Hey guys! Today I’m sharing a recipe I was really nervous to make! I was so sure that a Dutch Baby would be super hard at high-altitude, but it actually works extremely well. PLUS, I’ve got some exciting news to share today with you guys!
A Dutch Baby is a large German-style pancake, and it’s super similar to a popover or a Yorkshire pudding. Basically, it’s a thin, egg-based batter that gets cooked at a high heat. It puffs up all over, and especially gets tall around the edges. The inside is soft and eggy, and you can top it with fruit or whipped cream or maple syrup. Or whatever you want really.
Okay, OKAY, you ready for that big news? I’ve signed the contract for my SECOND COOKBOOK!! I’m super excited to announce that it will be a book centered around high-altitude breakfast baking!
I can’t tell you how honored I am that my publisher, West Margin Press, has agreed to publish my second book! It’s been such an amazing experience to share my work with so many more people, and to know that my recipes are in the homes of so many, and I can’t believe I get to do it again!! Stay tuned for more updates you guys!!
How to Make a Dutch Baby
So back to the recipe- Start by preheating your oven with your 10 inch cast iron skillet in the oven. I have this really cool cast iron skillet that my dad found and restored for me- it’s from the 50s!
This batter is super simple to make, but I definitely recommend doing it in a stand mixer or with an electric hand mixer. You start by beating the eggs until they have thickened and become foamy. This takes about 5 full minutes with an electric mixer. Then, you simple add in the rest of the ingredients, starting with the milk and vanilla. Whisk in the flour, salt, and sugar, and beat until it’s a thin, smooth batter. It will look something like this:
Once your oven and skillet are preheated, you want to move quickly. First, take the skillet out of the oven carefully, and toss in the butter. It should melt very quickly in the hot pan. Once the butter is melted, go ahead and pour in your batter right away, and pop it back in the oven. You want to move quickly so you can retain heat within the skillet as much as possible!
Then, simply let her bake for about 18-20 minutes, or until you’ve got tall edges that are a deep golden brown. The center should have bubbles and pockets that puff up and become golden as well.
You can serve this bad boy with just about anything you want. Simple slice it into wedges like a pie, and serve it warm! I like to serve it with whipped cream, but fresh fruit, maple syrup, or powdered sugar are great options as well. Enjoy guys, and expect more book news soon!
Tips & Tricks for the Perfect High-Altitude Dutch Baby
This is a super simple recipe, but I’ve got some tips to help make sure it comes out perfectly for you every time!
- Keep it simple. You can totally mix up your toppings and add-ins here, but because the structure of this recipe is so important, you want to keep the base recipe pretty simple and unchanged to ensure it rises.
- Top it with anything you like. You can top this with anything you’d like, sweet or savory1 I like whipped cream, lemon curd, or even salsa and avocado.
- Don’t skip the extra mixing for the eggs. It helps to incorporate air into the batter, and it contributes to the tall rising edges.
- Be sure to preheat your skillet Before adding the butter and batter. It’s really important for the batter to hit a hot environment right away so that it starts rising right away!
Hope you guys enjoy this one!
Dutch Baby
Ingredients
- 3 eggs
- 2/3 cup milk
- 1 tbs. vanilla extract
- 2/3 cup flour
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1 tbs. sugar
- 5 tbs. butter cut into cubes
- 1/2 cup whipped cream (optional)
Instructions
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Use a 10-inch, well seasoned skillet for this recipe. Place the skillet in your cold oven, and preheat the oven and skillet to 450 degrees.
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Meanwhile, beat the eggs in a large bowl in a stand mixer, or with an electric mixer, for about 5 minutes. The eggs will begin to thicken and will be foamy. Stir in the milk and vanilla extract.
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In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and sugar. Whisk the flour mixture into the egg mixture until you’ve got a smooth, thin batter. It will have lots of bubbles on top as well.
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Once your oven is preheated, carefully pull your skillet out. Put the butter cubes into the pan- they should melt very quickly in the hot pan. Once the butter is melted, work quickly to pour the batter into your skillet, and immediately put the skillet back into the oven.
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Bake for 18-20 minutes. The edges should become very tall and will be a deep golden brown. In the center, you should see some big bubbles puff up and become golden as well. These will fall as the dutch baby cools.
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Slice and serve while warm. Enjoy!
Hello and welcome! My name is Nicole, and Dough-eyed is a food blog for people who want to bake for their family and friends in high-altitude areas. Think of me as a friendly voice there with you in the kitchen, here to give you confidence when you’re baking, and to help you with the struggles of baking at high-altitude. Come back every week for new recipes, tips, and advice on high-altitude baking!
This was so great! Turned out really well and worked perfect for our altitude at 5,000 ft.
Glad to hear it!! One of my favs!
I made these with ham slices,poached eggs ,havarti cheese and hollandaise sauce topped..so good.
I made a savory version, topped it with grated cheddar, sautéed Spinach and bacon, Roasted grape tomatoes and garlic.
Bet my altitude beats yours, 8,700 feet.
It turned out perfectly..
I like how beating the eggs for 5 minutes made it light and fluffy.
Sounds great!
I made a savory version, topped it with grated cheddar, sautéed Spinach and bacon, Roasted grape tomatoes and garlic.
Bet my altitude beats yours, 8,700 feet.
It turned out perfectly..
I like how beating the eggs for 5 minutes made it light and fluffy.
Forgot to say that I am in Tabernash, CO near Fraser.
So glad I found your site!!
Your recipes look amazing.
I will definitely be trying more of them!!
So glad you're enjoying the recipes!
Oh No!!! I made this Dutch Baby a week ago and it was perfection.! made it tonight for company and it was a disaster!
The sides didn't rise up at all–there was just thus big mound in the middle with short sides. And it was thick because the sides didn't creep up.
What could have gone wrong!?
I thought I followed your recipe exactly as before.
Help!
Kathie
I
Oh no! So sorry to hear that! It's hard to know for sure, but a couple of potential issues could be if you used a different pan (some pans won't get the same result depending on the coating), or if your eggs were not the same size. One other issue can be if your oven wasn't as hot for some reason. So sorry!!
I mistakenly mixed all wet ingredients without beating the eggs, so tossed them in fridge and started over. I followed the recipe exactly as written, but got NO rise. It was, well, flat as a pancake. To avoid wasting the wet ingredients, I dumped everything into the blender and let it rip on high until frothy. Made one other change – as soon as I put it in oven, I reduce temp to 425 and turned on convection. The results were PERFECT. Rose 3 times as high as the pan in the oven and edges still above top of skillet after settling. I’m at 5280 and bake time was 17 minutes.
Kathie, you don’t leave 1 star because you screwed up the recipe. 5 stars. And I would add 4 more to compensate for Kathie’s undeserving low rating.
I’ve been searching for this recipe for years. It worked amazing at over 5000 ft.
I used to bake these back in college and I would use my old Pyrex glass pan. That recipe was one a friend’s mom had given me. I lost touch with the friend and the recipe over the years. Does this recipe work for glass also? What about a double batch? It was so beautiful when I used the skillet I’m scared to try the glass pan, least I spoil them and disappoint the kids.
So glad you love the recipe! I've never made a dutch baby in a glass pan, but it's worth a shot! Glass definitely holds heat differently, so it could vary it a little bit, but I know people often make dutch babies in glass.
Best Dutch baby recipe I've made! I live at 6528 feet, doubled the recipe, used a 12" iron skillet…. PERFECT!
So glad to hear it!
Wow! So pretty and delicious! The recipe was easy to follow and the results were amazing—my four year old said they were the “most boss pancakes.” I only have a 12 inch pan that is oven safe at 450…it still rose perfectly. I topped ours with powdered sugar. Great recipe, cannot wait to try savory toppings next time.
I followed recipe exactly as written and it didn’t work for me here at 7,000 ft. Sides never rose so it’s just a very thick pancake. This has never happened to me before making these! I’m not sure what went wrong here but I’m bummed. I tried this recipe for fun instead of my usual… any ideas as to why this could happen?