Apple Dutch Baby

I have always been in love with pancakes. Every Sunday when I was little was known as Pancake Sunday. You woke up to Daddy making pancakes and bacon and afterward got ready for church. Eventually it wore off, but we definitely kept it going for about a year. The usual was always regular pancakes or chocolate chip. No complaints here, but now my pancake taste buds have grown. I've tried ones using cottage cheese, gingerbread ones, and one of my favorite variations on the pancake, the dutch baby.

I had my first encounter with this breakfast item when I saw it on the menu at my now favorite pancake place, The Original Pancake House, OPH. Not to be confused with this 24 hr wannabe. Don't get me wrong, they have good ideas, the cheesecake pancakes sounded/looked phenomenal on the menu, but they came out burnt on the bottom. Blech. Keep trying IHOP. The thing about OPH that I love is their statement and what they stand for. The fresh ingredients like milk, fresh grade AA eggs, pure whipped cream, hard wheat unbleached flour, a homemade sourdough starter and REAL butter make me realize that this is where I belong. Pancake heaven. But I digress. Let's talk about the Dutch Baby.

This breakfast (heck, eat it whenever) delight is something quite amazing. It is traditionally, and probably best, made in a cast iron pan. A metal round cake pan worked for me, though. It is eggstremely eggy (hehe) and so easy to make. Four ingredients for the plain pancake, and then you can play around with the toppings! If you are going traditional, however, colossal shake of powdered sugar, a butt load of butter, and a generous amount of lemon juice are the add-ons of choice. For mine, I went the sauteed apples and cinnamon route.

So overall taste: The best breakfast to wake up to. I really enjoyed it. The apple topping made it out of this world for me=) So, if you have never tried one, please go ahead and do so.............. now!


Apple Dutch Baby
from here

Pancake:
-3 tbsp butter
-3 eggs
-1/2 cup all-purpose flour
-1/2 milk

Sauteed Apple Topping:
-2 tart apples (Granny Smith), peeled and cut into very thin slices-3 tbsp butter
-3/4 teaspoon cornstarch-1/4 cup cold water
-1/4 cup brown sugar-1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
-1/8-1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg
-1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Make the pancake - first, heat the oven to 425 degrees.
2. Over low heat, melt the 3 tablespoons butter in a 10 or 11 inch cast iron pan.
3. Put the eggs, flour, and milk in a blender, and blend well. The idea is to create a lump-free batter.
4. When the butter is melted, pour the batter into the cast iron pan.
   
5. Move the cast iron pan to the oven and cook for 20 - 25 minutes. You can tell the Dutch baby is done when the sides are brown and nice and puffy. But don't check it too early! A draft of cold air can cause it to de-puff.

When it's done, it'll look something like this:

6. While the pancake is baking, saute the apples.
Start by melting the butter over medium heat.
7. Add the apples and saute, stirring often over medium heat,
until they're tender (about 10 minutes).
8. Mix the corn starch with the cold water, and pour it over the
apples along with the brown sugar, spices, and vanilla.

9. Boil for a couple of minutes, stirring constantly,
then remove from heat.

10. When the Dutch Baby is done baking, pull it out

and pour your sauteed apple slices all over it.

11. Top with TONS of powdered sugar and whipped cream!