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This mouthwatering recipe, by Stephanie of Girl Versus Dough, speaks for itself (and would be perfect for your next Saturday morning)…
The Best Dutch Baby Pancakes You’ll Ever Have
by Stephanie Wise of Girl Versus Dough
I remember the first time I encountered a Dutch baby. My little brother ordered it off the menu at one of our local breakfast joints, and when the thing arrived at the table, all puffy and golden and three times the size of anything anyone else ordered, I knew I had to have one. Thus began a war of the forks between my brother and me as I tried to grab just one measly bite of the enormous pancake. It was also the last time I tried one (I snuck in a bite when he wasn’t looking) for many, many years.
Fast forward those many, many years to one slow, lazy, glorious Saturday morning. I wanted pancakes. Some blessed lightbulb went off in my head that day, reminding of the giant Dutch baby pancake, and I set to work in my kitchen creating one of my own. It was a simple version, with a squeeze of lemon juice and a dash of sugar on top, but it was perfection. Since then, I’ve made many variations of Dutch baby pancakes with many different toppings, and none come close to the flavors of this browned butter version topped with roasted vanilla pears. Let’s just say that whenever I make this, if anyone tries to get between me and my pancake, I get my fork ready for battle. I suggest you do the same.
>Recipe: Browned Butter Dutch Baby with Roasted Vanilla Pears
Yields 1 giant pancake (about 2 servings, if you’re not selfish)
You’ll need:
For the roasted vanilla pears:
4 unripe pears, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced
1 vanilla bean
3 tbsp. brown sugar
1 tbsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. all-purpose flour
Pinch of salt
2 tbsp. unsalted butter, cut into tiny cubes
For the Dutch baby:
3 tbsp. unsalted butter
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. vanilla
Pinch of nutmeg
Pinch of salt
Heat oven to 425F. Place a 10-inch cast-iron skillet on the middle rack of the oven.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spread sliced pears on top. Cut vanilla bean in half and scrape out seeds; sprinkle over pears. Cut the leftover bean in thirds and tuck among pears. Sprinkle pears with brown sugar, lemon juice, flour and salt; toss lightly to combine. Sprinkle top with cubes of butter.
Bake pears on rack just beneath cast-iron skillet until soft and golden, about 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, make the Dutch baby. Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly, until brown bits appear and butter turns a caramel color. Remove from heat and set aside.
In a large bowl, using an electric hand mixer, beat eggs until pale and frothy, about 1 minute. Add milk, flour, cinnamon, vanilla, nutmeg and salt. Add 1 tablespoon of the browned butter. Beat until well combined, about 1 minute.
Remove skillet from oven. Pour in remaining butter; swirl to coat. Pour batter into skillet. Immediately return skillet to middle rack of oven and bake until pancake is puffy and golden, about 20 minutes (you can do this simultaneously with the pears). Top warm pancake with roasted pears and serve.
Thank you so much, Stephanie!
P.S. More best recipes, including buttermilk pancakes and berry cobbler.
(Photos and recipe by Stephanie Wise of Girl Versus Dough. Thanks to Shoko for helping with this series.)
