Dutch-influenced Baby

My family loves Dutch Baby, a puffy pancake baked in a cast iron skillet, served right out of the oven.

I love the name. I get hung up on the origins and meanings of names and such. Whether it's a song, a recipe, a book, a city, a wildflower, a tree, I can't let it go.

To me, why a Dutch Baby is called that is fairly obvious. When done right, a Dutch Baby comes out of the oven a beautiful bundle of perfectly golden, puffy lightness that you almost want to cuddle with. While my actual babies are not at all Dutch, they were both delightfully chubby, round in every detail, dimpled, and folded as infants. Oh, those irresistably puffy little fingers and toes...I remember realizing with perfect clarity why parents and grandparents, or anyone who loves a baby, is compelled to say, "Oh, I could just eat you up!" A well-made Dutch Baby pancake has many of those qualities. Well, kind of. I'm just saying I know why they were named after a baby.

Unfortunately my sense of humor has not evolved past seeing hilarity in referring to this pancake as if it were an actual Dutch baby. My daughter's has, years ago. In fact, I think she has always merely tolerated my ridicuous comments ("I'm not saying I understand the ways of the Dutch, just that their babies are delicious..."). My son, who appreciates the macabre much more than his sister, has even grown weary of my routine. My husband, although he is not able to eat breakfast with us most mornings, would probably say it is so overused by me that it doesn't even warrant a too-far card.

What is generally used to measure the worthiness of a Dutch Baby (hee hee) is it's puffiness factor. In this recipe, the rising quality of the pancake is foregone. Traditionally white flour is used, and dairy milk, and with the substitutions for these in this recipe you will not get that puffy of a pancake. But even the proudest, puffiest Dutch Baby begins to deflate almost immediately when taken out of the oven. I cut it in pieces before serving it, so by the time it reaches the table it is totally flat anyway. And my family doesn't miss the puffiness in the least. What is gained by replacing the white flour in this (and perhaps the dairy milk, although I won't knock dairy. I use raw milk for this just as often as soy, as raw milk is awesome) is a richer, nuttier, more complex flavor and texture. And more protein and nutrient-packed, if only slightly more complex, carbs. In other words, my kids don't get hungry again as fast!

So hence the name of this pancake; I cannot in good conscience call it a Dutch Baby, as it does not come out of the oven a puffy little bundle of joy. But it is delicious...if not barbaric (don't worry, I just gave myself a too-far card).

4 eggs
1 cup soy milk
3/4 cup whole wheat flour*
1/4 cup almond flour (aka almond meal)
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/8 tsp sea salt
1/4 cup butter (or less, but a truly decadent Baby is rich and buttery)

Preheat oven to 425 and place oven rack near the bottom of the oven. Place butter in large cast iron skillet, and place skillet in oven. In a medium bowl beat eggs lightly and thoroughly mix eggs and milk. Add vanilla and salt. Add flour and almond meal and mix until smooth, but try not to over-beat. When the butter is completely melted take skillet out of oven and swirl butter around, tilting skillet to coat the sides. Pour mixture into skillet. Bake for 15 minutes. Do not open oven door, but lower temp to 350. Bake another 10-15 minutes, until golden.

I serve with maple syrup, or honey, or even jam.

* Erin discovered that using oat flour (grinding oats in food processor until flour-consistency) takes it to next level yumminess. I was too lazy this morning to grind oats. Actually I woke up late. Anyway, I made the recipe call for whole wheat flour because that is what I took a photo of this morning. However, the picture will be forthcoming as I have not figured out how to freaking get it on this page.  Ha!