Buttermilk Dutch Baby

So ok, I just had you concoct a boatload of homemade buttermilk and so now whaddya do with it, right?!  How about this Buttermilk Dutch Baby.  Gah, it's so delicious.  And though it may seem a fancy high-falootin' snob fest, this simple elegance is actually extremely easy to make.

Breakfast is a big deal in our house.  I’m not entirely sure how that came to be but over time it’s become so.  And I ain't sad about it.

Honestly, it's more about time together than anything else, if you wanna get real down to it.  We work on the meal together which is the only meal we do that for.  Maybe that's why it's such a big deal.

But really, Mike is Head Breakfast Chef and he does it up, like in a going out to breakfast kind of way.  Generally speaking it’s a once a week affair, often twice as Mike’s days off don’t follow consecutively.

For a long time we were solely pancakes or French toast.  My go to pancake recipe?  This one from Martha Stewart.  I mix up a huge tub of the dry ingredients and store it in the pantry.  Too, I use 3:1 buttermilk to milk when mixing so there ya go, another buttermilk use.

Then my Hailey, sigh…I mentioned this over on the Flaky Bakers Instagram.  I quite honestly could not eat pancakes for years, nearly eight to be exact.  My lips would physically curl shut, I’d tear up…It sucked.  Pancakes are our favorites.

But I definitely married the right guy because he had all the patience in the world for my weirdness and I-can't-eat-pancake ways.

We came into several waffle irons then.  Let’s see, my brother had given me one a while back but sadly it kicked the can.  We inherited one that tried to kill me.  Not joking.  I gifted Mike a Star Wars Death Star one.*  Mike came into a Waring professional one* and while we still have it, it works spottily at best these days.

Our fave is squares, the Krups one,* in a nod to T-Pa Waffles, aka Mike's dad's famous waffles.  T-Pa = Grandpa, fyi.

So waffles and French toast.  While I enjoy both it kinda gets boring after a while, ya know.  Then a-ha moment, my mom used to make giant Dutch Baby pancakes in her pizza pans for holidays.

Mmm.  Mmm.  Yum.

Sadly she misplaced that recipe but after trying out a few recipes, this here Buttermilk Dutch Baby is the winner in our household.

If you’ve never had one, you’re in for a resplendent treat.

So what is this thing, this Dutch Baby, you query?  It's like a giant crepe-like pancake, a giant popover, also known as a German pancake and similar to a Yorkshire pudding. 

There are a gazillion different versions of this out there:  sweet, savory, small, large, breakfast, brunch, lunch, dinner, and even dessert.  All mostly made with milk.

But this is a Buttermilk Dutch Baby and it is mighty.

The size works well for us two, baked in a ten inch oven proof skillet* and ready in a half hour, prep to  baked.  You can use a stainless skillet* like we do or cast iron.*  If you use cast iron, you gotta let the pan heat up for at minimum a half hour, fyi.

Yeah, it does stick a little in our stainless pan but it’s not bad.  It sticks where my initial pour hits it.  If you have a well cared for cast iron, you might have better luck avoiding sticking issues. 

Strikingly simple, my friends:

What is that, one two three....only six ingredients total creates a gorgeous meal.

Just dump all your ingredients sans the butter into a food processor* or a blender,* whiz it up, and you’re ready to bake. 

I know, right?!  Not much easier than pushing a button on a groggy morning, eh?  Something so elegant and fancy popping out the oven and lo, who knew, it was a cinch. 

whizzzzzz....tada!

A big key to the success here?  Place the pan in the oven during the preheat.  Another key?  Having hot pads* on hand and using them.  Truuuust me.

Once the oven has hit temp and the pan is hot, move quick which I know, on a lazy Sunday that’s tough but a couple taxing moments is all this is.  Pull the pan out, set it down, → leave the pot holder on the handle ←, give the pan a light dash of cooking spray, drop the butter in, swirl to melt.

I tried baking spray* this go around, see if it's better than cooking spray; no real diff.  Use either.  Or none, the butter will aid in releasing enough.  The spray is security backup.

Leaving the hot pad on the handle again, haha for real, you do not want to forget how hot that pan handle is, pour in one speedy-ish fell swoop your blended batter and swiftly enough, get the pan back in the oven.

Lil' blurry here, sorry, that pan is tossing off some steam so my camera's grumpy.  But, batter into hot pan, whoo!

Ok!  You can relax now while your lovely Buttermilk Dutch Baby is baking.

You do have to drop the oven temp in about twenty minutes but the high stress is over.

So right, drop the temp, wait a few more minutes and voila, wow.  Gorgeous. Breakfast. Is Served.

The big billows start to collapse quick so I couldn't show you.  Great idea:  bake one and see how it blows up!

Even better than this gloriousness?  Well, heh, not a lot but you can top it any way you see fit.  Berries, syrup, berry syrup, sautéed apples (mmm highly recommended), apple butter, whipped cream, powdered sugar, or hey, nothing at all.  It is totes up to you.

Lezzzzzz eat!

So go on now, take a test drive on one a’ these here tasty Buttermilk Dutch Baby delights and have yourself a wondrous day!

All my best wishes to Mike and his family on this summery Saturday morning in June, it's going to be a difficult one.  Please send your warmest thoughts his way as we celebrate his father's life today.  (And thanks for your patience these few months.)

Buttermilk Dutch Baby

Yield

3 servings (one 10" Dutch Baby)

Prep time

5 Min

Cook time

27 Min

Total time

32 Min

Don't be fooled by a Buttermilk Dutch Baby, it's top notch elegance for breakfast or brunch but shockingly simple to make!

Ingredients

• 3 large eggs (150 g)
• 1/2 cup (114 ml) buttermilk
• 1/2 cup (60 g) all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons (25 g) granulated sugar
• Juice from 1/2 a lemon (optional)
• 1/4 cup (57 g) unsalted butter

Instructions

1. Set a 10" oven-safe skillet on the middle rack in the oven and begin preheating to 425° F (218° C).  If using a cast iron pan, allow to heat up in the oven for 30 minutes.
2. Add all the ingredients except the butter to a food processor or blender, the eggs, buttermilk, flour, and sugar.  Process the ingredients for about 1-2 minutes, until everything is well combined.
3. When the oven comes to temperature, remove the pan, lightly spray the entire cooking surface with cooking spray, then add the butter.  Swirl the butter until it melts then quickly pour the batter into the pan.
4. Bake for 20 minutes then lower the temperature of the oven to 300° F (149° C) and continue to bake for 5-7 minutes more, until the edges are quite puffed and turning a deep golden brown.
5. Serve immediately with desired toppings.

Notes:

Adapted from Girl Gone Gourmet who adapted from The New York Times.

Nutrition Facts

Calories

378.40

Fat (grams)

20.71

Sat. Fat (grams)

11.38

Carbs (grams)

38.29

Fiber (grams)

1.04

Net carbs

37.25

Sugar (grams)

20.48

Protein (grams)

10.20

Sodium (milligrams)

199.63

Cholesterol (grams)

228.30

Please see the "info" section for nutrition details.

breakfast, Dutch baby, popover, German pancake

recipe

American

Created using The Recipes Generator

*The waffle makers, skillets, food processors, blenders, hot pads and baking sprays are Amazon affiliate links.  Happy baking, thanks!  Please see the "info" tab for more, well, info.