Dutch Baby Pancake

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Whether you call it an oven pancake, a Dutch baby, or a Hootin Annie, this buttery breakfast (or dessert) pastry deserves a spot at your Saturday morning breakfast table. An oven pancake is made from a thin batter that bakes in a cast-iron skillet in the oven, and it can be eaten with fresh fruit and whipped cream, maple syrup, honey, or your favorite jam or preserves. The batter is a simple mixture of several eggs, milk, flour, and sugar, and it's poured into a preheated cast-iron skillet with several tablespoons of melted butter. When the skillet goes into the hot oven, the eggs in the batter make the pastry rise quickly, climbing the side of the pan while the center deflates into a crater that is perfect for your filling of choice. However, unlike a conventional oven pancake, we're convinced there's one secret ingredient that makes the best pancake even better—lemon zest.

Dutch Baby Pancake
Photo: Micah A. Leal
Total Time:
35 mins

Ingredients

  • 3 eggs

  • 1/2 cup milk

  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

  • 1 tablespoon sugar

  • 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest

  • 1 pinch of salt

  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 425°F, and place a 10-inch skillet in the oven to preheat as well.

  2. While the oven is preheating, combine 3 eggs, 1/2 cup milk, 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, 1 Tbsp. sugar, 1/2 tsp. lemon zest, and a pinch of salt in a blender. Blend until completely homogenous.

  3. Once the oven is preheated, carefully remove the skillet and place 4 Tbsp. unsalted butter into the skillet. Swirl butter in skillet until completely melted.

  4. Pour batter into the skillet and bake for 20 minutes. Lower the oven temperature to 300°F and finish baking for another 5 minutes.

Chef's Notes

You must be sure that your oven is preheated before placing the batter into the oven. The initial burst of heat on contact with the batter allows the pastry to puff and create the distinct shape of an oven pancake. You can also experiment by adding spices like cinnamon and nutmeg for a particularly flavorful pancake.

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