This decadent gluten-free breakfast treat is neither Dutch nor a baby. It was invented by a Seattle chef and has roots in a large baked German pancake. The name came from an historic cafe in Seattle called Manca’s. The owner’s young daughter couldn’t quite pronounce Deutsch and said Dutch instead. The restaurant served the pancakes in small individual “baby” portions. Thus, the Dutch Baby was born.
We recently made this delectable breakfast for our dear friends Neil and Heidi. Given how much they loved it, I decided to post our recipe for all to enjoy on a special morning. Tom and I cook this yummy breakfast together - I make the apple filling and he makes the pancake. We’ve been cooking together on the weekends and this first morning of the Lunar New Year is the perfect time for our sweet apple treat. Simple high quality ingredients are key and Granny Smith apples are preferable to balance tangy and sweet flavors. A cast-iron skillet is a must as well.
Dutch Baby Recipe – serves 4
4 oz unsalted butter (2 oz for pancake)
3 Granny Smith apples
1/4 cup real maple syrup or raw honey
2 tsp ground nutmeg for apples & pinch for pancake
1/2 cup Bob’s Red Mill gluten-free flour
3 eggs, at room temperature
1/2 cup soy or coconut milk
1 Tbsp sugar
Sour cream and powdered sugar, to garnish
Filling:
Cut apples into thin half-moons. Brown 2 oz (half) of the butter. Add apples and sauté on medium heat for 5 minutes. Add maple syrup and nutmeg. Sauté for 5 more minutes or until apples are soft. Take off heat and reserve.
Pancake:
Heat oven to 425F degrees. Combine eggs, flour, milk, sugar and nutmeg in a blender jar and blend until very smooth. Batter may also be mixed by hand. Place remaining 2 oz of butter into a heavy 10-inch skillet and place in the oven. As soon as the butter has melted (watch it so it does not burn) add the batter to the pan, return pan to the oven and bake for 20 minutes, until the pancake is puffed and golden. Lower oven temperature to 300F degrees and bake 5 minutes longer. Remove pancake from oven, cut into wedges and serve at once topped with apple mixture, sour cream, maple syrup, preserves, or powdered sugar.
Bon appétit and Happy Year of the Rabbit!