Dutch baby is a lovely & extravagant oven-baked pancake that puffs into a beautiful piece of art due to a very high oven temperature, sizzling-hot pan, and a good amount of butter in it. This great-looking, fluffy & pillowy creation is a magic that elevates your weekend brunch to another level – and it doesn’t take much effort, time or cooking skills

Origins of the Dutch baby are in the U.S. and not in the Netherlands like many of us (including myself) might have thought. The inspiration to create a puffed pancake supposedly came from a traditional German Pfannkuchen (German-style pancake) and the word was simply a misspelling of Deutch for Dutch. The best thing about the Dutch Baby is that you can create endless varieties of the same dish simply by changing the topping. Dutch Baby can be served sweet or savory using the very same batter but different topping. I prefer the sweet version of the Dutch Baby – either just drizzled with lemon juice and maple syrup or when I am looking to make something more luscious and dessert-like, Cognac & Orange Cream is always my first choice, yum 

Very easy to make, simply mix all ingredients together and then bake it in a sizzling-hot pan for 15-20 minutes. That’s all. The only thing to keep in mind is that the Dutch baby collapses and deflates quickly, almost right after you take it out from the oven. The hot steam holding its shape quickly evaporates in the cooler air of the kitchen. Therefore make sure to serve it right after you take it out from the oven and that your guests are ready to wow around the table

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INGREDIENTS

(one 9″/22cm skillet)

Dutch Baby Batter

2 Eggs, large (~100g), at room temperature

100g Milk

60g Flour

10g Sugar

Pinch of Salt

30g Butter, unsalted

Cognac & Orange Cream

300g Milk

25g Sugar

1 Egg Yolk

Zest from 1 Orange

Juice from 1/2 Orange

20g Cornstarch

1 tsp. Vanilla Extract

1 shot of Cognac, good quality

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METHOD

1. Add all ingredients for the batter into a blender/ food processor – 2 Eggs, 100g of Milk, 10g of Sugar, a pinch of Salt and 60g of Flour. Blend until smooth, with no flour lumps for 10-15 seconds. Rest your batter for 10-15 minutes before moving on to baking. Note: make sure that all ingredients are at room temperature and not cold otherwise the pancake won’t rise

2. Preheat the oven to 220°C/ 430°F. Place a cast-iron/ stainless steel skillet into the oven as it is preheating and keep it there for at least 10-15 minutes or until really hot. In the last 5 minutes of preheating, add 2 tbsp./ 30g of Butter into the skillet to melt it completely. Using kitchen mittens, carefully take the skillet out from the oven and move the melted butter around so that the whole skillet and the sides are greased

3. Manually stir the batter one more time, then pour it all at once into a sizzling hot skillet, place into the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until puffed and dark golden brown on the edges

4. While the Dutch Baby bakes, prepare the Cognac Orange Cream. Start with heating up 200g of Milk in a smaller saucepan. In a separate mixing bowl, add the remaining 100g of Milk, 25g of Sugar, 1 Egg Yolk, 20g of Cornstarch and beat well. Pour the mixture into simmering milk and cook until slightly thickened for approximately 3-4 minutes (the cream doesn’t have to be as thick as custard). Once thickened, take the cream off the heat and stir in Zest from 1 Orange, squeeze in the juice from 1/2 Orange, add 1 shot of Cognac and 1 tsp. of Vanilla Extract. Set aside and try to save some for the pancake : )

5. Serve Dutch Baby immediately after it’s baked. Pour Cognac Orange Cream in the center, add slices of fresh orange or berries and drizzle with some maple syrup. I added a dollop of my favorite Blueberry Sumac Jam too for a perfect sweet & tangy balance. Serve dusted with some powdered sugar and enjoy right away

Dobrú chuť,
Lenka