The socials made me do it: The Dutch baby

The Dutch baby. The name is equal parts morbid and elegant - an irresistible combination.

At this point, it's become a tradition to try recipes that seduced me on Instagram. I'm a sucker for thirty seconds of flashing imagery promising greatness. If the recipes made it past TikTok, they must be worth something.  

The Dutch baby is a type of pancake, but it doesn't rise, and isn't doughy. The edges are crispy, and the middle is custard-like. It cooks in an iron skillet, and when you pull it out of the oven, it's a dramatic display. Like rumbled sheets in the morning, the batter rises and folds, stretching into walls around the edges.

It's perfect with a morning cup of coffee on the weekends. Attainable decadence. But I've found the recipes to be plain. Hence the importance of having toppings handy, as the recipes suggest.  Whether sweet or savory, it's a delicious base. I provide a recipe below that is perfectly seasoned (to my taste). It's dusted with cinnamon, powdered sugar, and a hint of salt.

Dutch baby recipe

Ingredients

• 3 large eggs, at room temperature
• ½ cup all-purpose flour
• ½ cup whole milk, at room temperature
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• A couple shakes of salt
• 1 pinch of nutmeg
• A few shakes of cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons of powdered sugar
• 4 tablespoons of butter

Note: Having a cast iron skillet is a must

Instructions

• Take the milk and eggs out of the refrigerator ahead of time, until they are room temperature.
• Heat your oven to 425 degrees.
• Whisk the eggs, flour, milk, sugar and nutmeg in a bowl and blend until the lumps are out.
• Place butter in a cast iron skillet and put into the oven, even if it's still pre-heating. Keep an eye on the butter so that it doesn't burn. 
• As soon as the butter has melted, pull out of the oven and place the skillet onto the stovetop.
• Pour the batter into the pan, then to the oven and bake for 20 minutes. Be sure not to place this back into the oven until it's 425 degress.
• After 20 minutes, the batter should  be puffed and golden. As soon as it is, lower oven the temperature to 300 degrees and bake for 5 more minutes.
• Remove pancake from the oven and dust with the powdered sugar, salt, and cinnamon. 

Enjoy immediately. It dips perfectly into coffee and tea, and is a luxurious way to start the day.