Secrets to Making a Dutch Baby

A Dutch Baby is a popover-like pancake cooked in a skillet. The little guy starts out on the stovetop before graduating to the oven to really gain some height. When developing this recipe, we were aiming for a puffy, well-risen pancake with crisp sides and a tender bottom; however, achieving that contrast did not come easily. We persevered, and instead of relying on leavening agents like baking powder, we achieved a light, fluffy rise for our Dutch Baby recipe by using the conversion of water to steam. For crispier sides we replaced some of the flour with cornstarch. Check out our step-by-step instructions to learn how to raise your own Dutch Baby.

1. Brush the entire interior surface of the pan—including the sides—with vegetable oil.

2. To initiate the big rise, the greased pan is heated before the batter is poured in.

3. Like magic (or like a giant popover, which it resembles), the Dutch Baby balloons in the oven.

4. The Dutch Baby will deflate after it sits a few minutes. Don’t worry—it’s supposed to. Dust it with confectioners’ sugar and enjoy.

MAKE IT NOW: Our recipe for Dutch Baby is free through March 15, 2013.