German Pancakes

The German Pancake, or Dutch Baby as some call it, is thought to have been created by the German-American Immigrants living in Dutch Pennsylvania, thus the name Dutch baby. With its ever growing popularity, has come a multitude of variations. Personally, I am a traditionalist and prefer the simple taste of the version made by a friend of mine back when I was in college. She had two specialties. German Pancakes and the other was her version of the Monster Cookie.

That is not to say I have not tried a few experiments of my own. Once when I was making German pancakes, I was reminded of a time when I was in Texas. One morning for breakfast, a family I was visiting made scrambled eggs with cheese and crumbled bacon mixed together. It sounded delish, so I added some cheese, chopped green onions, crumbled bacon and some salt and pepper to the batter. Another time, I had a craving for bread pudding and decided to try sliced apples with vanilla and cinnamon.

Traditionally, a cast iron skillet was used to bake the pancake in, but you can use any shallow baking dish, pie plate or oven safe skillet. The recipe says to place the pan in the oven to melt the butter. However, if you are using a glass dish, you do not want to add cold batter to hot glass. Instead, melt the butter in the microwave and pour into the dish before you add the batter.

Ingredients:
6 eggs
1 c flour
1 c milk
1/2 tsp salt
3 tbsp butter, plus extra

Preheat oven to 425. Place the 3 tablespoons of butter in a cast iron skillet or baking dish. Put the dish in the oven for a few minutes to melt the butter. Meanwhile, blend the eggs, flour, milk and salt in a blender until smooth. Pour batter into the dish and bake for 20-25 minutes.

There are a variety of ways to serve German Pancakes. You can eat it plain, with syrup or yogurt and/or fruit. Or, as soon as the dish comes out of the oven, spread some butter on it and then sprinkle some lemon juice and powdered sugar. Then, top with syrup or yogurt and fruit, or eat it as is.

Variations:
Substitute the all-purpose flour with bread flour for a better rise.
Add 1/4 tsp vanilla and 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon to the batter.
Add chopped green onions, bacon or sausage and cheese. Season with salt and pepper.
Add sliced apples. Peel and core 1-2 baking apples. Place on the bottom of the dish. Add vanilla and cinnamon.