Toss the berries with the lemon juice and 1 tablespoon of the granulated sugar in a medium bowl. Set aside.
- Then, combine the eggs, milk, flour, remaining granulated sugar, lemon zest, salt, and vanilla in a blender. Blend on high for 1 minute. (Let the batter rest for a couple of minutes while the skillet is preheating.)
- Next, remove the hot skillet from the oven. Add the butter to the skillet and swirl until it's melted and coats the bottom of the pan.
- Finally, pour in the Dutch pancake batter. Bake for 15 to 17 minutes or until the pancake is golden brown and puffed. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly. Top with the berries and dust with powdered sugar. Serve with the sweetened whipped cream.
Hint: It's normal for the pancake to puff up and then deflate once it's out of the oven.
Substitutions
Need to make some ingredient substitutions? Here are some ideas:
- Fresh berries - If the fresh berries don't look so hot (either one or all), feel free to swap them out with more of one. Or, thaw some frozen mixed berries instead of fresh fruit.
- Sweetened whipped cream - If you don't feel like making fresh whipped cream, serve this Dutch baby with vanilla yogurt or maple syrup instead.
- Lemon juice and zest - Instead of lemon juice and lemon zest, you can use lime juice and zest.
- Granulated sugar - Honey is a great alternative to granulated sugar. You can also use brown sugar if you prefer.
- Butter - If all you have is unsalted butter, that's okay.
Variations
There are so many ways to customize this recipe. Check out these easy variations:
- Mini Dutch Babies - Instead of making a single large pancake, you can make individual servings. Four miniature cast-iron skillets or casseroles are the perfect size for mini Dutch babies.
- Summer or Winter Fruit Dutch Baby - Feel free to swap out the fruit depending on the season. For the summer, use stone fruit like peaches and cherries. For the fall and winter, make an apple pancake with sautéed apples. Sauté the apple slices in some butter, cinnamon, and sugar. I recommend using fresh Granny Smith apples as they hold their shape better too.
- Smoked Salmon and Dill Dutch Baby - Craving a savory Dutch baby instead of sweet? Simply omit the sugar and vanilla. Add fresh dill, freshly ground black pepper, and increase the salt to ½ teaspoon. Bake as directed and top with slices of smoked salmon, cream fraiche or sour cream, and garnish with more fresh dill.
Equipment
Here's the equipment you'll need for this Dutch pancake recipe:
- dry measuring cups
- measuring spoons
- liquid measuring cup
- 10-inch cast-iron skillet
- microplane grater
- paring knife
- juicer
- medium bowl
- blender
- small sifter
Storage
Store leftovers in separate airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
This recipe does not freeze well.
Tasty Tip
Be sure to toss the fruit with the sugar and lemon juice first. As the mixture stands, the sugar will draw out the natural juices from the fruit, creating a delicious, syrupy sauce that's great spooned over the pancake once it's done.
Frequently asked questions
Like traditional pancakes, a Dutch baby uses basic pantry staples. However, Dutch pancakes are larger, thinner, eggier, and require no leavening agent like regular pancakes do.
They're baked in the oven and are similar to Yorkshire puddings or popovers, and have the same texture as a tender crepe. The edges of the giant pancake also puff up higher around the edges.
They are! Dutch baby is the American name for the giant German pancake, likely a misinterpretation of the word "Deutsch" aka German.
The pan may not have been hot enough when you added the batter. Because there's no leavener, the Dutch baby puffs up to golden perfection from the steam created when the batter hits the hot pan. Another reason why it didn't puff is if the batter has been overmixed.
You don't but I find it to be the easiest way to get the air into the batter. You can also use a food processor instead. If you want to use a whisk, that's fine too. Just be sure to beat the heck out of the batter.
Yep! Just double all the ingredients and use 2 skillets. Or, instead of a 10-inch skillet go for a larger one and increase the cooking time by a few minutes. If you do increase the skillet size, go up on butter too.
Related
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Pairing
These are my favorite dishes to serve with Dutch baby pancake recipe:
🍽Get the recipe
Dutch Baby (Giant Skillet Pancake)
Equipment
- dry measuring cups
- measuring spoons
- liquid measuring cup
- 10-inch cast-iron skillet
- microplane grater
- paring knife
- juicer
- medium bowl
- blender
- small sifter
Ingredients
- 1 lemon
- 1 cup fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced
- 1 cup fresh raspberries
- ½ cup blueberries
- 2 tablespoon granulated sugar, divided
- 3 large eggs
- ½ cup whole milk
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoon salted butter
- Powdered sugar
- Sweetened whipped cream
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F. Place a 10-inch cast iron skillet in the oven while it preheats.
- Grate the zest of the lemon to equal 1 teaspoon. Squeeze the juice from the lemon to equal 1 tablespoon. Combine the strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, lemon juice, and 1 tablespoon of the granulated sugar in a medium bowl. Toss to coat the berries well, and set aside. (The berries will release their juices as they sit in mixture, creating a sweet, syrupy sauce.)
- Combine the eggs, milk, flour, lemon zest, remaining 1 tablespoon granulated sugar, salt, and vanilla in a blender. Blend at high speed for 1 minute. Set aside.
- Remove the hot skillet from the oven and add the butter, swirling the skillet to coat the bottom of the pan evenly with melted butter.
- Add the batter to the hot skillet. Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake for 15 to 17 minutes or until the Dutch baby puffs up and becomes golden brown.
- Remove from oven and let cool slightly. To serve, spoon the berry mixture over the top of the pancake and dust with powdered sugar. Serve with sweetened whipped cream.
Recipe Guidelines and Test Kitchen Tips
When developing and testing recipes, here are some key things that I do for more success in the kitchen:
- Be sure to use dry measuring cups for things like flour, sugar, and mayonnaise and a liquid measuring cup for things like water, milk, and broth.
- When measuring dry ingredients like flour and powdered sugar that can pack down, spoon the ingredient into a dry measuring cup and level with a knife as opposed to scooping the measuring cup into the ingredient.
- I test and develop recipes using a standard electric oven and standard gas stovetop. Be aware that if you use an electric stovetop or convection oven, your bake times will be different.
- When recipes call for kosher salt, I use Diamond Crystal kosher salt.
Food safety
Finally, don't forget to keep these food safety tips in mind when making this recipe:
- Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat or eggs.
- Wash hands after touching raw meat or eggs.
- Don't leave leftovers sitting out at room temperature for extended periods.
- Never leave cooking food unattended.
- Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove.
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