When I was young, my favorite breakfast was my dad’s German pancakes. Oven baked, puffy and utterly delicious, they were always my request on the rare Saturday morning that we didn’t have to rush somewhere. I recently started making them for my kids when I realized just how easy they are. We’ve dubbed them “puffy pancakes” and we can’t get enough.
Unlike regular pancakes where I spend the morning at the griddle, these bake in the oven which helps in two ways. One, I can clean up the kitchen while they bake. Two, we can all eat at the same time instead of in shifts as the pancakes finish. These can be topped however you like. We’ve tried fresh berries, homemade strawberry butter, lemon juice and powdered sugar and maple syrup. My kids give the lemon juice and powdered sugar the top ranking of all of the options.
Here is the simple recipe.
Ingredients (for 2 large pancakes–serves 4): 6 eggs, 1 cup flour, 1 cup milk, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon vanilla, 2 Tablespoons sugar, 2 Tablespoons butter (divided).
Directions: Preheat oven to 425. Whisk eggs, milk, vanilla and sugar together in a large bowl. Slowly sift in flour and salt. Mix until combined.
Divide butter between two oven-proof skillets and place in warm oven to melt. Once butter is melted, pull skillets out of oven and pour half of the batter into each. Cook until puffy and lightly browned on top, around 13 minutes depending on the size of your skillets (I recommend turning the light on and just periodically checking). Cool for a bit, cut into slices and serve. *If you do not have oven-proof skillets, feel free to use 9-inch pie plates or pour all of the batter into a 9×11 or 9×13 baking dish. If using a baking dish, your cook time may increase.
