Recipe Background
Berry Dutch Baby turns a tax refund splurge into a cozy breakfast-for-dinner delight.
The first time I whipped up a Berry Dutch Baby was during our annual tax refund splurge dinner. Each year, we allowed ourselves a little extravagance with that unexpected windfall. This time, we chose a leisurely breakfast-for-dinner theme, and I knew just the twist to impress. With a couple of cartons of blueberries calling from the fridge and a long-standing fondness for lemon zest, I set out to surprise my family with something both familiar and novel.
In my repertoire, the cast iron skillet was as much a character as any ingredient. Its ability to brown butter to perfection adds a depth to dishes that standard cookware just can't replicate. I melted a generous pat of salted butter and watched it sizzle before tossing in those luscious blueberries. My golden rule was to let them stew just until the scent made its way upstairs—never longer. Meanwhile, the blender buzzed away with eggs and milk, blended to a creamy consistency.
Pulling out the Dutch Baby from the oven was the moment of triumph. Towering and golden, it stood like a centerpiece on our table. Blueberry jam swirled artistically throughout, paired with dollops of maple syrup for those who preferred a bit more sweetness. A dusting of powdered sugar was the finale, one that turned our typical Tuesday into an evening of indulgence. Mission accomplished. We had turned simple pancakes into a memory worth savoring.
Ingredients
For the Dutch baby:
- 4 tablespoons salted butter divided
- 4 large eggs room temperature
- 2/3 cups whole milk room temperature
- 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest plus more, to taste
- 2 tablespoons blueberry jam plus more, to taste
- 1/4 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
Optional, for serving:
- butter to taste
- maple syrup optional, to taste
- powdered sugar to taste
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
- In a microwave-safe bowl in the microwave or in a small saucepan over low heat on the stovetop, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter, then add it to a blender.
- In the blender, add the eggs, the milk, the flour, the salt, and the vanilla and blend until it becomes a smooth batter with no lumps remaining, about 1 minute.
- Add 2 teaspoons of the lemon zest to the batter mixture, stirring it to combine. Add the extra lemon zest for a more prominent lemon flavor, as desired.
- Add 2 tablespoons of the jam to the batter mixture, swirling it in to combine. Add the extra jam for a more prominent blueberry flavor, as desired.
- In a 10-12-inch cast iron skillet over medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons of the remaining butter.
- Add the blueberries and cook, while stirring, until the butter starts to brown around the blueberries, about 3 minutes.
- Pour the batter mixture over the blueberries in the hot skillet.
- Place the skillet in the oven and bake until the pancake is fully puffed and browned on top, about 15 minutes. Do not open the oven for any reason before baking the Dutch baby for 15 minutes, otherwise it will deflate.
- Serve immediately with the extra butter, the maple syrup, and the powdered sugar.
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