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The perfect fluffy baked good - its crispy on the outside, fluffy on the inside, and the perfect receptacle for syrup, butter, fruit, or whipped cream. I'm talking about the dutch baby, or german pancake. This recipe is perfect for those days when you want to put breakfast (or your meal of choice) in the oven, and not worry about it while it cooks.
... though you might want to take a minute here and there to watch it bake. The eggs cause the pancake to puff up and double in size. The pancake "falls" again once it is removed from the oven and has a moment to cool. But that moment when you take it out of the oven? So impressive!
And for an extra special treat, enjoy your gluten free german pancake with butter syrup. Delicious!
Also called a Dutch Baby, the German pancake is neither German, nor is it Dutch. It was developed in the USA in the early 1900's, at a restaurant in Seattle Washington. Though the source has long been archived, you can still read about that restaurant and the creation of the "Dutch Baby" here.
Some people say the German Pancake was inspired by the German Pfannkuchen, and perhaps it was. But it bears a much larger resemblance to a popover, or sweet Yorkshire Pudding.
Like many gluten free recipes, the behavior of this pancake depends on the flour you use. I would say it is more finnicky than most about what will and will not create the perfect fluffy pancake. You can use any cup for cup gluten free flour, but certain mixes cause a denser and thicker pancake. I have tried it with rice flour, flaxseed, various cup for cup gluten free flour mixes including Bob's Red Mill, and also Namaste Perfect Flour blend.
Rice flour by itself does not hold together properly. It needs something to help the eggs bind.
Rice flour with flaxseed as a binding agent separates for some reason. The result is much closer to an egg dish than a pancake dish.
Most cup for cup gluten free flours with xanthum gum work as expected. But Namaste Perfect Flour Blend - which is one of my goto flour blends - gives a very dense thick pancake. This is quite nice in its own way, but it isn't really the German Pancake experience.
I recommend using Bob's Red Mill All Purpose Flour, along with a little psyllium husk. It has no xanthum gum, but still holds together wonderfully. It should give you the proper fluffy rise, and crunchy crust.
(1) Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Add your two tablespoons of butter to your baking dish - either a 9x9 casserole dish or a 9" deep dish pie dish, or something equivalent - and put the baking dish in the over to preheat and melt the butter.
(2) Crack and whisk your six eggs. Then add your milk and vanilla extract, and whisk again. Finally add the flour and salt, whisking until well incorporated.
(3) Once the butter is melted in your baking dish (and your oven has finished heating), take the dish out. Pour the batter in, and immediately return it to the oven.
(4) Bake for 20 minutes, or until golden and crispy. The batter should rise to at least twice its starting height, and bubble, as it nears doneness.
(5) Enjoy warm, with syrup and butter, or your favorite pancake toppings!
