Dutch Baby German Pancake Recipe

The traditional Dutch baby German pancake recipe calls for simple ingredients, and it's very easy to make. Considered comfort food, these German pancakes will make any mealtime extra special.

The puffy Dutch baby pancakes are more dessert-like than the regular pancakes that many of us are used to, especially as they are oven baked and served with a variety of sweet toppings.

Easy Dutch Baby German Pancake Recipe

You will love serving these delicious puffy oven pancakes that are known by different names such as a Dutch Babies, Dutch puffs, Bismarcks, and puff pancakes.

Oddly enough, the Dutch baby German pancake recipe's origin is neither German nor Dutch. They are thought to have originated around the early 1900s in a Seattle, Washington restaurant owned by Victor Manca.

The name "Dutch baby" was attributed to Manca's young daughter who loved her German-style oven pancakes and mispronounced the word Deutsche.

They are thicker than regular pancakes, somewhat custard-like, and they make a delicious treat for special breakfasts on lazy Sunday mornings and especially on Christmas morning when you want to serve that extra special treat for the family.

Dutch babies are served with variety of dessert toppings including maple syrup, fresh berries, strawberry sauce, blueberry sauce, applesauce, ice cream, and fresh fruit.

Aside from the wonderful Dutch baby German pancake recipe, you'll also find several recipes below for the traditional stove top pancakes. They are easy recipes to make whenever you crave something delicious, sweet, and satisfying.

Did you know that leftover pancakes can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge overnight and reheated for a delicious snack?

How to Make Dutch Baby Pancakes

3 eggs
1/2 cup whole milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup white flour
1 tablespoon white or brown sugar
Pinch of cinnamon or nutmeg
1/4 cup butter

Place an oven-rated casserole dish or cast iron skillet in a moderate oven temperature (375°F) to preheat. Be sure to wear your oven mitts, as the skillet will get very hot to handle.

Combine eggs, milk, vanilla, and dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl and blend until smooth pancake batter.

Remove hot frying pan from the oven, place butter in pan to melt, then immediately pour batter into the hot frying pan. Place in oven and bake for about 15 minutes, or until pancake is puffed and golden brown.

Serve your Dutch baby pancake warm from oven with confectioners' sugar and lemon juice, or syrup, or applesauce, or your favorite pancake topping.

Easy Dutch Baby German Pancake Recipe

The Hotel St Francis Cookbook (1919)

Dutch Baby Pancake St Francis

2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup flour
Pinch of salt
1/4 teaspoon Nutmeg
1 teaspoon sugar

Two eggs (well beaten), one-half cup of milk, one-half cup of flour, a pinch of salt, a little nutmeg and one teaspoonful of sugar. Mix well.

Preheat moderate 375°F oven. Have a preheated large oven-safe pan ready with hot melted butter. Be sure to have the butter run all over the inside of the pan so the pancake will not stick to the sides of the pan when it rises. Pour in the batter and place in hot oven.

When nearly done, powder with confectioners’ sugar and put back in oven to brown. Serve with lemon zest and powdered confectioners' sugar, or Applesauce St Francis below.

Applesauce St Francis

6 apples, sliced
1 pony (1 ounce) white wine
2 ounces water
1 ounce (1/8 cup) sweet butter
2 ounces (4-1/2 tablespoons) sugar
1 small stick cinnamon

(Salted butter can be substituted for sweet unsalted butter, and juice can be substituted for white wine, if preferred.)

Peel and core six apples and cut in small pieces. Put into a large saucepan, add 1 ounce white wine, two ounces of water, one ounce of sweet butter, two ounces of white sugar, and a small stick of cinnamon. Cook until tender.

German Dutch Baby Pancake Recipe

German National Cookery for American Kitchens (1904)

Dutch Baby Stack

Take 2 soup-platefuls of finely sliced apples, cook them in small saucepan until done with sugar, lemon peel and enough wine until there is no more juice. (Grape juice can be substituted for wine, if preferred.)

In a medium bowl beat the yolks of 6 eggs with a cupful of thick, sour cream, 2 tablespoonfuls of cornstarch, a little salt, and cinnamon, mix the beaten whites through this and bake (325°F) two pancakes on one side to a light brown.

After the second pancake is baked, spread with apple mixture, stack the pancakes one on the other and put them into the oven for a few minutes to warm, sprinkle with confectioners' sugar and serve.

Mary's German Pancake Recipe

Mary at the Farm and Book of Recipes (1915)

German Egg Pancake

These truly delicious pancakes were always baked by Aunt Sarah when eggs were most plentiful. For them she used, 1 cup flour, 5 fresh eggs, 1/2 cup milk.

The yolks of 5 eggs were broken into a bowl and lightly beaten. Then milk and flour were added gradually to form a smooth batter. Lastly, the stiffly-beaten whites of eggs were added.

Large spoonfuls were dropped on a hot, well-greased griddle, forming small cakes, which were served as soon as baked.

These cakes require no baking powder. Their lightness depends entirely on the stiffly-beaten whites of eggs. Always whisk eggs to form stiff peaks.

German Pancake and Waffle Recipe

Allied Cookery (1916)

Traditional German pancakes and waffles are easy to make and so delicious. Choose one of the German recipes and indulge your taste buds today! You can easily substitute whole wheat flour for the white, and the end-result will still be delicious.

German Griddle Pancake

Beat two large eggs very light, add one half cup of milk, and stir in flour enough to make a very thin batter. Before thinning it very much, add a teaspoon of baking powder and a pinch of salt.

Bake this pancake mixture, in the form of little griddle cakes, on a moderately hot griddle, and when done, drop currant or raspberry jelly in the center of each, roll them up, and serve with some more of the jelly.

German Waffle

Mix 1/4 pound of melted butter with 6 tablespoons of sugar. Add the yolks of 5 eggs, 1/2 cup of milk, 1/2 pound of sifted flour with 2 teaspoons of baking powder, a pinch of salt, and the grated peel of a lemon.

Mix well; add the egg whites beaten stiff and bake in a well-greased waffle iron. Sprinkle with pulverized sugar and serve hot.

Traditional German Spatzen Recipe

With a Saucepan Over the Sea (1902)

German Sparrow Cakes

Make a thick batter of sufficient flour, 1 egg, milk, and some salt. Beat well and spatter it into a pan of boiling fat with a fork, or by dropping through a colander.

Cook 5 minutes, drain, and serve alone or as a garnish to dessert, dusted with powdered sugar.

May be cooked in boiling water instead of fat, and browned in oven. When water boiled, Spatzen is similar to dumplings for serving with cooked fruit.