Eat A Dutch Baby (with bonus: Slightly frighten people when you say it out loud!)

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Or just do what I like to do - tell people that you're going to 'Make a Dutch Baby with my kids'...if they don't know exactly what a Dutch Baby is, you'll have Child Services from your particular state knocking down your door within hours!! Invite them in to taste your new Dutch Baby...

Ok, no...I've never really done that. But in my twisted mind, that would be freakin' hilarious.

I probably need help, huh?

A Dutch Baby is really just a pancake. A super huge, custard-like and thick bad-boy pancake. The texture is completely different than your run-o-the-mill pancake, and it is extremely tasty and easy to make.

You can make it (as instructed) in a 10 inch cast iron skillet, or you can make it in a 9x13 oven proof baking dish. The difference? Round vs. Square. If you have a well used and well seasoned cast iron skillet, there will be subtle taste differences as well. Sadly, my cast iron skillet that I have had for well over a year has been used maybe four times.  I really, really need to work on that. My cast iron dutch oven has been used way more and is my favorite go-to pot to use for almost everything, so why can't I seem to do that with the darned skillet?

My version of a Dutch Baby is a slightly altered version of Alton Brown's recipe. I like my Dutch Babies sweeter. You could also play around with flavors here...add some orange juice concentrate or whatever flavor you prefer (maybe 1/4 cup?) to the batter. Add pre-cooked meat crumbles, like bacon or sausage. There are endless possibilities! Papa Bear tops his with a smidge of brown sugar (instead of powdered) and a drizzle of syrup with interesting results!

Let the butter melt in the skillet in the oven while it's preheating.

Pour the magic mixture in the skillet.

It's a Dutch Baby! Congratulations! Pass the cigars!

Remove to cutting board and slice that baby up! Pizza cutters were made for stuff like this...

Top with whatever you prefer and dig in! I wonder if my American kids taste this good? Hmmm...

 
Dutch Baby

6 tablespoons butter, melted and divided
1 cup all-purpose flour
7 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon salt
1cup milk, room temperature*
4 eggs, room temperature*
Powdered sugar, syrup, fruit for serving

*The 'room temperature' thing is important. Trust me on this - I am not known for my baking ability and have impatiently skipped this all-important step and paid the price. Your patience will be rewarded...

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Place 4 tablespoons of the melted butter into a 10-inch cast iron skillet and place in the oven. Set the remaining melted butter aside to cool slightly. Wait 10 minutes before assembling the other ingredients.

Place the flour, vanilla, sugar, salt, milk, eggs and remaining melted butter into the blender and process for 30 seconds. Carefully pour the batter into the preheated skillet. Bake on the middle rack of the oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until the edges are puffed and brown. Sprinkle with powdered sugar, drizzle with your favorite syrup or serve with your favorite fruit.