Pannekoeken

I’ve heard a few names for this. “Dutch Baby” is common, sometimes “Dutch Pancake” or “German Pancake”. I dunno, my parents called it “Pannekoeken”, so I call it that.

Ingredients

• 60g butter
• 250g eggs (or 5 large)
• 240g milk (~1 cup)
• 120g flour (~1 cup)
• 1.5g salt
• Vanilla to taste

Preparation

1. Lightly oil a cast iron skillet, then place it in the lower third of the cold oven. Start the oven, set it to 375F.
2. Crack the eggs into a bowl, then whisk until totally combined and slightly foamy before adding the milk and vanilla, then whisking until all ingredients are uniform.
3. Sift the flour while whisking, stopping frequently to whisk down any accumulated flour on the sides. Whisk in the salt, as well.
4. By now the oven should have come up to temp. Give the pan a few more minutes to get ripping hot, then using a mitt set the pan on a heat-safe surface, before adding the butter.
5. Once the butter’s melted, roll it around the pan somewhat to coat the sides as far up as you feel comfortable, then set the pan back down & pour in the batter.
6. Return the pan to the oven, and bake for 25 minutes or until the sides have crisped up and the top has risen significantly, ideally gaining a crust too.
7. Let sit for a few minutes before transferring the pannekoeken from the pan to a cutting board. With practice, the bottom of the pannekoeken should lift free effortlessly, due to the non-stick layer of butter.

Serve with maple syrup or other toppings.

Notes

• I have used both 250g and 300g of egg, not changing other ratios, and I like both.
• This dish can be modified lots of ways. Additions are a common way, usually some sort of fruit compote or sauce, or savory items like sausage.
• This is a dish that can be basically run as a hot-pan operation–have a batch whipped up to pour as one comes out; you can stretch a single pan to about 400g egg/380g milk/190g flour to serve 3, but after that you’ll need to pour a second immediately.