Savory Bacon Dutch Baby

Impress your brunch crowd with this savory, bacon-filled skillet pancake. The recipe calls for a 10-inch cast iron skillet, but you can use a smaller 8-inch skillet and the Dutch baby will puff up a little higher. Don't use a skillet larger than an 11-inch, however. This is an incredibly easy dish to prepare, but there are a few steps that are crucial for success. Make sure your ingredients are room temperature and leave the oven door closed the entire baking time. The Dutch baby will deflate almost immediately once you remove it from the oven, so plan on serving this immediately. This is not a make-ahead dish, so have your guests ready to go with forks in hand. It even resembles a pull-apart bread, which makes it an unexpected and fun appetizer. We recommend using thick-cut bacon in this recipe because the chopped pieces hold their shape when baked into the pancake. You get extra bacon flavor by using the reserved bacon fat to cook the batter.