dutch baby

i was reminded of a intriguing recipe that i saw on good eats now that i have my cast iron cookware. get ready, alton, i can actually make these things now! the recipe was for a "dutch baby," which i blame not knowing anything about on growing up in southern california. upon further research, i discovered that a dutch baby is the same as a german pancake, which is pretty much a large pancake baked in the oven.

the recipe looked fairly simple, so i decided to give it a go this morning. 30 minutes later, i had one of the most delicious breakfasts i have ever had. i used spelt flour for this (i'm fairly certain that substituting your favorite gluten-free flour would work just fine). the pancake rose up very high and browned on the sides but stayed soft in the center. what emerged was a wonderful baked confection that had a buttery, crispy layer on the top, was smooth in the middle, and chewy on the bottom. i couldn't stop verbalizing how much i enjoyed it. MMMMMM!


to alton brown, the amazing man he is, thank you for this EASY, uncomplicated, delicious recipe!

• 3 tablespoons of butter, melted
• 1/2 cup flour
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 cup whole milk (i'm going to try lowfat next time)
• dash of vanilla
• 2 eggs
  

• preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
• place 2 tablespoons of the melted butter into a 9 or 10-inch cast iron skillet and place in the oven to heat.
• wait a few minutes for the skillet to heat up, then assemble the remaining ingredients.
• mix flour, vanilla sugar, salt, milk, eggs and remaining tablespoon of melted butter in a bowl.
• pour batter into skillet. bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until the edges are puffed and brown. (according to alton) sprinkle with additional vanilla sugar and serve with lemon wedges. (I didn't do this part)