Caramelized Apple Pear Dutch Baby

Adapted slightly from Spinach Tiger and Moore or Less Cooking Blog

I’ve been fascinated with this poofy oven pancake that is a Pennsylvania Dutch tradition for what seems like forever, but I never found the time to make one. Part of it is my kids. We have perfected the pancake and waffle recipes so much that they are reluctant to try something new for breakfast. But with all these apples and pears in my house, well, it was time.

You don’t have to make a Dutch Baby with fruit. Traditionally, it was made plain and served with powdered sugar. (Read the history of this German oven pancake at Spinach Tiger). Me, I wanted fruit. In fact, I would want even more fruit than what is in the recipe. It’s much thicker and more dense than a stove-top pancake and sort of custard-like inside, with a bit of crunch on the outside.

What I would do differently next time:

1. I would use the blender for making the batter, like Nettie did on Moore or Less Cooking Blog. I was using the whisk to mix up my eggs and it became a total mess when I added the flour. I love the idea of using the blender … how simple is that?
2. I would use more fruit, or make some extra fruit sauce for the top. My daughter and I both wanted more fruit. And I think I’d also take the fruit out of the pan, melt a little butter in there, then add the batter and put the fruit on top of the dutch baby before baking.
3. I would add just a bit of butter, a Tablespoon or two of maple syrup and some spices to the batter, and reduce the flour a bit.
4. I would have actually had the oven preheated! I thought I’d turned it on, but when I went to put the pancake in the oven, it was cold. So my pancake had to wait for the oven to heat up. I was worried it wouldn’t turn out, but it was just fine.

Caramelized Apple Pear Dutch Baby

• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Cook Time: 30 minutes
• Total Time: 50 minutes
• Yield: About 6 servings 1x

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 2 Tablespoons butter
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 large apples and 2 large pears, peeled, cored and chopped
• 4 eggs
• 1/2 cup all purpose flour + 1/2 cup white whole wheat flour (recommend cutting to 1/3 cup each)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup milk

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Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 F. Melt the butter in an oven-safe pan over medium heat, then stir in the brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, apples and pears. Cook over medium heat for a few minutes, stirring constantly, until the fruit is tender and the brown sugar and juices have reduced to a nice caramel sauce. (At this point, I would recommend removing the fruit from the pan, clean the pan, then melt a pat of butter in the pan and swirl it about. This is not, however, how I did it. I left the fruit in the pan and poured the batter over.)
2. Mix up the rest of the ingredients in a bowl or blender till well blended and smooth. Pour the batter in the pan (and sprinkle with the caramelized fruit, if you removed it).
3. Bake at 375 for 30 minutes or until the “pancake” is puffy and golden brown.
4. The puff will fall soon after you remove it from the oven, but that’s how it’s supposed to be. Cut into wedges and dust with powdered sugar or drizzle lightly with maple syrup.

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Notes

RECIPE SOURCE: http://www.sumptuousspoonfuls.com/

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This recipe was shared at Scrumptious Sunday, Weekend Potluck, Mostly Homemade Monday and Inspiration Mondays.