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A fluffy Dutch Baby pancake topped with warm fried apples and a dusting of powdered sugar makes the ultimate weekend breakfast. It’s sweet, puffy, easy to make, and perfect for feeding the whole family!
This Dutch Baby pancake comes together in minutes, feeds 2 to 4 people, and is the perfect combo of fluffy and crispy. Instead of the usual powdered sugar topping, I sautéed some Granny Smith apples in butter and sugar, and let me tell you, it was exactly what this pancake needed. Sweet fried apples on top? Yes, please.
What is a Dutch Baby Pancake?
For those that are not familiar with Dutch Baby, it is a pancake that is baked in a buttered skillet, and the edges, as well as the middle of the pancake, rise high. The end result is a delicious, puffy crust. The whole thing tastes kind of like a crepe, but it’s also thick like a pancake!
Recipe Ingredients
What exactly goes into a Dutch Baby Pancake? Pretty much the same ingredients that go into regular pancake batter, but with a few additions… here’s the breakdown:
For the Pancake
- Flour: I like to use all-purpose flour. I’ve never done it with gluten free flour, but you could definitely try it.
- Sugar: You’ll need light brown sugar, packed.
- Seasoning/Spices: Use a mixture of salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
- Eggs: Eggs will act as a binding agent for your pancake.
- Cooking Oil: I like to use canola oil, but olive oil will work too.
- Milk: Whatever you have in the fridge at the moment is fine. I generally use 2% milk.
- Butter: You can use either salted or unsalted, it doesn’t really matter.
For the Fried Apples
- Apples: Find yourself 3 Granny Smith Apples – peeled, cored, and diced!
- Light Brown Sugar: Packed.
- Spices: Mix together some more cinnamon and nutmeg.
- Butter: Again, salted or unsalted.
- Powdered Sugar: To sprinkle on top of the apples and the pancake!
How to Make a Dutch Baby Pancake
These pancakes sound and look fancy, but they’re a breeze to make! You basically fill a skillet with pancake batter and then bake it in the oven. Here’s the step-by-step process:
- Prep: Preheat the oven to 425˚F: Then, in a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Set aside.
- Mix the wet ingredients: In a mixing bowl, combine the eggs, oil and milk, and mix on low until combined. Gradually add the flour mixture to the egg mixture, and continue to mix on low until well incorporated.
- Bake the pancake: Butter a 10-inch cast iron skillet, and slide it in the oven for 5 minutes, or until hot. Remove the skillet from the oven, pour in the batter, and put it back in the oven for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 350˚F and continue to bake for another 8 to 10 minutes, or until the edges are lightly browned.
Make The Fried Apples
While you’re waiting for the pancake to finish baking, make yourself some fried apples! This is how you do it:
Combine Apples with Spices: In a medium-sized bowl combine the diced apples, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
Fry the Apples: Melt the butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the apple mixture and cook for about 20 minutes, or until tender, stirring frequently. Spoon the fried apples over the entire pancake and dust with powdered sugar.
Recipe Tips
- Make Sure the Batter is Smooth: Get rid of those lumps before baking! You can whisk the batter by hand, or even use an electric mixer if you want to.
- What Pan Can I Use? I recommend using a cast iron skillet to make this pancake, but any oven-safe skillet or baking dish will work.
- Make Ahead Tip: If you want to save a little time in the morning, prepare and whisk the batter ahead of time, and keep it in the fridge overnight.
- Take Your Pictures Immediately: This is a minor tip, but a valid one nonetheless! Dutch baby pancakes deflate pretty quickly, so you’re going to want to document your beautiful pancake soon after it leaves the oven.
Serving Suggestions
There are so many ways to serve up a delicious Dutch baby pancake! Here’s a few ideas:
- Fruit: You can add whatever you want! If you don’t feel like frying apples, add some fresh raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, etc.
- Extra Powdered Sugar: Powdered sugar on a Dutch baby pancake is a must whether you have fried apples or not!
- Maple Syrup: Serve up your Dutch baby pancake with some maple syrup, just like you would a regular pancake. Whipped cream is good too, if that’s to your liking.
- Cinnamon: Sprinkle a little cinnamon if you like, along with some powdered sugar.
How to Store and Reheat Leftovers
- Fridge. Leftover Dutch baby pancake can be refrigerated for 3-4 days in the fridge, minus the fried apples. I generally keep leftovers in an airtight container.
- Reheat. To warm it up again, you can simply microwave a piece or two of the pancake, or you can warm up the oven and bake your leftovers until they are heated through.
Tools For This Recipe
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Dutch Baby Pancake Recipe
Ingredients
For the Pancake:
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons light brown sugar, packed
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon canola oil, or vegetable oil
- ½ cup milk
- 1 tablespoon butter
For the Fried Apples
- 3 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, diced
- 1 teaspoon light brown sugar, packed
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 2 tablespoons butter
- powdered sugar
Instructions
- Prep. Preheat the oven to 425˚F.
- Mix the dry ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Set aside.
- Mix the wet ingredients. In a mixing bowl, combine the eggs, oil, and milk, and mix on low until combined.
- Combine. Gradually add the flour mixture to the egg mixture, and continue to mix on low until well incorporated.
- Prepare the skillet. Butter a 10-inch cast iron skillet, and slide it in the oven for 5 minutes, or until hot.
- Bake the pancake. Remove the skillet from the oven, pour in the batter, and put it back in the oven for 10 minutes. Then, reduce the heat to 350˚F and continue to bake for another 8 to 10 minutes or until the edges are lightly browned.
- In the meantime, prepare the apples. In a medium-sized bowl, combine the diced apples, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Melt the butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the apple mixture and cook for about 20 minutes, or until tender, stirring frequently.
- Finish and serve. Remove the Dutch baby pancake from the oven, spoon the fried apples over the entire pancake, and dust with powdered sugar. Serve.
Nutrition
Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.
More Breakfast Ideas
Ready for more simple yet delicious breakfast recipes? Take a look at these ones, then:
- Make Ahead Breakfast Casserole
- Overnight Breakfast Enchiladas
- Bacon and Eggs Phyllo Breakfast Pizza
- Easy Bacon and Spinach Frittata
- Baked Cinnamon Donuts with Vanilla Glaze
My big baby turned out deliciously; but it wasn’t pretty! Lol. I wanted to share pics of a beautiful dish, but alas! Apples too thinly sliced this time. I added half a lemon’s juice and a little extra salt in the fried apples, and that made it something uniquely special! It stuck to my pan, badly…I wonder what I did wrong? Because the recipe is a winner. Seriously, sooo good!
Thank you so much! I’m very glad you enjoyed it! 🙂