Who doesn't love breakfast. Okay, there are some people, but lets be serious, a good start to the day is a good thing everyday. So breakfast oftens plays that role. But the morning is a pinched time and requires a lot of daytime prep that can curtail the ease of producing amn enjoyable meal.
Enter the Dutch Baby: There isn't really a better breakfast food, in my opinion, than a good German Pancake. From the ease of preparation, to the versatility of the item, to the speed and WOW factor, the German Pancake is my favorite item to create for my sweet on cold mornings. Pancakes can be messy and time consuming, without a proper grill, the first is cold by the time the last is cooked; waffles are a pain, and require a tender touch for the most succulent feast. Muffins, scones and other baked goods require a time commitment, and do not always provide the feeling of a complete breakfast. Eggs are delicious, but unless prepared in a way that wows, with good sides or homebaked bread, nothing special.
So why a German Pancake? This food is even fun to watch in the oven, as it expands and rolls up the side of the pan. The recipe is as simple as it gets:
1/2 cup Milk or water
1/2 cup AP Flour
3 eggs
Pinch of salt
2 Tbsp Butter
Put butter in a baking dish (9 x 13 in glass is my favorite although a round dish or a cast iron pan are exellent tools as well).
Preheat the oven to 385°F, with the baking dish inside, this will brown the butter and heat the entire contraption to the necessary temperature for proper cooking.
Mix all other ingredients. The batter should be nearly as running as crepe batter.
When the oven is heated, pull out the baking dish, and swirl the butter to coat the inside of the pan well. Pour the batter into the pan and return to the oven.
The mixture should, within a few minutes, begin rising up the side of the pan and curling in on itself.
Pancake is done when completely cooked and slightly browned. (10 minutes)
Garnish immediately with lemon juice and powdered sugar, serve with Compote (apple) or jam, syrup or any other favorite condiment.
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That is the simple version.
Having explored a wide range of possibilities, I would like to share with you a few of them:
Subbing Heavy Cream for Milk, the Pancake did not rise up the edges, but instead puffed up wonderfully in the bottom and became crispier, slightly more heavy, but still delicious.
Subbing the bacon fat for Butter yields a familiar flavor that aids in the breakfasting memory, and uses old bacon fat.
Subbing 1/2 n 1/2 for the milk makes a richer pancake
Subbing Stock for the Milk makes a more savory pancake for much wider applications than breakfast (there is no sugar in the batter).
This morning I added orange zest to the batter for a very pleasant surprise; feel free to add fruit, nuts, oatmeal, or anything as you see fit to expand and play with this miraculously easy investment of time.
This is a crowd pleaser, easy to prepare the batter well in advance, and extremely versatile. Make one tomorrow morning and see what I mean.
Enter the Dutch Baby: There isn't really a better breakfast food, in my opinion, than a good German Pancake. From the ease of preparation, to the versatility of the item, to the speed and WOW factor, the German Pancake is my favorite item to create for my sweet on cold mornings. Pancakes can be messy and time consuming, without a proper grill, the first is cold by the time the last is cooked; waffles are a pain, and require a tender touch for the most succulent feast. Muffins, scones and other baked goods require a time commitment, and do not always provide the feeling of a complete breakfast. Eggs are delicious, but unless prepared in a way that wows, with good sides or homebaked bread, nothing special.
So why a German Pancake? This food is even fun to watch in the oven, as it expands and rolls up the side of the pan. The recipe is as simple as it gets:
1/2 cup Milk or water
1/2 cup AP Flour
3 eggs
Pinch of salt
2 Tbsp Butter
Put butter in a baking dish (9 x 13 in glass is my favorite although a round dish or a cast iron pan are exellent tools as well).
Preheat the oven to 385°F, with the baking dish inside, this will brown the butter and heat the entire contraption to the necessary temperature for proper cooking.
Mix all other ingredients. The batter should be nearly as running as crepe batter.
When the oven is heated, pull out the baking dish, and swirl the butter to coat the inside of the pan well. Pour the batter into the pan and return to the oven.
The mixture should, within a few minutes, begin rising up the side of the pan and curling in on itself.
Pancake is done when completely cooked and slightly browned. (10 minutes)
Garnish immediately with lemon juice and powdered sugar, serve with Compote (apple) or jam, syrup or any other favorite condiment.
---------------------------------------
That is the simple version.
Having explored a wide range of possibilities, I would like to share with you a few of them:
Subbing Heavy Cream for Milk, the Pancake did not rise up the edges, but instead puffed up wonderfully in the bottom and became crispier, slightly more heavy, but still delicious.
Subbing the bacon fat for Butter yields a familiar flavor that aids in the breakfasting memory, and uses old bacon fat.
Subbing 1/2 n 1/2 for the milk makes a richer pancake
Subbing Stock for the Milk makes a more savory pancake for much wider applications than breakfast (there is no sugar in the batter).
This morning I added orange zest to the batter for a very pleasant surprise; feel free to add fruit, nuts, oatmeal, or anything as you see fit to expand and play with this miraculously easy investment of time.
This is a crowd pleaser, easy to prepare the batter well in advance, and extremely versatile. Make one tomorrow morning and see what I mean.
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