When I tell you I’m currently obsessed with mini Dutch babies, do you picture me chasing a tiny child in wooden clogs through a small European town? As delightful as that sounds, you can rest assured: the children of the Netherlands are safe. [Note from Matt: just in case, though, lock up your kinderen.] I’m actually referring to Dutch Baby pancakes (also known as German (Deutsch, y’see) Pancakes, or a Dutch Puff).
Somewhere between a pancake, a crepe and a popover, Dutch Babies are a cinch to make and absolutely heavenly to eat. They’re also extremely versatile. We filled ours with Matt’s homemade Lemon Curd and a handful of fresh blueberries (but using a good jarred brand wouldn’t be a crime). Once berries are out of season, a squirt of fresh lemon juice and a drizzle of maple syrup would work just as well.
Traditionally Dutch Babies are made in a large cast iron skillet and cut into slices but as soon as we received this pair of Victoria Cookware 6 1/2 inch skillets, we knew we wanted to make individual ones. P.S. – I love these pans and can’t wait to make all sorts of goodies in them (Mini potato hash and eggs! Mini berry cobblers! Mini baked eggs in creamy kale!).
Of course you can make a single, large pancake in a 10 inch skillet and divide it up. If you don’t have cast iron (get some!) any heavy-bottomed, oven-safe pan would work. The batter itself isn’t very sweet so it will work with either savory or sweet fillings.
Dutch Baby Pancakes with Lemon Curd and Blueberries
Ingredients
- 3 eggs
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup whole milk
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest 1 small lemon
- Pinch kosher salt
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- Confectioners sugar optional
For filling:
- 1/4 cup homemade lemon curd or store bought
- 1/2 pint blueberries
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425º F (220ºC)
- Add eggs, flour, milk, sugar, vanilla, salt and lemon zest together into a blender and blend until smooth.
- Place butter in heavy skillets (or a single skillet) and place in the oven until butter has melted (just a few minutes, don’t wander off). Pour half the batter into each pan, return them to oven and bake for 20 minutes, until the pancakes are puffed and golden. Lower oven temperature to 300 degrees and bake five minutes longer.
- Remove pancakes from oven, serve individually if using mini skillets, or cut larger Dutch Baby into wedges and top with a dusting of confectioners’ sugar, a spoonful or two of lemon curd and blueberries.
Definitely making a savory version of this for breakfast tomorrow, thanks for the inspo! I just got back from St. Martin/St.Maarten and had the most incredible ham and gruyere crepes pretty much every morning on the French side of the island, so this post is the perfect excuse for me to put a Dutch spin on them. Those Victoria pans look like a world of possibilities when it comes to cooking for two and I may need to own them given the price… I’m feeling a Friday morning impulse purchase.
Oh yes, a ham and gruyere dutch baby would be a fantastic brunch dish!
I have made these several times now for my Bed and Breakfast guests. There is not one crumb left in skillet. I’m ready to try a savory version. Thank you for the recipe.
Would you share your recipe? My husband loves savory, hates sweet, I love sweet and tolerate savory! lol
Lisa
Lisa, you might like to check out our new recipe for Cheddar and Chive Savory Dutch Babies, just posted today!
A little late replying, but we just posted Cheddar and Chive Savory Dutch Babies. Let us know what you think!
Oh, my goodness. My mom used to make these when I was a kid but I had forgotten about them. She too used lemon curd though sometimes it was the French’s lemon pie filling and not made from scratch. But never mind. They were still delicious! Thank you. This will definitely be on my list of ‘gotta try’.
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Looks a bit like a Yorkshire Pudding
Except that a Yorkshire Pudding is totally tasteless, ha ha!
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I’ve heard of dutch babies, but never quite knew what they were. These look fabulous and super simple to make! I’ll have to try these on a day when I have several hours to re-make my mistakes 🙂
In Britain these are famously known as Yorkshire puddings. Use to be eaten every sunday with your main dinner. For savoury you leave out the sugar and vanilla. Serve with roast beef and pot loads of gravy (beef stock sauce) into them. Also served with chopped or mini sausages in a large one with caramalised onions and again lots of gravy.
For a Yorkshire you’d only use one egg to this amount of milk and flour. Three sounds a bit much. I love the photographs. They are so beautiful.
how many calories are in these?
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I made these this morning. I thought they were a bit on the eggy side. I would definitely make them again but would use fewer eggs.
Hi, can i bake this in a baking tin? Because i dont have a skillet that is oven safe.
Hi, you could use a pre-heated muffin or baking tin but make sure it’s thick enough to handle being pre-heated. The tin must be hot before the batter is poured in order for the pancakes to puff up.
Yes, you can bake them in a 9×13 or 9×9. I have a little different recipe. Just take 3 eggs, 3/4 cup milk, 3/4 cup flour and I use a wisk to mix it until it’s nice and creamy. If you want to use the 9×13 use 5 eggs and 1 1/2 cup of milk and the same of flour. Using a smaller baking pan (glass of metal is fine) melt 1/2 stick of butter in the pan in the oven at 425 degrees while your mixing the ingredients , just don’t let the butter burn, just melted. Pour the mixture in the pan and bake for 22-25 min. It raises like a souffle. I heat the blueberries in the micro. (fresh or frozen) and cut the dutch babies to whatever size you want to serve, add the blueberries. ( Whoops, I forgot, sometimes we add a can of pie apples with the blueberries) So easy….if you want to keep adding thing or make it more savory, that’s up to you.
Hi! I noticed you mentioned that you can use a larger skillet. Would you happen to know about how long I should bake it? And, by the way, these are just absolutely beautiful and look delicious!
Thanks Cheryl! The same timing should work for a large (10-inch) skillet. Check after about 20 minutes. It should be puffed and golden, if not, give it another 2 to 3 minutes.
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Just made these this afternoon, and they were fabulous! A hit with my husband and mom as well. In fact he’s already asking that I make them again.
So glad everyone liked them! 🙂
Made these last night for company. They were a hit!!I I even bought small cast iron pans to do them in. Can’t wait to start doing variations between sweet and savoury !
Just made these in the pans you recommended and they are delicious, but stuck to the pan in the middle. What do you suggest?
Hi Maria, it’s possible the pans need a bit more seasoning. Cast iron needs to build up seasoning to be truly non-stick. You can try this method or just keep using the pans (cooking with butter or oil) and it will happen naturally.
https://www.seriouseats.com/2016/09/how-to-season-cast-iron-pans-skillets-cookware.html
Hi. Can any of the ingredients be subbed?
I mix my lemon curd with ricotta and serve with a blueberry syrup. Then dust with powdered sugar.
Delish.
Thank you for the great recipe! I made a few changes – but will be serving this for my wine club champargne brunch this weekend. (I used vanilla paste in the batter; squeezed the slice of one lemon on the pancake after adding the lemon curd and blueberries – then sprinkled with Chinese 5 spice powdered sugar. (I add 1 tsp of Chinese 5 spice to 1/2 cup on powdered sugar -whisk to combine evenly and then sprinkle. It’s great on anything that needs powdered sugar dusting and adds an amazing light kick of spice!) I posted my photo on your pinterest post. @ S I P and Socialinteractionsandparties.blog –
What size skillets did you use to make these in?
Hi Michaela, these are 6-inch skillets.
Can I make these gluten free? If so, what flour would you use?
Emily, in the recipe it says, “pour 1/2 of the batter into the pan” then doesn’t address what to do with the other half. I’m assuming this recipe is just for two Dutch babies and you’d make a second with the other half but wanted to ask. Thanks!
Hi Kelli – yes, we cook the batter in two pans since we had little pans, but you can definitely just use a larger pan and make one big Dutch Baby!
Bah, It looks like the Victoria pans are no longer available. Difficult to navigate the site as there is no English option. Any other reccs for purchasing cast iron pans? Mine were all handed down to me and I want a few more minis!
Thanks for your help. Great recipe
jo
Hi Jo, you’re right, it. looks like the Victoria skillets are no longer available. We love Lodge cast iron skillets too. They come in all sizes but these are the 6 1/2 inch (same as the Victoria ones we used). https://www.amazon.com/Lodge-Skillet-Skillet-Stovetop-Cooking/dp/B00063RWT8/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=cast+iron+skillet+6+inch&qid=1553455353&s=kitchen&sr=1-3
This recipe was excellent! I made both the pancake and the lemon curd and it was perfect!
I buy Lodge pans at Walmart.
I noticed a comment about using a muffin tin. I’ve been making Dutch babies forever (one big one for breakfast for our family of 4), but it never occurred to me to make mini ones in muffin tins. Has anyone tried this? Could be fun!
I had to hop off of Pinterest to let you know how beautiful this is! Thank you for sharing!
thinking of trying these in cast iron muffin pans and doing a blueberry sauce I’ve made before on top. Any ideas on changes to recipe to accommodate – I am not the best “baker” so want to make sure they come out well for company!
Probably will try to make 18 muffin size.
I haven’t tried them in muffin pans but I think they should work fine! They’ll be more like popovers (tall and puffy), which should be delicious. Make sure to preheat the pan well so they really puff.
Can you make these a day ahead of the brunch and reheat? I’m doing a brunch for about 20 so I’m searching out for a smaller pan for individual servings.
Hi Marilyn, they tend to deflate a little as they cool but they still taste divine. We’ve made extra that we reheated the next day and were really happy with them but if you’re not sure, do a small test batch and see what you think. Good luck!
I love them with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice and a sprinkle of powdered sugar!
That sounds delicious!
your print function does not seem to work – it flashes the recipe and returns to the article
It looks delicious though!
Hi Judy – so sorry for the trouble! We’ve done some fixing and updating – could you reload the page and let us know if it’s working for you now? Thanks! – Matt
These were delish! I added pure maple syrup as well as the lemon curd & blueberries. Next time I’ll adjust the baking time to 15 minutes. Used my new 6 1/2 “ staub mini pans & they were perfect.
Love love love these with a little Pat of butter, squeeze of lemon, and a light dusting of powdered sugar!