Do you have any foods that you get completely obsessed with for a while and then you sort of forget about? But then something reminds you that food exists and all the sudden you’re like, “Wait, why haven’t I made that in a while?” Well, that’s been me with dutch babies lately. Ha. I love these puffy, baked pancakes, but I sort of forgot about them for a couple years for some reason.
I feel like I’m due for another obsession with angel food cake again soon … hmmm …
I was curious if I could make a dutch baby with all whole wheat flour and after trying a few different types/proportions of things, I found something that works really well and is super delicious. This whole wheat dutch baby recipe uses whole wheat pastry flour, which is an awesome ingredient for baking if you want to use whole grains. So even if it’s an ingredient you haven’t used before, if you like baking you might give it a try because it’s seriously very easy to substitute. I always hate to buy a new ingredient then never use it again, so I’m just mentioning how else you might want to use this in case you are interested.
Other than that, you probably have everything else you need—a dutch baby is not all that different from an (American-style) pancake. Actually, I think dutch babies are sometimes called German pancakes. Right? Let me know in the comments if that’s not correct, but I feel like I’ve seen it referred to both ways.
These are great for breakfast because all you have to do is blend together the ingredients (literally just pop them all in a blender and pulse a few times), then pour into a hot skillet or oven-safe pan and bake. That’s it. So, so easy and the texture is like a thick crepe. Yum! xo. Emma
Whole Wheat Dutch Baby
Ingredients
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
- pinch of salt
- 1 tablespoon butter
Instructions
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In a blender, combine all the ingredients except the butter and pulse just a few times. Scrape down the side of the blender with a rubber spatula and then pulse a few more times. You want to blend well, so there are no big lumps, but you also want to avoid over-blending.
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Preheat the over to 400°F. While the oven is preheating, leave the skillet(s) you plan to use in there so they will also heat up with the oven. Once preheated, add butter to the skillet(s) and use a rubber spatula to gently move it around so the butter coats all the sides, bottom, and corners well. Then pour the batter not the heated skillet(s) and pop back in the oven for 18 minutes. Do not open the oven while they bake, as this can make them deflate.
Recipe Notes
I like to use two 8-inch cast-iron skillets for this recipe. But you could also use one large (like 12-14 inch) skillet instead. You do not have to use a cast-iron skillet, any oven safe pan will work well here.
18 Comments
This looks so good! Definitely trying this recipe out! 🙂
Charmaine Ng | Architecture & Lifestyle Blog
http://charmainenyw.com
My family always calls these German pancakes; I’d never heard the name Dutch baby before!
Yes, I’ve seen them called that too. 🙂
It would be awesome if you’d give a few serving suggestions for this! I don’t know how many people have had a Dutch baby/German pancake before, but I’m guessing it’s not very common here in the U.S. It looks like you’ve got butter and lemon on it in the photos here. . . would it be appropriate to serve with maple syrup like a regular pancake? Apple butter? Maybe a fruit compote?
Valerie, here in Switzerland we eat these baked pancakes mostly with cheese/cottage cheese but I know here Italians who like them with fresh fruit or a fruit sauce. Hope it helps! ????
Yes, personally I’d serve it with anything you would an American pancake or waffle: fruit, maple syrup, etc. It’s really more up to your tastes as I am not the right person to suggest what it might be traditionally served with (I didn’t grow up with these but I LOVE them!).
I’ve become a huge fan of whole wheat pastry flour, and have experimented (mostly successfully) with subbing it for most to all white flour in recipes. Glad it works here!
Looks yummy 🙂 I’m from Germany and I’ve seen those pancakes referred as German pancakes. German pancakes are made from almost the same ingredients as crépes (flour, milk, eggs. Of course there are variations) and are also made in a pan, but are thicker.
This recipe sounds so yummy! I will definitely have to make it asap!
-Kate
https://daysofkate.com/
This is one of those ideas that makes me smack my head and say duh! I love it! I am always digging through my computer, magazine clippings, and pinterest. This will be a life and time saver!
I love having a recipe for whole wheat. I have been making German Pancakes for over 55 years! We put fresh fruit, jam, or cheeses inside them to serve. So yummy and filling.
This recipe looks delightful! I’ve never thought to put lemon or lemon sugar on pancakes and now I am intrigued.
We always called them German Pancakes in my family, but I’ve heard them called both. If you haven’t tried it before, I would highly recommend you try a traditional Dutch pancake called pannenkoeken. It is similar to a Dutch Baby, but the texture is flatter and the ingredients are prepared slightly differently. It tastes especially awesome when topped with savory ingredients like meat, cheese, or veggies. I got obsessed with make it after visiting Amsterdam last year.
So interesting that judging by the comments a lot of you call it German Pancakes! I’ve only heard/seen it referenced as Dutch Babies. Can’t wait to try this out!
I have seen them referred to as German pancakes but my husband feels rather strongly that it is an erroneous name lol. If you look up pfannkuchen it will give you a better idea of what is a more traditional German pancake.
We love our oven pancakes and call them puffed pancakes!
I just made one of these (white flour) this weekend for the first time from the old Betty Crocker! It was yummy and we’ll do it again. The cookbook calls it a “puffy oven pancake.” Maybe “Dutch” is from the word “Deutsch,” which means “German”?
P.S. Please do have an obsession with angel food cake again soon. I’ve been wanting to try to make one from scratch but keep wimping out. Would love your tips.
Why are they called Dutch Baby? I am Dutch and I’ve never heard of this recipe. But I think I am giving it a try.
Bettie
http://www.thewildflowerhippie.com
I’ve been trying to figure out how to get my whole wheat German Pancakes to rise more, and the following was met with success this morning! I mixed the flour and milk last night and let it set in the fridge so the flour could have a better chance to absorb as much liquid as it needed to (I quadrupled your recipe). Then I separately beat the eggs in the blender this morning to whip in some air–and then added the wheat/milk mixture, pulsing just to combine. The rest was the same, though I actually used three different size iron skillets + a glass pie pan, pouring until there was equal depth of batter in each. The batter actually rose up the sides of all the pans! I was so excited! This is definitely going to be my go-to from now on. I may try to add a touch more milk to see if I can get the same rise while adding a little more moisture, but if it negatively affects the rise, I’ll stick with your ratios 🙂