Another one of my favorite three/four ingredient recipes is a German pancake. It’s a cross between a crepe and a pancake, only it’s baked in the oven not cooked on a griddle. This simple recipe is easy to make, has an impressive presentation, and is elegant enough to serve to guests on a special occasion. I’ve made it many times yet still gasp with delight every time I open the oven and see it big and puffy and golden brown on the edges. This recipe also makes a fast breakfast for dinner when you are too tired to eat, let alone cook. Here is what you need, per pancake:
2 eggs
½ cup dairy or non-dairy milk
½ cup high-quality bleached or unbleached flour
2 tablespoons of butter
Toppings: powdered sugar, lemon, syrup or honey
A 9” or 10” skillet that you can put in an oven or a glass or ceramic pie plate
Here’s what you do:
Preheat the oven to 450⁰ and put the skillet or pie plate in the oven while it is preheating. Mix the batter. Take the skillet or pie plate out of the oven when it is done preheating. Add the butter and put the pan back into the oven until the butter is melted. Remove it and swirl the butter around the sides of the pan. Add the batter and bake for 12 minutes until the edges are golden brown and it has risen above the sides of the pan. Loosen the pancake from the sides of the pan and slide it out onto a plate. Squeeze ½ lemon and put some syrup or honey on it, sprinkle with powdered sugar. To make the sugar look like snow, put the sugar in a fine mesh strainer and use a spoon to dust it.
I get the best result in a cast iron skillet; it holds the heat and makes the edges nice and crispy. The secret to this recipe is getting the pan very hot before adding the batter.
A berry syrup is a lovely flavor with lemon. It’s utterly divine when served with bacon, made with bacon fat instead of butter, and doused with real maple syrup. This is my favorite version.
When I was growing up, my family made this pancake for a quick and elegant Christmas breakfast. This could become a family tradition for you, too. Or, a quick and favorite breakfast or dinner anytime.
Do you have a favorite pancake recipe? If so, I’d love to see it – Isabel@plentymethod.org