Dutch Baby

Years ago, my mom and I made a Dutch baby after clipping a recipe published in the Boston Globe.  Since I can’t keep track of pieces of paper, I never made that recipe again.  But, I remembered how delicious it was, and got inspired to make one again when I saw the amazing list of breakfast foods that was posted on A Beautiful Mess, one of my favorite food blogs, last week.  My recipe is a version of theirs, which you can check out here. A Dutch baby is a puffy oven-baked pancake—it’s fancy enough to impress important breakfast guests, but super easy to make.  It’s especially delicious with lemon curd on top!

Ingredients (serves two):

2 tablespoons butter

4 extra-large eggs

2/3 cup buttermilk (you can also substitute regular milk)

2/3 cup flour

1 heaping tablespoon sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon vanilla

Powdered sugar for sprinkling

1.  You’ll need two small ovenproof skillets (or one big one).  Place a tablespoon of butter in each skillet.  Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  Put the skillets in the oven to melt the butter.

2.   Mix together the eggs and milk, then add the dry ingredients and vanilla.  Stir until most of the lumps are gone.

3.   When the butter is melted, swirl the skillets so the butter coats the bottom and goes up the sides a little bit.  This will ensure you can get your babies out when they’re done cooking.  (I think I let my skillets stay in the oven too long because my butter browned—that’s the brown stuff you see in the photo.  However, this didn’t affect the taste at all).

4.   Divide the batter between the two skillets and return them to the oven.  Bake for 12-15 minutes, until puffy and set.  Sprinkle with powdered sugar, and serve with lemon curd, maple syrup, fresh fruit, whipped cream, or whatever your heart desires!  I’m thinking a savory version could be great, too, so let me know if you try it!