Dutch Baby

View From the Lunar Surface

This blog post is dedicated to Noah, sorry for taking so long between posts. A Dutch baby is like a really airy pancake type creation that is baked in the oven. Technically it is a popover so think more Yorkshire pudding than pancake. The origins of the dish and the naming are a little mirky. The story goes that it was invented at Manca's cafe in Seattle, sometime in the first half of the 20th century. The owner even had the name Dutch baby trademarked in 1942 but it did little good, the restaurant closed in 1950. The dish was based on a German style pancake and named by the daughter of Manca's cafe's owner. Mispronouncing the German "Deutsch" they became Dutch and not German babies. Does this part of the story sound familiar? ... Pat yourself on the back if you were thinking of the creators of just about every American dessert, the Pennsylvania Dutch. The Pennsylvania Dutch, really the Pennsylvania Deutsch were missed labelled by early American settlers thinking they were saying they were Dutch and not Deutsch. They are responsible for everything from angel food cake, to funnel cake to just about every version of cobbler. Now that detour is over I have to say I loved this recipe! I made one while I was home alone and ended up eating the whole thing... and did the same thing the next night. Partly because the recipe, from The Joy of Cooking, calls for so much butter the pan was still has enough butter in it to make another. The real key to a Dutch Baby is cast iron of some kind and preheating the pan. When the batter hits the preheated pan it sets the bottom and creates a lot of steam which pushed the center up. It's really puffy in the oven but once you take it out and cut into it the puff will fall quickly, but don't worry it will still taste really yummy. The toppings options are endless, fruit, canned pit filling, whip cream. I just went pretty simple with some syrup and some homemade apple sauce. If you are not by yourself I would recommend making many, they will be gobbled up quick.

Verdict: Would make again for sure!