Recipes: Puffy Pancakes (Dutch Babies) and Apple Pancakes

Janeen was nine when she came to live with us in Greece.

I smile when I think of her at that age. It was Janeen’s first time out of Alaska, and our first time living with a child. For all of us, the world was new and filled with possibilities.

For special breakfasts, Janeen loved baked pancakes (Dutch babies). We called them “puffy pancakes” because, like the Yorkshire pudding they resemble, the pancakes puff up beautifully in the oven.

When Janeen returned to Alaska for school, she wanted to make sure she knew how to make “puffy pancakes.” The proportions were easy, I explained; just follow the Rule of 3: 3 eggs, 3 quarter cups of flour, 3 quarter cups of milk, 3 Tbsp. sugar. I wrote down the recipe, in case she forgot.

Because I repeated the Rule of 3 so many times, I’ve never forgotten the recipe for puffy pancakes. I think of Janeen every time I make them.

Puffy pancakes may be eaten plain, with berries and cream, or with a light sprinkling of powdered sugar and a squeeze of lemon juice (my favorite). I also bake them with an apple, cinnamon, and sugar topping.

As with apple pies, the pancake topping tastes best when more than one type of apple is used to make it. Most recently, I made this with 2 Granny Smith apples and 1 Empire apple, all from my Full Circle Farm CSA box. Over the years, I've made this with every type of apple available, and it tastes wonderful no matter what kind is used.

The amount of cinnamon added to the apple topping depends on the kind of cinnamon you are using and how long it has been sitting in your cupboard. If I use regular grocery store cinnamon of uncertain age and often of lower grade than that available from specialty stores, I use 2 teaspoons of cinnamon. If I use delicate “true” cinnamon from Ceylon, I add 3 teaspoons, and if I use spicy Vietnamese “cassia” cinnamon, I add 1 teaspoon.

If you are unsure about the strength of your cinnamon, stir in 1 teaspoon and taste the apples. Add more cinnamon, as needed. Cinnamon is an essential flavor in Apple Pancakes, and is balanced by the plain batter.

No matter which version I make, puffy pancakes are a showy, but easy, treat.

Puffy Pancakes (Dutch Babies)
Serves 2 – 3
I prefer making this in a 10-inch seasoned, cast-iron skillet, but I’ve also successfully made it in a 10-inch Pyrex pie pan and a 9” aluminum cake pan. It can be made in any 10-inch, oven-proof, round pan.

3 eggs
3/4 cup milk
3/4 cup flour
3 Tbsp. sugar
Pinch of salt
3 Tbsp. butter

Preheat oven to 425°F.

Whisk together the eggs, milk, flour, sugar, and salt until thoroughly blended and the batter is smooth.

Place a 10” oven-proof pan in the preheated oven until it is heated through. Add the butter, and swirl it around the pan until the butter melts. Pour the batter into the hot buttered pan, return it to the oven, and bake for 20 – 25 minutes; do not open the door during the first 20 minutes while the pancake is baking. The pancake is done when the center is fully cooked, and the sides of the pancake have puffed up, forming a partial bowl.

Apple Pancakes
Serves 3 - 4
As with the Puffy Pancakes, I prefer making this in a 10-inch seasoned, cast-iron skillet, but I’ve also successfully made it in a 10-inch Pyrex pie pan and a 9” aluminum cake pan. It can be made in any 10-inch, oven-proof, round pan.

3 Tbsp. butter
3 apples, peeled, cored, and sliced
3 Tbsp. sugar
1 – 3 tsp. cinnamon
3 eggs
3/4 cup milk
3/4 cup flour
Pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 425°F.

Melt the butter in a 10-inch oven-proof pan. Add the apples, and turn them until all sides are coated with butter. Cook the apples over medium heat for 5 minutes. Stir in the sugar and cinnamon, and cook for 5 minutes, or until the apples start to soften.

Whisk together the eggs, milk, flour, and salt until thoroughly blended and the batter is smooth.

Evenly distribute the apples over the bottom of the pan. Pour the batter over the apples, and immediately put the hot pan into the preheated oven. Bake for 20 – 25 minutes; do not open the door during the first 20 minutes while the pancake is baking. The pancake is done when the center is fully cooked, and the sides are puffed up.

Remove the pancake from the oven and invert it onto a serving platter so the apples are on top of the pancake. If any apples stick to the bottom of the pan, return them to where they belong on the pancake. (The pancake flattens out when you turn it over.)
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This is my entry for Fresh Produce of the Month: Apples sponsored by An Italian in the US, and my entry for Think Spice: Cinnamon sponsored by Sunita’s World.