Holiday Traditions, Dutch Babies.
Okay, to clear up one issue fast, we are not cannibals. If we were, we'd have to title this Deutch Babies, as my wife has 100% German heritage and I have a little of that too. No, Dutch Babies are a fluffy baked pancake sprinkled with powdered sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg.
We have enjoyed these as a Christmas morning treat for many years. We first came across this recipe in the Seattle Times in the early 80's. The recipe intrigued us so we tried it, liked it and have kept this tucked away with our favorite recipes ever since. Preserving this yellowed piece of newsprint has almost become part of the tradition itself.
The recipe is available in many places on the internet; one handy version which allows for easily scaling is at allrecipies.com, and is called Dutch Babies II. You can adjust the size of the batch with the easy "Servings" tool.
For my purposes, here is an easy batch which usually serves 4; we doubled this for our 5, so adjust as necessary for your family. We had some left over. They make good snacks as the day wears on.
Ingredients, 4 eggs, 1 cup milk, 1 cup sifted flour, salt, ¼ cup unsalted butter, powdered sugar, cinnamon and or nutmeg to garnish.
I cook them in Pyrex bowls and casserole dishes. I've also used cast iron fry pans.
•1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
•2. Lightly spray the container with cooking oil; this will make them easy to remove.
•3. Place butter in a 3-4 quart container, or divide between two smaller ones, place in the oven to melt. 3-5 minutes... watch out, don't let this burn.
•4. Mix the eggs in a blender on high for about 1 minute.
•5. Gradually add milk to whirling eggs.
•6. Gradually add flour and a couple dashes of salt.
This should only take a couple of minutes. Once the butter is melted in the pan and is bubbling, rotate the pan to insure the butter is well distributed. Pour mixture evenly into the hot dish(es) and return to the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes. You should have a puffy yellow pancake, curling up the sides of your dish and browning on the edges.
Run a butter knife along the edges of the dish or pan to detach the Dutch Baby and lift it out onto the plate. We like ours dusted with powdered sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg.
Our boys look forward to this every year and every year we increase the size of the recipe to accommodate their growing appetites. Served alongside some bacon or sausage, everyone looks forward to this treat before they attack the gifts under the tree.
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