Pear Dutch Baby

A Dutch baby aka a German pancake is so puffy, golden and crisp on top and custardy in the center. It's perfect with the soft and juicy pears.

This pear Dutch baby is a special treat for breakfast or brunch. It looks incredibly effective as it puffs up in the oven, with crisp golden edges and soft and tender in the center. The juicy pears are cooked with butter, brown sugar, lemon juice and vanilla, so they become soft and saucy, complementing the pancake perfectly.

What is a Dutch Baby?

Dutch babies are made with a simple batter that is poured into a hot skillet and baked in the oven. It's also known as a German pancake and is a mix of a puffed pancake and a thick crepe, very similar to a large popover.

Video of How To Make a Pear Dutch Baby

Ingredients:

• eggs
• half n half (half whole milk, half heavy cream)
• granulated sugar, just enough to sweeten the batter
• pinch of salt
• all purpose flour
• pears (any pears will work for this recipe)
• butter, brown sugar, lemon juice and vanilla extract - to cook the pears

What Can You Use Instead of Pears?

You can also use apples, peaches, nectarines, apricots, bananas or pineapples instead of the pears. The amount of time to cook each will be different. Cook the fruit until they are soft and cooked through, but not falling apart before adding the batter.

How to Prepare a Dutch Baby:

• Preheat the oven to 500 degrees Fahrenheit.
• It's important to start with room temperature eggs and half n half.
• In a large mixing bowl, mix the eggs until they are smooth, then add the half n half, sugar, salt and flour. Whisk until completely smooth. Set aside. You can also use a blender for mixing the batter.
• Peel the pears, remove the seeds and cut into slices.
• Meanwhile, in a 10 inch skillet, either a cast iron skillet or a nonstick skillet that is oven safe, melt the butter. Add the pears and brown sugar. Cook for about 5 minutes on medium heat, until the pears are soft and tender, but not falling apart. Add the lemon juice and vanilla. Mix to combine. Turn off the heat.
• Pour in the batter, distributing evenly over the surface of the pears.
• Turn down the oven temperature to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Place the skillet into the oven and bake for about 15-18 minutes. The edges of the Dutch baby should puff up around the edges.
• Serve warm. If you'd like, you can also sprinkle the top with powdered sugar.

Oven Temperature

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees Fahrenheit. The Dutch baby needs a really high blast of heat as it's put into the oven to help it puff up better. Right before adding the skillet to the oven, reduce the heat slightly.

Since the oven temperature is really high, you can use either 425-450 degrees Fahrenheit. If your oven typically runs hot, use 425 and if it doesn't use 450. If you use a higher temperature, the Dutch baby will needs slightly less time in the oven, 14-16 minutes, not 15-18, if using 425 degrees.

How to Serve:

I like bringing the skillet right to the table and simply sprinkling the top of the Dutch baby with powdered sugar.

You can also serve it with caramel sauce or maple syrup, but I think it will be too sweet, unless you omit the sugar from the batter.

If you're serving the Dutch Baby as a dessert after dinner (a fantastic option, by the way) it is awesome with a scoop of vanilla ice cream too.

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