High Altitude Dutch Baby Pancake with Cinnamon Apples

A Dutch baby is a delicious twist on a pancake breakfast, with a light crispy texture and dramatic puffed sides. This classic German pancake is basically like a big Yorkshire pudding or a popover, and can be served with sweet or savory fillings, making it so versatile for any type of breakfast you’re in the mood for. I spiced the batter with cinnamon, nutmeg and cardamom, with a little orange zest for freshness, and filled it with soft cinnamon apples.

Looking for more breakfast ideas? You’ll love these homemade French crepes, oatmeal with caramelized bourbon bananas and hazelnuts, baked prosciutto egg cups, and classic fluffy pancakes.

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What’s a Dutch Baby?

A Dutch baby is also called a German pancake. It’s made from a simple batter of flour, sugar, milk and eggs, with spices for flavor. The batter is poured into a hot pan of sizzling butter, and as it bakes, the pancake puffs up like a Yorkshire pudding, with the sides of the pancake rising up dramatically above the edges of the pan, forming a bowl shape. You can serve it simply, with just a dusting of powdered sugar, or fill it with all kinds of sweet or savory fillings.

What Makes a Dutch Baby Rise?

While pancakes cooked on a griddle are fluffy, soft and cake-like from being leavened with baking powder, Dutch babies are light and eggy, with crisp edges and a creamy center. Since these lofty pancakes don’t have any leavening in them, they rely on steam from a piping hot oven and pan to allow them to puff up impressively high. For a good rise, it’s crucial that your pancake batter ingredients are room temperature, and your oven, pan and butter is hot, hot hot.

See the recipe card at the end of the post for the full ingredients list and instructions.

Ingredients

• Bread Flour. While you can use all-purpose flour if it’s all you have, bread flour will result in a higher, more dramatic rise to the sides of your pancake.
• Sugar. You only need a touch of granulated sugar to lightly sweeten the pancake. Most of the sweetness will come from any toppings you add.
• Spices. To flavor the batter, I added cinnamon, nutmeg and cardamom, as well as fresh orange zest.
• Milk. I used whole milk, but you can use any milk you like.
• Eggs. The eggs give the pancake structure.
• Vanilla. Flavor.
• Butter. The butter adds richness, as well as helps to create steam. When you pour the batter into a hot pan coated with hot sizzling butter, the batter essentially “swims” in the butter so it can rise high and puffy.

Instructions

• Position a rack in the center of the oven, and set your pie pan on the rack. Preheat the oven to 425 F with the pan inside.
• In a bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar and spices. Separately, whisk together the milk, eggs, vanilla and orange zest. Slowly pour half the liquid into the flour mixture, whisking well to form a smooth paste. Gradually whisk in the remaining liquid until smooth, and whisk well for 15 seconds. Let the batter rest for 10 minutes while the oven preheats.
• Once the batter has rested and the oven is preheated, open the door and drop the butter into the pan. Close the door again while the butter melts. When the butter is sizzling hot and just starting to brown a little (Image 1), it’s time to add the pancake batter.
• Take the hot pan out of the oven, and use a pastry brush to brush the butter up the sides of the pan so that the bottom and sides are well coated in butter. Pour the batter right into the sizzling butter (Image 2).

• Return the pan to the oven. Bake at 425 F for 15-18 minutes, until the edges are golden brown. DO NOT open the oven door early to peek, or your Dutch baby might not puff up as well. Now turn the oven off, but let the Dutch baby sit in the oven for 5 more minutes.
• Your pancake is ready to eat! The sides should have puffed and risen dramatically, forming a big pancake “bowl” (Images 3 & 4) that you can fill with the cinnamon apples or any fruit you like. Cut into portions and serve immediately.

TIP: For the best results, it’s crucial that your ingredients and batter are at room temperature, and your oven, pan and butter are piping hot, or your pancake won’t rise as high.

Tips

• Use ROOM TEMPERATURE INGREDIENTS.  Cold eggs and milk result in a less dramatic rise.
• Use bread flour, not all-purpose flour.
• Hand-whisk your batter, don’t make it in the blender.  Many recipes call for using a blender to ensure the batter is free of lumps, but by whisking the liquid in gradually the way I’ve instructed, you won’t have any lumps in your batter. I’ve tested this recipe both ways, and the hand-whisked batter rose much higher.
• Preheat the oven with the pan inside the oven, then heat the butter until it’s sizzling.  A hot pan + hot butter creates steam, which gives the pancake a more dramatic rise.
• Don’t use less butter than the recipe calls for, or your batter could stick to the pan.  If the batter sticks, it won’t puff up and rise up the sides.
• If you use a larger pan, like a 12 inch cast iron skillet, you may want to scale the recipe up by 25%, or your batter won’t rise as high up the sides.  Note that I’ve only made this recipe in my 9-inch pie pan, and the results are excellent.
• DON’T open the oven door early to peek while your Dutch baby is baking.
• For individual Dutch babies, use 3-4 mini pie pans or oven-safe skillets.

Sweet and Savory Filling Suggestions

• Caramelized bananas and toffee sauce
• Cinnamon apples or pears
• Lemon curd
• Berries and fruit of any kind
• Jam
• Maple Syrup
• Powdered Sugar
• Chocolate Syrup
• Whipped Cream
• Ham, cheese and herbs
• Prosciutto and sauteed mushrooms
• Sausage and crispy hash browns
• Smoked salmon, tomatoes and a fried egg

Be sure to read all of my BAKING FAQs where I discuss ingredients, substitutions and common baking questions, so that you can be successful in your own baking!

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use non-dairy milk?

Yes, you can use almond or coconut milk in this recipe if you don’t want to use whole milk.

Will this recipe work with gluten free flour?

Honestly, I’m not sure, since this isn’t something I’ve tested. If you do try it with a measure-for-measure gluten free flour, please let me know how it works out.

Can I make the batter the night before?

You could make the batter at night and refrigerate it overnight, if you wanted to. But since the batter needs to be at room temperature, you’d need to let it sit out for at least an hour in the morning to warm up, so I really don’t see the point. It’s very quick to whisk up the batter in the morning.

How many servings does this make?

It really depends on if you’re going to serve it with a filling or not. If you’re eating it plain, it will probably serve 2 adults or 2 very hungry children (my 3 and 4 year old boys ate the entire thing themselves with maple syrup). With lots of fillings, it should serve 4.

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