Why this recipe
When I first asked for things I should bake, a Dutch baby was high up on the list from multiple folks. A Dutch baby is a cross between a pancake and a popover. About 20 years ago, I decided that baking was easy and attempted popovers. I failed miserably.
Pancakes, however, I’m pretty good at, so I had a 50/50 chance of getting this right.
The Recipe
I saved this recipe on my Instagram account from the Lodge Cast Iron page a while ago and figured it was a quick breakfast recipe. I was right — while waiting for milk and eggs to become room temp takes a while, the actual mixing and baking worked out great.
How it went
This recipe is a 10/10. The mixing and baking was painless! The dutch baby was thick and it didn’t quite “pop” over the pan, but it still tasted great. From what I’ve read about Dutch babies, it’s supposed to be a little fluffier, so I plan to try again with a blender like the NY Times suggests.
Okay, also, I didn’t wait for the milk + eggs to get fully to room temp, so I have a feeling this has something to do with it. I need to do more “why room temp” research.
Also, it was salty for me. I would probably cut the salt in half next time because the bacon was salty enough. Then again, I don’t add extra salt often, so do whatever you think works best for you!
What I Learned
Burnt bacon crumbles well. That’s all.
Patience. I’ve already learned this, but I’m trying to remind myself of this, even when I’m attempting to make breakfast for the best 2-year-old on the planet.
We went through several year long jags of making Dutch babies each weekend, this post made me miss those days. Maybe I'll make one this weekend?!
I can't remember if I learned this from working on the Dutch baby/popover episode of Good Eats or TheKitchn.com but you can mix up the batter the night before and let it sit at room temp (if eggs + dairy at room temp doesn't freak you out) and then whisk/blend again right before pouring the batter in the hot pan. Dutch babies get SO FLUFFLY this way.