Oh Baby! Dutch Baby Pancakes

Dutch Baby, German Pancake, Baked Pancake...whatever the name, this is a weekend breakfast favorite in our house. The star in the recipe is eggs, so I always like to make sure that I use good ones (from the farmers market or at the very least, free range organic). It bakes up high and mighty and is quite an amazing sight when it is removed from the oven. But don't blink, because it deflates quickly, which doesn't affect it's flavor, of course. A mixture of eggs, flour, butter and milk, this is really quite simple to prepare. A squeeze of lemon and a sprinkle of powdered sugar are all you need to top it, although I've known folks to enjoy it with maple syrup too.

My high school boyfriend's mom used to make it every Saturday for her three (well four if you count her husband) hungry boys. I think that she only made one pan's worth. She must have been a much better rationer of food than I am, because we always have to triple the recipe.

Dutch Baby Pancake

To serve my piggies (there are 5 of us) we TRIPLE the recipe and put 1/3 of the mixture in a cast iron skillet and the rest in a 9x13.

3 large eggs, room temperature

1/2 C milk

1/2 C all purpose flour

1/2 t salt

2 T melted butter

lemon juice

confectioners' sugar

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Butter a 12 inch skillet. Break the eggs into a mixing bowl and whisk until mixed. Add milk and blend well. Sift the flour and salt into egg mixture while whisking to prevent clumps. Add melted butter and mix briskly until the batter is smooth.

Pour batter into prepared skillet and place in the oven and bake for 15 minutes. Without opening the oven, turn the temperature down to 350 degrees, and bake for another 10 minutes. The pancake will be high and golden. Sprinkle pancake with lemon juice and confectioners' sugar and serve while hot.