Recipe
10 Best Dutch and German Pancake Recipes for 2017
When you are bored of the usual pancake routine or when you are in a terrible rush and still need to feed a crowd, these easy pancake recipes come to a rescue. They will redefine the whole process of cooking pancakes, allowing for a minimum mess and much less effort.
What is a Dutch Baby Pancake?
A Dutch baby pancake, also called German pancake, Dutch puff, or a Bismark, is a sweet big pancake baked in the oven and usually served for breakfast. It is derived from the German Pfannkuchen and is made with flour, sugar, eggs, and milk. Most commonly it is complemented with cinnamon and vanilla, but you can basically add any ingredients that come to mind, including fruits, chocolate, as well other spices and seasonings.
Besides the fact that this amazing delight is made with basic ingredients everyone has in the pantry, another important thing is that you don’t have to spend the whole day in the kitchen. The beauty of this pancake is that it is baked. No cooking, flipping, standing over the stovetop…The batter is poured into a large pan made of metal or cast iron and baked until it puffs up (about 10-15 minutes).
Dutch baby makes a beautiful presentation. It is usually topped with freshly-squeezed lemon juice, butter, and powdered sugar, but fruit toppings and syrups are often used as well.
How Did Dutch Baby Pancakes Arrive in America?
Dutch babies were first served in the 1900s at a family-run restaurant in Seattle. The dish is actually German, but it is believed that the owner’s daughter mistakenly interpreted the word ‘Deutsch’ (meaning ‘German’) as ‘Dutch’.
Today, this pancake recipe is standard in many diners and breakfast chains. Its most common variation is the one made with apple dices embedded in the batter and is often served as a dessert.
Another popular variation is the David Eyre's pancake recipe. Based on a recipe for Dutch Baby, this alteration represents a sweet, baked treat made out of eggs and flour. It was named after the writer and editor David W. Eyre, who prepared this breakfast for the New York Times food editor in his Honolulu home.
This pancake recipe was published in The New York Times in the 1960s:
Ingredients:
Instructions:
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup milk
- ½ cup flour
- 1 tsp. sugar
- pinch of salt
- ½ tsp. nutmeg
Whisk all the ingredients together. Add some melted butter on frying pan, then pour the batter into the pan. Place in the oven. When nearly done, sift some powdered sugar and return the pan to the oven to bake until brown. Serve with lemon and powdered sugar on top.
Other Pancakes Eaten in the Netherlands and Germany
Netherlands
In the Netherlands, pancakes are called pannenkoeken and are found in numerous sweet, savory, and stuffed
variations. Unlike the classic American flapjacks, the Dutch usually eat them for lunch or dinner. Pannenkoeken are much like French-style crêpes, only a bit thicker and quite larger in diameter. The batter is based on eggs and these pancakes are usually topped with bacon, ham, and cheese, or sweet ingredients like apples and candied ginger. Just like people in America love maple syrup on top of their hotcakes, the Dutch adore stroop. Stroop is syrup based on beet sugar and is usually combined with bacon.
Poffertjes are very alike the American pancakes. The difference is that they are smaller and sweeter. The recipe for poffertjes calls for baking powder, so they are quite light and soft on the inside. These flapjacks are made in dimpled pans, made of cast iron or copper and flipped using a fork.
Spekdiks are somewhere between pancakes and waffles. It is basically a pancake recipe, but the batter is cooked in a waffle iron. The recipe is usually made with rye flour, syrup, and eggs (sometimes bacon is added) and are usually around New Year’s.
Germany
German call their pancakes Pfannkuchen or Eierkuchen (depending on the region). These pancake recipes do not call for raising agents and are a bit thicker than crêpes. They are served with sweet or, less frequently, savory fillings.
Apfelküchle refers to apple rings covered with pancake batter, fried and served with cinnamon and sugar.
Kaiserschmarrn, is a pancake recipe for thick, caramelized discs that are usually cut into smaller pieces and then filled with fruits and nuts. they are topped with fruit syrups or powdered sugar. This delight is especially popular in Bavaria and it is believed that it was originally prepared for Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria.
Flädle are sliced pancake strips usually served in soups and are especially popular in Swabia.
Mini German Pancakes
The mini version of Dutch babies is known as Hootenannies. This is a fun pancake recipe to prepare at the weekend for your kids. They will absolutely adore these cute babies!
To make them, you will need a muffin tin. Pour the batter into the tins and bake for about 15 minutes. The minis will come out perfectly puffy and your kitchen will be quite clean!
These mini cups are perfect for filling with anything you like, but I think they work best with fruit fillings like berry or peach sauces, sliced strawberries or bananas, homemade jams or fruit syrups.
Mini German Pancake Recipe
Ingredients:
1 cup all-purpose flour
½ tsp. salt
1 cup milk
6 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. orange zest (optional)
¼ cup butter, melted
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 400o F. Place the ingredients in a blender and mix until well incorporated.
Pour the batter into the muffin tins. Make sure they are not overfilled because the batter will rise a bit during baking. About a 1/4 cup should be enough.
Bake for about 15-20 minutes, until puffy and golden brown.
Serve with your favorite topping.
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