Sometimes I just want to have a nice breakfast with my family. Something hot and delicious on those days that we can sit and enjoy having some time together. The only problem is that I am not a huge fan of making breakfast. In the morning I just want to have my coffee and enjoy the relative cleanness of my kitchen. Now, with a toddler to chase around, my mornings are crazier than ever. With diaper changes and the impatient angry demands of a hungry little human, I normally am not even all the way through my first cup of coffee when I start making breakfast. Normally I’m pulling together something that is quick and simple, like scrambled eggs, cheerios and fruit or oatmeal, but sometimes you want something special.
This Apple Dutch Baby certainly fits the bill of special. It is a rich, thick, eggy pancake filled with cinnamon, nutmeg, apples and the surprising hint of bacon. Plus, you can prep most of it the night before. The batter needs to rest at least 30 minutes before cooking it, so what I like to do is just mix it up the night before and stick it in the refrigerator. This way my morning is that much easier. Then the next morning you are basically just slicing some apples and throwing it all together in the skillet and popping it in the oven. Twenty five minutes later you have a delicious skillet full of rich apple goodness that will have the whole families mouth watering.
Tips, Tricks and Substitutions
In my recipe below I add three slices of bacon. The combination of the salty, smoky bacon just goes so well with the brown sugar and tart apples. It really creates a sweet and savory combination that is just irresistible. However, my mom has made this and left the bacon out and it is still amazingly good. It just is a bit sweeter with out the savory pork to balance it out. Having had it both ways I have to say it is better with the bacon, but you can leave it out if you would like.
I have read in other apple dutch baby recipes about substituting apple pie filling instead of fresh apples. I, honestly, have never tried this shortcut. Honestly with my apple peeler, corer and slicer going through two apples is a breeze. However, it is an option if you want to make it a little faster. I would just cut the sugar and spices in your apple butter mixture in half since the apple pie filling will already be sweetened and spiced.
If you have a large 8 cup liquid measuring cup like this one from Pyrex, or something similar use it instead of a mixing bowl. The spout will make it easy to pour right into your skillet. This means you are less likely to spill any on your stove top. Scrubbing a stove top stinks! Make your life easier and use something with a spout if you have one.
Apple Dutch Baby (German Pancake)
Equipment
- 12" cast iron skillet or any other oven proof skillet
Ingredients
Batter
- 6 eggs
- ¾ cup flour
- ¾ tsp baking powder
- 1½ tbsp sugar
- ⅛ tsp salt
- 1½ cup milk
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 tbsp butter melted
- ¼ tsp nutmeg freshly grated
Apples
- 3 strips bacon
- ¼ cup butter
- ½ cup sugar divided
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp grated nutmeg
- 2 medium apples peeled, cored and sliced
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl mix eggs, flour, baking powder, sugar and salt. Pour in the milk half at a time stirring well. Stir the vanilla, melted butter and ¼ teaspoon of nutmeg into the batter. Let the batter sit for at least 30 minutes or overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 425°.
- Fry three stripes of bacon in a 12" cast iron skillet or any other oven safe skillet. Remove the bacon to drain and chop into small pieces. After cooling for a few minutes wipe the skillet clean with paper towels.
- In a small bowl combine white sugar, brown sugar cinnamon and nutmeg. Melt ¼ cup of butter in the bottom of the skillet and add half of the sugar mixture. Add the apple slices and sprinkle the remaining sugar mixture over the apples. Cook on medium high heat for a minute or too or until it becomes bubbly.
- Carefully pour the batter over the apples. Bake in a preheated oven for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 375° and cook for another 10 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes before serving.
