Apple Dutch Baby

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Get ready to fall in love with this delicious Apple Dutch Baby, a skillet pancake that puffs up gloriously in the oven as it bakes. Featuring sweet, caramelized apples cooked with cinnamon and brown sugar, serve this elegant breakfast dish straight from the oven with a dusting of powdered sugar.

An Apple Dutch Baby in a pan on a wooden board surrounded by apples, cinnamon sticks and measuring spoons.

If you've never had a Dutch baby, you must try this dish- it's one of my favorite breakfast recipes! This Apple Dutch Baby recipe is a delicious and satisfying breakfast or brunch dish that the whole family will love. A cast iron pan transforms a handful of basic ingredients into a masterpiece that emerges from the oven, puffed and golden, like culinary magic.

Unlike regular pancakes, this Dutch baby puffs up in the oven, forming a custardy center encased in a crisp, golden shell similar to a popover.

Light and airy yet satisfying and filling, this delicious baked pancake showcases sweet apple slices and warm fall spices that are baked into the batter. If apples aren't your thing, I also make a delicious Pumpkin Spice Dutch Baby and a Blueberry Lemon Dutch Baby.

Now, let's dive into the magic of this sweet and elegant breakfast treat!

Jump to:

Why You'll Love This Dish
What is a Dutch Baby Pancake?
What makes a Dutch baby rise?
Ingredients
How To Make Apple Dutch Baby Step-By-Step
How To Serve This Dish
Chef's Tips For Making The Perfect Dutch Baby Pancake
Recipe FAQs
More Tasty Apple Recipes
Recipe
Apple Dutch Baby
Reviews

Why You'll Love This Dish

It's easy- the pancake batter comes together in a blender!
It's delicious- warm cinnamon apples baked in a tender pancake- yum!
It's fun- your family will be impressed when you serve this Dutch baby puffed up high straight from the oven.
It's perfect for entertaining- it's an elegant dish to serve for brunch.

What is a Dutch Baby Pancake?

A Dutch baby, also called a German pancake, is a baked breakfast dish that’s like a cross between a popover and a pancake. This pillowy pancake is traditionally baked in the oven in a cast iron skillet and puffs up very high as it cooks.

A Dutch baby pancake has a delightfully light, tender and eggy interior, similar to a popover, with crispy edges. It's perfect for a special occasion or Sunday brunch as it's all made in one pan and can be served straight from the skillet.

This apple dutch baby pancake recipe is a simple recipe with basic ingredients. It's all about learning the proper technique to get the Dutch baby to rise nicely.

The batter is very easy to make- simply throw all of the ingredients into a blender and blend away! You can make many different types of Dutch babies, including sweet and savory versions.

What makes a Dutch baby rise?

The answer is- heat! There are no chemical leavening agents (like baking powder) in a Dutch baby. Rather, the batter rises from the blast of heat it gets from a hot oven.

The gluten in the flour and protein in the eggs create a structure that traps steam in the Dutch baby, making it rise. Resist the urge to open the oven door and peek while it's baking otherwise your Dutch baby pancake won’t rise well.

Heat is key here so it's really important to make sure your ingredients are room temperature or warmer. Leave your eggs out so that they can come to room temperature (or you can place them in a bowl of warm water to speed things up). Use room temperature or slightly warm milk. If you use cold eggs and milk, your Dutch baby pancake won't get as much height.

It's important to aerate the dutch baby batter well to get a good rise. The easiest way to do this is by blending the ingredients together in a blender. Alternatively, you can whisk the ingredients together in a bowl until light and airy. It's also important to let the batter rest to allow the gluten to develop.

Also, your skillet needs to be piping hot. For most Dutch baby recipes, the skillet is heated in the oven before pouring the batter in. However, in this recipe, the skillet is heated on the stove as the apples are cooking.

Ingredients

Ingredient Notes and Substitutions. See recipe card below for full ingredient list:

Apples- use a sweet, crisp apple like honeycrisp, fuji or granny smith apples
Flour- although I like to incorporate whole grains in my recipes, all purpose flour works best in this dish and will help the Dutch baby rise more.
Milk- use room temperature milk, any type. I typically use 2% or whole milk.
Cinnamon- the perfect warm spice to complement the sweet apples; you can add other spices like nutmeg, ginger or cardamom

How To Make Apple Dutch Baby Step-By-Step

See recipe card below for full recipe instructions.

Step 1- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Blend eggs, milk, flour, vanilla extract, sugar, and salt in a blender until smooth and frothy. Let the batter rest.
Step 2- Heat a 9 or 10-inch cast-iron skillet or other oven-safe skillet on the stove over medium to medium-high heat. Add butter to the hot pan and let the butter melt.
Step 3- Add the sliced apples, brown sugar, and cinnamon and cook 3-4 minutes until apples start to soften.
Step 4- Pour batter into the skillet over the apple mixture and transfer skillet to the oven. Bake 18-22 minutes until Dutch baby is puffed up and golden brown. Dust with confectioners' sugar and serve with maple syrup, if desired.

How To Serve This Dish

Serve this Apple Dutch Baby straight from the oven while it’s puffed up high because it will start to fall soon after you take it out. Top it with a dusting of powdered sugar for the perfect finishing touch. You can also squeeze some fresh lemon juice on top.

Cut it into slices and serve it directly from the skillet. I like to serve it with maple syrup on the side. You can serve this apple Dutch baby with fresh fruit.

Chef's Tips For Making The Perfect Dutch Baby Pancake

Use a 9 or 10-inch skillet for best results. You can use a cast iron skillet or any oven-safe skillet. I used my always pan in these photos.
The oven must be really hot. Make sure you preheat it.
The eggs and milk should be at room temperature or slightly warm. Take the eggs out a few hours ahead of time or if you take them directly from the fridge, put them in a bowl with warm water for 10 minutes to get them to room temperature. The milk can be heated gently in the microwave for 10-15 seconds.
Aerate the batter well- blend it until it is light and frothy.
Let the batter rest for at least 30 minutes to allow the gluten to develop. The longer it rests, the better. You can even make it the night before and refrigerate it. Just be sure to let it come to room temperature before baking.
The skillet should be very hot when you pour the batter in. While most Dutch baby recipes call for heating the skillet in the oven, in this recipe, the skillet is heated on the stove.
Bake the Dutch baby in the middle of the oven. If it's too close to the top of the oven, it may brown too much.
Resist the temptation to open the oven door and peek. The blast of high heat is what gives the Dutch baby its rise and if you open the oven door, it won’t rise as well.

Recipe FAQs

Why do Dutch babies pop up?

A Dutch baby gets its rise from the combination of air in the batter and the high heat of the oven. The gluten, or protein in the flour, creates a web that traps steam in the batter and makes the Dutch baby rise in the hot oven.

Why didn't my Dutch baby puff up?

There are a lot of reasons why a Dutch baby doesn't rise. Make sure your ingredients (eggs and milk) are at room temperature and are not cold. Be sure to blend the batter well to incorporate a lot of air into it. Then let it rest to allow the gluten to develop. Heat the skillet in the oven so that it is piping hot when you pour the batter in. Finally, don't open the oven door to peek while it is cooking or your Dutch baby won't rise as well.