High Altitude Dutch Baby Pancake with Cinnamon Apples
A Dutch baby is a delicious twist on a pancake breakfast, with light, puffed sides and a bowl shape, filled with soft cinnamon apples.
All recipes on Curly Girl Kitchen are developed for high altitude at 5,280 feet. See FAQs for adjusting to higher or lower elevations.
Equipment
- 9-inch Deep-Dish Pie Pan or Cast Iron Skillet
Ingredients
Apples
- 2 large apples
- 2 tbsp dark brown sugar
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ⅛ tsp ground cardamom
- 2 tbsp water
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter
Dutch Baby
- ½ cup bread flour, spooned and leveled
- 1 tbsp granulated sugar
- ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- ⅛ tsp ground cardamom
- ½ cup whole milk, room temperature
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ tsp fresh orange zest
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
Instructions
Apples
- Peel and core the apples, and slice them 1/4 inch thick. In a saucepan, toss the apples with the sugar, cinnamon and cardamom. Add the water and butter.
- Set the pan over medium heat and cook the apples until softened, and the liquid becomes syrupy.
Dutch Baby
- As soon as the apples are cooking, get started on the Dutch baby.
- 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, 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. Return the pan to the oven. Bake at 425 F for 15-18 minutes, until the edges are puffed up and golden brown. DO NOT open the oven door early to peek, or your Dutch baby might not puff up as well. After 15 minutes, 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" that you can fill with the cinnamon apples or any fruit you like. Cut into portions and serve immediately.
Notes
Tips for the puffiest, highest sides on your Dutch Baby:
- 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.
- Preheat the oven with the pan inside the oven, then heat the butter until it's sizzling. A hot pan + hot butter gives the batter 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 pie pan, and the results are excellent.
- DON'T open the oven door to peek while your Dutch baby is baking.
- For individual Dutch babies, use 3-4 mini pie pans or oven-safe skillets.
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