Quick And Easy German Oven Pancake Recipe

This quick and easy German oven pancake recipe is perfect for feeding a family when you're short on time but fancy a treat.

German oven pancakes, also known as Dutch baby pancakes, are a thin pancake batter baked in a pan of hot butter. It's a super simple idea, and super delicious too. They're also a lot like Yorkshire puddings, which are also a flour-milk-egg batter baked in hot fat (usually animal or vegetable shortening).

In fact, the basic recipe for a German oven pancake is literally just flour, eggs and milk, as well as butter for baking. I've made a few tweaks to my recipe to up the flavour a bit, namely just adding a smidge of sugar and salt to season it. Once it's baked, you can top it with anything you like.

I also use ghee instead of regular block butter. Regular butter still has a little water in it, which is great for baking fluffy cakes, but sizzles and splatters when hot and the water separates from the fat. The first time I tried making German oven pancakes I used regular butter and ended up making a massive mess of my oven.

By using ghee – clarified butter – most of the water has already been cooked out of the butter, so you don't get splatters when this kind of butter heats up. Resulting in a nice clean oven and zero stress after your baked pancake adventure.

Traditionally, Dutch baby pancakes / German oven pancakes are baked in a cast iron skillet. I don't have one though, and just use a large Pyrex roasting dish, with enough batter to serve six people once baked.

You can also watch me make these on my YouTube channel, Tashcakes:

Ready? Let's go.

Ingredients:

70g ghee / clarified butter
6 eggs
250ml milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
230g plain flour
1 tbsp caster sugar
Pinch of salt

Method:

1. Turn the oven on to 200°C, put your ghee in a 28 x 38cm roasting dish, and pop the dish in the oven while it preheats to heat the butter up too.

2. In a large measuring jug, whisk the eggs, milk and vanilla together.

3. Put the flour, sugar and salt in a mixing bowl, and make a little well in the centre. Gradually stir in the egg mixture, adding it in slowly to prevent lumps, and stir until smooth.

4. When the oven is fully preheated, give your batter a quick stir, take the hot dish out of the oven, and carefully pour the batter straight into the hot butter, pouring it steadily in a circular motion rather than only pouring on one spot.

5. Put the dish back in the oven and bake for about 20 minutes, or until the edges are super risen, puffy and golden brown.

6. Leave to cool for about five minutes (it'll deflate but don't worry, that's normal). Cut into six portions, and serve how you like. In my case, with plenty of berries and maple syrup.

Enjoy, and have fun.