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Whatever you call it — German pancake, Dutch baby — you should make this puffy and crisp confection that has a puddinglike interior.
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Good morning. Eggs, milk, flour. Combine them with butter, salt, sugar and vanilla and you’ve got the makings for a German pancake (above), puffy and crisp, with a puddinglike interior. It’s the perfect canvas for a compote of berries, for maple syrup and powdered sugar — a Saturday breakfast of distinction.
Except, says the house guest visiting from a city far away, that’s called a Dutch baby. She likes them with banana coins lightly sautéed in butter and brown sugar. (Her husband prefers a savory version, with bacon and Camembert.)
Everyone’s right. “Deutsch” is German for “German.” A long time ago, a restaurant in Seattle started making personal-size German pancakes instead of big ones. But because American English is wild, “Deutsch” there became “Dutch,” and the “baby” came about because the portion was small.
Whatever you call it, the pancake’s a simple, elegant, weekend-starting confection, and one I think you ought to make tomorrow morning, in advance of adventure — a long walk in the snowy woods, perhaps, or a trip to the Met to see the American wing.
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German Pancake
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