The Perfect Puffed Pancake

A little drama for breakfast? Yes, please! This puffy pancake, also called a German pancake or Dutch baby, is one of my family’s favorite morning meals. Although the batter may seem simple and unassuming, it’s magic when it hits a hot skillet. After a stint in the oven, it’s rises and puffs, turning golden brown and crispy on the outside and tender and moist on the inside.

The secret to the amazing flavor in my puffed pancake is the cardamom, plus a little sweet-savory action from the honey and flaked salt. The fresher your cardamom, the better. I recommend using a whole pod. Smash open the pod with the side of your knife, remove the seeds, then crush them using a pestle (from a mortar and pestle) or the side of your knife. If you don’t have the whole pods in your spice stash, ground cardamom makes a fine substitute (after all, that’s what I used for years before I got hooked on the whole pods).

Here are my secrets for maximum puff:

• Get the skillet good and hot—and keep it that way. When you take it out of the hot oven to add the batter, place over a burner to keep its temperature sizzling.
• Use a cast iron skillet. Cast iron retains heat like nothing else, so that’s your best choice. If you don’t have one, you can use any heavy, oven-going skillet or even an aluminum baking pan.
• Avoid over-mixing. Lumps are OK! Stirring too much will create glutens, which will result in a denser, tougher pancake.

Puffed Pancake with Cardamom

Annie

Sometimes I like to saute slices fruits in the melted butter before adding the batter. In the summer, try plums or peaches. In the fall, go for apples or pears. If you don’t have chickens of your own, please kindly purchase free-range eggs because the best eggs come from happy hens—and that’s a fact!

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Course Breakfast

Ingredients

  

• 4 large free-range eggs (or 7 bantam eggs)
• ¾ cup milk
• ¾ all-purpose flour
• 1 cardamom pod, seeds removed and crushed, or ½ tsp. ground cardamom
• ½ tsp. salt
• 3 to 4 Tbsp. butter
• Honey, preferably local
• Flaked sea salt

Instructions

 

• Preheat oven to 425°F. Place a 12-inch cast iron skillet in the oven as it heats.
• Meanwhile, whisk eggs in a medium bowl. Whisk in milk. Add flour, cardamom, and the ½ tsp. salt. Whisk just until combined(batter should be lumpy at this point).
• When oven is preheated, add butter to skillet.When butter is melted, remove skillet from oven and place over medium-high heat. Re-whisk the batter (it will still have a few lumps) and pour into the skillet, using a rubber spatula to get every last bit. Remove skillet from heat and return to the oven.
• Bake 22 to 25 minutes or until puffed and edges are browned. Drizzle with honey and sprinkle with sea salt to taste. Serve immediately.

Keyword baked pancake, breakfast, pancake