Do you like baked goods? Do you have an affinity for unusual amounts of butter? Do you enjoy eating things named after young people from the Netherlands? If you answered yes to any of these questions, there’s a good chance that you, me, and this Dutch Baby can be friends.
About ten years ago, my wife (hot girlfriend at the time) introduced me to this strange hybrid between a pancake and a popover at the Original Pancake House. I was smitten. For whatever reason though, it sort of fell off my radar and I have encountered them only rarely in the years since.
Yesterday, I woke up with an extreme hankering for something sweet that I could bake in cast iron. (Yes. I know I have strange hankerings. Don’t change the subject.)
After an inadvisable period of estrangement, the Dutch Baby is back on my social calendar.
Poking around for a bit online, I decided to try this recipe from Gourmet. The ingredients are absurdly simple; at its core it’s a staples hit list of eggs, flour, butter, and milk. Gourmet fancies it up a tad with cinnamon, vanilla, and nutmeg, but strictly speaking they’re not necessary.
What I really like about these fluffy, crispy, chewy rounds is how easily they can flip-flop back and forth between the sweet and savory categories. I’ve seen them served with lemon and sugar, fresh and baked fruits and all sorts of syrups, jellies and jams. But just as deliciously, you can serve them with sausages and eggs, fried pork chops or sautéed vegetables.
Dutch Baby with Elderberry Jelly and Home Cured Bacon.
Last night, I reworked my leftovers and served little wedges of the Baby (ew?) with mushroom fondue and braised kohlrabi greens. It may have been better than breakfast.
I will say that my Dutch Baby didn’t poof as much as I would have liked. After some research I think that some of the melted butter should actually be mixed in with the batter and I also probably over beat my eggs a bit.
Damn. I guess I’ll just have to make it again.
-Logan
Dutch Baby from Gourmet:
SERVES 4 TO 6 (BREAKFAST OR DESSERT)
ACTIVE TIME: 10 MIN START TO FINISH: 30 MIN
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
- 3 large eggs at room temperature 30 minutes
- 2/3 cup whole milk at room temperature
- 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon grated nutmeg
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 stick unsalted butter, cut into pieces
Put skillet on middle rack of oven and preheat oven to 450ºF. Stir together sugar and zest in a small bowl. Beat eggs with an electric mixer at high speed until pale and frothy, then beat in milk, flour, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt and continue to beat until smooth, about 1 minute more (batter will be thin).
Add butter to hot skillet and melt, swirling to coat. Add batter and immediately return skillet to oven. Bake until puffed and golden-brown, 18 to 25 minutes. Serve immediately, topped with lemon sugar.
Note: The cooking time listed its too long at 450°F. After about 12 minutes I reduced the temperature to 375°F.
