Introduction to Dutch Baby pancakes

Dutch baby pancakes look spectacular when they emerge from the oven but are really simple to produce if you follow the hints we have provided below.

While the batter for the pancake is not strictly a choux pastry it is very similar in that it has the same three essential ingredients namely flour, liquid (milk in this case) and eggs.

Although it is similar to choux pastry it is probably closer to the batter used for Yorkshire Pudding. But a key issue here is that this recipe does not use a leavening agent (just like choux pastry when you make gougeres or the batter used for Yorkshire Pudding) instead the Dutch Baby rises and rises from the liquid which is trapped in the batter expanding and pushing the setting batter upwards.

Our motivation to make this savoury gem followed a visit to the wonderful Path cafe in Tokyo where they cook them to order.

The main thing to manage with this recipe is the technique – it is not difficult, you just have to be methodical and careful.

You need to make sure that the oven is hot and you also must have an oven safe frying pan/skillet with straight-ish sides to allow the cooked pancake to rise up above the sides of the pan.

After your batter is ready and rested, place the skillet in the oven for about five minutes to get really hot.

Here is where you need to be very careful. You need to take the skillet out of the oven using oven gloves or similar and then add the butter into the pan and swirl it around so that the base and sides are covered in melted butter. Doing this reduces the friction that the cooking batter experiences and allows it to rise smoothly.

Some of the melted butter will also be incorporated into the batter.

Dutch baby pancakes

Recipe by Sue Dyson and Roger McShaneCourse: BreakfastDifficulty: Moderate

Servings

2

servings

Prep time

10

minutes

Cooking time

20

minutes

Ingredients

• 80 grams flour

• 170 grams milk

• 3 eggs

• Salt

• Pepper

• Nutmeg (optional)

• 30 grams butter

• Grated Parmesan cheese

• Ricotta cheese

• Spanish jamon slices or Italian prosciutto slices

Directions

• Make a batter out of the first three ingredients then add the seasonings.
• Rest the batter for at least 30 minutes and preferably overnight.
• Heat the oven to 220C (450F)
• Place a straight sided metal skillet in the oven until it is very hot – about 5 to 10 minutes.
• Carefully remove the skillet from the oven then add the butter and swirl it around so that it coats the entire inside of the skillet.
• Pour in the batter until the skillet is between half to three quarters full.
• Sprinkle the Parmesan cheese over the batter.
  
  
• Return the skillet to the oven.
• Bake for around twenty minutes.
• Open the oven door and make sure that the cooked batter has risen above the edges of the skillet and is golden in colour.
• Remove from the oven, add some ricotta and ham in the centre (we also added some shiso leaves because we had some) then cut into portions and serve.

You can see the Dutch Baby we ate in Tokyo, by clicking on the link below:

Path: Dutch Baby