Family Breakfast is slowly becoming a big deal in my family. It’s not a surprise. Now that we’ve moved back in with my parents (hopefully a temporary situation until we can find a new house) we’re integrating our lifestyles. Sometimes my parents bend into our family rituals. Other times, I’m the one who has to do the bending.
I got the hint that my family’s breakfast routine had to change when my father was joining me in the kitchen and making a huge bowl of fruit every morning “for the girls”. And then one morning I caught him frying up a huge side of ham because “the girls ate all of mine yesterday”.
Okay, okay. I get it. Goodbye easy cereal-and-milk in front of TV breakfast and hello hot, well-balanced breakfast. 
The thing is, hot well balanced breakfasts are time consuming. It requires waking up and cooking. And although I love to cook, I usually like to have a cup of coffee in me before I’m around anything sharp or hot. Hey, I am not running a Bed & Breakfast around here. Not yet, anyway.
So, breakfast is kind of tricky for me.
Well, that is until I discovered the wonder of that oven pancake known as a Dutch Baby. See, a Dutch Baby requires heating an oven and pouring in a batter. No flipping. No watching. It’s simple, relatively nutritious, hot and satisfying. A perfect breakfast to satisfy both my father’s need to feed my children in the early AM and my need to sleep 5 minutes longer.
Win-Win.
Print
Dutch Baby
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 6 1x
Description
An easy puffed pancake is a perfect breakfast for everyday or can be dressed up for fancier occasions.
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) flour
- 2 eggs, room temperature
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) skim milk
- 2 tbsp (30 ml) vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- confectioner's sugar for dusting
Instructions
- Put a 9″ cast iron skillet into a cold oven and preheat oven to 475 degrees F {246 degrees C}.
- Whisk eggs, milk, flour, vanilla and cinnamon together in a large liquid measuring cup (this make it easy to pour into the hot pan). Alternatively, you can use a blender.
- When the oven has preheated, add butter – swish around to melt – and then carefully pour in batter.
- Bake at 450 degrees F {232 degrees C} for 20 minutes until pancake is puffed and golden around the edges.
- Remove from oven and dust generously with confectioner’s sugar. Serve with fresh fruit or jam.
- Enjoy!
Notes
- A cast iron skillet works best, but in a pinch you can use an oven safe saute pan.
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Cook Time: 20 mins
- Category: Breakfast
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 120
Want to get the kids involved? Here’s how they can help:
- Crack eggs
- Measure all ingredients
- Whisk batter
- Enjoy!
If You Liked This Recipe, You’ll Love These
- Babs Overnight Monkey Bread: A Holiday Showstopper
- Breakfast of Kings: Hash Browns with Gravy and Fried Egg
- Ham and Brie Monte Cristo French Toast
- Get a Healthy Start with Bulgur Upma
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does this recipe start the skillet in a cold oven?
Placing the 9-inch cast iron skillet in a cold oven and preheating to 475°F together ensures the pan is evenly and thoroughly hot when the butter and batter go in. A pan that heats unevenly will cause the Dutch baby to puff unevenly.
Is 2 tablespoons of vanilla extract a typo?
The recipe lists 2 tablespoons of vanilla extract for a batter using only 1/2 cup each of flour and milk. That is a very generous amount, and it is the author’s intentional choice for this family version — it gives the Dutch baby a pronounced vanilla flavor.
Do I need a cast iron skillet?
The notes say cast iron works best because of its heat retention, but you can use any oven-safe saute pan in a pinch. The key is that the pan must be fully preheated before the batter is poured in.
