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This warm fluffy sweet fragrant cinnamon apple dutch baby is the perfect super simple breakfast for a rustic autumn morning.
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Spiced Apple Oven Pancake
I love apple season. Every year my husband and our kids go u picking. My kids love to pick the apples but sometimes we get a little sick of all the apple desserts. I have been making classic Dutch baby pancake for years so it was only natural to combine our overabundance of u-pick apples, some cinnamon fall flavor, and our favorite Dutch baby recipe for a scrumptious breakfast.
For those of you not familiar with Dutch baby, it’s a German pancake that is similar in many ways to a popover or a British Yorkshire pudding. It is a very egg heavy batter with some flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, and of course in this case cinnamon. You simply pour it over the simmering hot pan of apples then immediately put it in the oven. It comes out all poofy and brown, perfect!
How to make a Cinnamon Apple Dutch Baby
First you will want to assemble the following ingredients:
- Butter (4 tbsp) – the butter will help the apples sauté a little bit before the batter goes in and add a richness that the Dutch baby needs.
- Apples (2-3) – I like to use Granny Smith that are peeled and sliced thin for a tart balance to the sweet pancake.
- Flour (¾ cup) – all-purpose flour is ideal for this popover pancake, make sure you don’t use more than recommended, the batter should be runny.
- Milk (¾ cup) – use whole milk for a nice consistency to the batter and richness.
- Sea salt (½ tsp) – use a small amount of fine grain sea salt to season the batter and lift the flavor of the pancake.
- Cinnamon (1 tsp) – cinnamon has that sweetness, warmth, earthy, and woody flavor that goes perfectly with the tangy apples.
- Baking powder (¼ tsp) – baking powder will help this Dutch baby get that popover puff that you want.
- Sugar (1 tbsp) – I use regular caster sugar to sweeten the pancake. You will likely want to add maple syrup so no need to overdo it with the sweetness in the pancake.
- Eggs (4) – the eggs are the post important element here. Use high quality eggs if possible for the best flavor.
- Powdered Sugar (2 tbsp) – I like to use powdered sugar as a nice little sprinkle with some cinnamon over the top of the Dutch baby, it adds a lovely finish.
We use this method to make the Dutch Baby
Preheat. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Always make sure your oven is preheated before baking.
Prep pan. Melt the butter in a 12-inch cast iron frying pan over medium heat. Place the apples in a nice pattern inside the skillet. Let them sauté for a few minutes while preparing the batter.
Blend the batter. Combine the remaining batter ingredients in a blender. Blend on medium then scrape the sides and the bottom to make sure there aren’t any pockets of flour. Blend some more until smooth.
Combine and bake. Pour the batter into the hot pan, over the sautéing apples then quickly place the pan into the preheated oven. Do not open till at least 20 minutes have gone by. You want to trap the heat. Bake 20 – 25 minutes until golden brown.
Topping. Combine the cinnamon and powdered sugar topping in a small bowl. Sprinkle on the warm dutch baby and enjoy!
Tips and Tricks to a Perfect Fall Dutch Baby
Mix up the spices. You can mix up the spice you add to this. Sometimes I will add the pumpkin spice blend, it works really well with the apples as well.
Let the batter rest. After mixing the batter try letting it rest for about 10 – 15 minutes so that the flour can hydrate, this results in a smoother texture. You can let it rest at room temperature or in the refrigerator.
Butter it up. Using lots of butter in the pan will help the Dutch baby not stick. I even usually brush some up the sides.
Pour when hot. Make sure the pan is very hot when the batter hits it. This will help you achieve a great puff.
Serve immediately. Dutch baby is best when enjoyed hot out of the oven so have your maple syrup ready.
Add your toppings. You can add almost anything to your Dutch baby as a topping. We like to enjoy this with fresh fruit, maple syrup, lemon juice, applesauce, or some honey.
FAQs
The origin of this name is unclear but it seems to have evolved from the Pennsylvania Dutch word for “German”.
You can make the batter ahead of time and refrigerate it up to 24 hours in advance. It is important that you add the batter to a hot buttered pan to get the right consistency.
Yes! It may take a few minutes longer to bake since there is more batter over less surface area.
Several factors could affect the puff including not having the pan hot enough, overmixing the batter, or opening the oven door too soon. Be sure to follow the directions carefully when preparing and beware of those pit falls.
A lot of people like classic maple syrup on their Dutch babies, you can also enjoy it with whipped cream, lemon juice, fresh fruit, and applesauce.
Yes, if you want this gluten-free to using a high quality gluten-free flour. Not all are the same, I prefer using King Arthur’s Gluten Free Flour.
What to Serve With Apple Dutch Baby
We love to enjoy this Dutch baby with fresh fruit or fried eggs. Yum!
If you love this Dutch baby, try our super simple sheet pan pancakes or one of these other delicious favorite breakfast recipes:
Click here to see all our delicious breakfast recipes!
Cinnamon Apple Dutch Baby Recipe
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Cinnamon Apple Dutch Baby
Equipment
Ingredients
Dutch Baby Batter:
- 4 tbsp butter
- 2 – 3 Granny Smith apples peeled and sliced thin
- ¾ cup flour
- ¾ cup milk
- ½ tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ¼ tsp baking powder
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 4 eggs
Topping:
- 2 tbsp powdered sugar
- 1 tbsp cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Melt the butter in a 12” cast iron frying pan on medium heat. Brush some up the sides to prevent sticking.
- Place the sliced apples in a nice pattern inside the skillet, let them sauté slightly while preparing the batter.
- In a blender combine the flour, milk, salt, cinnamon, baking powder, sugar, and eggs. Stop the blender, scrape down the sides and bottom with a spatula then blend again just until completely combined.
- Pour the batter over the hot pan with the sauteing apples in the pan and quickly place the pan into the preheated oven.
- Bake for 20 – 25 minutes, without opening the oven, or until golden brown.
- Combine the powdered sugar and cinnamon for the topping and sprinkle over baked Dutch baby when it comes out of the oven. Enjoy hot!
