Category: Breakfast

Rainy Farm Day Baked Apple Pancakes

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August 2024 – made a batch and a half in a roasting pan at the cabin, and it came out super poufy!

The peculiar name of this dish comes from the time and place I first made them.  We were staying at my Mom’s farmhouse one summer day and it just raining cats and dogs.  The kids were off playing in the attic or somewhere upstairs and Kumy and Mom and I were just sitting and talking in the kitchen, when I got a yen for something sweet.

Dutch Babies, which is what this really is, is a very eggy baked pancake that soars to 6-7″ above the pan before collapsing as it cools.  It’s a glorious brunch or lunch dish.

3 apples, peeled, cored and sliced (Can use any apples.)
1/4 cup butter
2 Tbsp sugar and a dusting of Cinnamon

Melt butter in your largest ovenproof frying pan, and saute apple slices until they start to soften – about 4-5 minutes. Add sugar and cinnamon and stir gently until the sugar starts to caramelize and the whole thing is getting syrupy and gooey. Remove from heat.

2 Tbsp more of sugar
1 cup flour
4 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 tsp salt

Mix all these ingredients together until very smooth, and pour over the apples. Bake at 425 for 20 minutes, until puffy and golden and tips are browning. Note – if you’re using a different dish to bake in, generously butter the whole dish before you put the sauteed apples in.  Otherwise it all sticks to the pan! 

Serve with powdered sugar or enjoy them plain.

Another option: Use thinly sliced peaches or pears or a blend of both instead of the apples. No need to peel the pears, which are especially tasty.  I used half peeled apples, and half pears today an it was especially good.

Update:  Last weekend, I made too much batter and needed to use it up in another pan.  Since I had ripe bananas, I lightly buttered the pan, cut two ripe bananas into chunks,  poured the batter over and baked as usual.  It was delicious!!  The sweetness of the banana chunks added just the right note to the pancakes.  I’ll definitely do this again.

Martha’s Buttermilk Pancakes

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Martha’s Stewart’s Recipe is the basis for Kumy’s favorite birthday cake: Pancake Cake. Kumy doesn’t much like regular cake, but he loves pancakes so we make a double batch, layer them with fresh fruit and drizzle the top with maple syrup.

I always mix pancakes in a pitcher because it’s easy to pour and saves washing dishes.

2 eggs
3 cups buttermilk (can add a little more if the pancakes are too thick)
4 Tbsp melted butter or oil
1/2 tsp vanilla
3 Tbsp sugar

Mix very well in a pitcher with a fork or wire whisk.

2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

You can mix these in a bowl if you want. However I just dump the flour in, then the baking powder, soda and salt and gently stir the dried ingredients together before I mix them with the liquid underneath.

Stir gently with a fork until just blended (there will still be many lumps, but no visible pockets of flour in the mix.)  Pour 1/3 cup batter into a  greased frying pan and cook until done. I often just “eyeball” it since the 1/3 cup measure always either falls in or drips batter everywhere.

Great variations: Stir in 1 cup fresh blueberries, or 1 cup diced apples, peaches or pears, (gently sauteed in a little butter and sugar first.) Or you can add a mashed-up banana (mash with a fork) and a splash of lemon juice.

Note: if you’re out of buttermilk, I’ve had good luck with substituting 1/2 plain yogurt and half milk.  Just work with it until you get a nice pouring consistency.