A German Pancake, also called a Dutch baby pancake, is easy to learn and can be used with a variety of savory or sweet toppings. This recipe version easily serves 2 people – each person enjoying half a 10”, ½” thick pancake plus toppings. If you’ve never had a German pancake, it’s a delicious cross between an easy-to-make soufflé, and a bowl-shaped crepe. You may know it by another name: a Bismarck, a Dutch Puff, or as a variation of the English Yorkshire pudding.
How To Make a Successful German Pancake
- Use a cast-iron skillet . In a pinch, you can use some other oven-safe dish like a Pyrex dish, but it’s convenient to have something that can go from the stove to the oven. Cast iron skillets can be pricey, but I use economical Lodge Cast Iron skillets, including the one in the video. You can check current prices for these skillets on Amazon.
- Make sure your eggs and milk at room temperature (In a pinch, you can use your microwave to knock the cold off….but don’t overcook either ingredient);
- Make sure your butter or oil is sizzling hot, but not burnt, when the batter is poured into your pan;
- You want your batter to be bubbly/frothy before you pour it into your pan with hot oil, AND your oven preheated to 425˚F so that as soon as the batter is poured, it is immediately placed into a hot oven.
- Do NOT open the oven while the pancake is baking. This is where your oven light comes in handy.
Ingredients for a Savory German Pancake
3 large eggs
½ cup milk [can use non-dairy milk]
½ cup all-purpose flour
½ tsp salt
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
[1 tsp fresh herb e.g. thyme, optional ]
3 Tbsp unsalted butter or oil or combo
Sample Pancake Toppings:
8 cherry tomatoes, halved
2 Tbsp garlic, minced
3 kale leaves, stems and leaves chopped separately; stems minced
2 green onions, chopped
2-3 small red and/or yellow bell peppers, chopped
[In the video, we made a heaping amount of topping, using up some refrigerator items e.g. mushrooms.]
Optional Garnishes:
Sprinkle of parmesan cheese
Fresh chopped parsley, or chives, for garnish
Directions for Making a Dutch Baby Pancake
Take eggs and milk out of frig. Room temperature ingredients yield more desired ‘puffiness’; also easier to blend.
Chop toppings. Sauté in 10 in cast-iron skillet. Remove toppings and keep warm. Wipe out skillet. Or use two separate skillets as I do in the video recipe.
Position an oven rack so that your pancake has at least 6 inches of space to rise. We simply remove one rack.
Preheat oven to 425°F. Place your skillet/dish in oven as it warms.
In a large bowl, whisk eggs and milk until blended. Whisk in flour, salt and pepper until smooth; stir in fresh herb – if adding. Continue to whisk until smooth and fluffy.
If you forgot to heat the pan, you can Heat a 10-in. cast-iron or other ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat.
AFTER pan is heated, remove from oven, add butter and heat until sizzling, but before it is browned . Watch to make sure butter doesn’t burn. Pour batter into hot pan. Immediately place into preheated oven.
Bake until top is puffed and sides are golden brown and crisp, 10-20 minutes, or until desired doneness. For savory dishes, I prefer a cooking time around 10 minutes, but for sweeter, more desert-like German Pancakes, I like to cook the cake for 15-20 minutes. Do not open oven while cooking – use oven light.
Set your table. Doublecheck your toppings.
Remove from oven. Immediately sprinkle with cheese, reserved toppings and garnishes. Serve hot.
Helpful Hints as you Experiment with German Pancakes
This recipe is scalable. The basic pancake ratio: 1 egg to ¼ cup flour, ¼ cup milk. You can add an extra egg to this ratio – like we did for this recipe.
You can also make the batter the night before, to save blending time. Start with all ingredients at room temperature. Refrigerate combined batter. Next morning, let come to room temperature. Beat the batter until light and foamy. Continue with recipe.
Instead of a single oven-proof dish or pan, you can use two 6” pans to make individual pancakes.
Other Savory Topping Combinations to Try
In the video, we packed our pancake with lots of things we found in the frig, that we thought needed to be used. You can be choosier with your German pancake experiments. Here’s some ideas to get your imagination cooking.
- Chopped asparagus, capers and a squeeze of lemon
- Cooked bacon or Canadian ham and your favorite cheese
- Brown some diced portabella mushrooms, ½ onion with a ¼ lb ground turkey, flavored with your favorite seasonings
- Mushrooms, garlic and Parmesan cheese
- Roasted tomatoes, garlic, a splash of fresh greens and cheese once it’s finished baking
Potential Ingredients for Making a Sweet German Pancake
Stay tuned for a separate video and blog for making a sweet dutch baby pancake. But, in the meantime, you can experiment with some of these ingredients…
Sweet batter ingredients: ½ tsp vanilla, ¾ Tbsp brown sugar, ¼ tsp citrus zest (orange, lemon), 1 Tbsp minced candied ginger, cinnamon, ginger, cardamom.
Sweet Dutch Baby Pancake Topping Ideas:
Lemon curd and powdered sugar
Fresh berries and powdered sugar or a smidge of maple syrup and mint
Applesauce, yogurt, cinnamon, nuts (sliced almonds, chopped walnuts)
Cream and jam or jelly
Sauté sliced apples, 2 Tbsp brown sugar, 2 Tbsp butter and about quarter cup of brandied cranberries, rum apples or bananas. For a fancy-pants occasion, flame ¼ cup brandy or rum over the fruit. Or maybe just add sliced toasted almonds or chopped walnuts.
For another delicious breakfast/brunch dish, check out our EGG BREAD RECIPE.
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