Individual “Stuffed” Dutch Babies
A Dutch baby pancake, sometimes called a German pancake, a Bismarck or a Dutch puff, is a sweet popover that is typically served for breakfast. Growing up, as a special treat, my mom served us Dutch babies for breakfast. I continued the tradition, serving them to my kids. Today, my younger son, now grown, continues to make them too.
Derived from the German pfannkuchen, a Dutch baby is made with eggs, flour and milk. It is baked in a cast iron skillet or metal pan and falls soon after being removed from the oven. Generally served with fresh squeezed lemon and powdered sugar, fruit toppings or maple syrup, I made a savory rendition. Instead of baking in my skillet as I have done for many years, I baked individual Dutch babies in a muffin pan.
According to Sunset magazine, Dutch babies were introduced in the first half of the 1900s at Manca’s Cafe, a family-run restaurant that was located in Seattle, Washington and that was owned by Victor Manca. While these pancakes are derived from the German pancake dish, it is said that the name “Dutch baby” was coined by one of Victor Manca’s daughters. In 1942, Manca’s Cafe owned the trademark for Dutch babies, although the cafe closed in the 1950s.
INGREDIENTS
1 cup milk
6 eggs
1 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup butter, melted
4 pieces of thick-sliced bacon, chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
Fresh spinach, washed and stemmed, chopped and barely wilted
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
27 Cherry tomatoes, halved
PREPARATION
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Blend the first four ingredients in the blender, taking care to ensure that any flour clumps get well-blended.
Blend in the melted butter a little at a time in order to temper the eggs.
Grease your muffin cups (unless you are using a Silicone muffin pan) and distribute batter evenly between the cups (I used 18, but 24 would also work).
If you want to stick with tradition, bake now for 15 minutes until puffy and golden on top. Carefully add spoon remaining ingredients (bacon, tomatoes, spinach) into the cups, top with the Parmesan cheese and broil briefly to melt the cheese.
If you want to buck tradition and make more of a Dutch baby “muffin”, carefully incorporate the remaining ingredients (bacon, tomatoes, spinach) into the batter without stirring, top with the Parmesan cheese and bake for 25 minutes until golden brown.
Serve with a side of fresh fruit. Makes 18-24 Dutch babies.
This recipe is pretty flexible so I’m going to try different combinations of fillings and seasonings. Maybe chicken with fresh basil or shrimp, apple and blue cheese crumbles. What do you think would be good?
If you make this recipe, snap a pic of your dish and hashtag it #kellylenihancooks. I'd love to see your creations on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter!
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