Puffy German Pancake Recipe – Sugar Bananas! (2024)

FAQs

Why didn t my German pancake puff up? ›

If the pancake was a little flat it is most likely that either the oven or the skillet (or other pan) was not hot enough. If the pan isn't hot enough then the liquid does not heat up and create the steam quickly enough and so the flour will cook through and set before the pancake can rise.

What are German Pancakes? German pancakes, often called Dutch Baby pancakes are baked pancakes made from eggs, milk, flour and vanilla. The pancakes are baked in a metal or cast iron pan, puff up in the oven and then fall as they cool.

The German translation of "pancake" is Pfannkuchen, which is pronounced /fahn-KOO-hehn/, and it is a masculine noun. You could say, for instance: Willst du einen Pfannkuchen mit Schokolade? (Do you want a pancake with chocolate?)

Banana pancakes can be mushy on the inside if they're cooked over high heat. The outside cooks quickly and the inside remains raw. For best results, cook over medium heat.

Overmixing the batter can cause the gluten in the flour to overdevelop, leading to a dense pancake. Batter Not At Room Temperature: Ingredients that are not at room temperature can cause the batter to be too dense. Make sure all ingredients, including the eggs and milk, are at room temperature before making the batter.

The biggest difference is the cooking method. Regular pancakes are made in a skillet on the stovetop and are flipped while cooking. German pancakes are baked in a hot skillet with melted butter. This fries the batter as it bakes – leaving crispy edges and a caramelized bottom to swoon for.

Dutch babies, popovers, German pancakes, Yorkshire pudding are all the same thing just different names. Technically these are all baked puddings and delicious. Try serving them with my delicious strawberry syrup.

While these pancakes are derived from the German pancake dish, it is said that the name Dutch baby was coined by one of Victor Manca's daughters, where "Dutch" perhaps was her corruption of the German autonym deutsch. Manca's Cafe claimed that it owned the trademark for Dutch babies in 1942.

In the South, pancakes are interchangeably called hotcakes, griddlecakes, and flapjacks, though British flapjacks are made with rolled oats cooked in the oven. In the U.S., pancakes are made with flour, eggs, butter, and milk, and cooked on a griddle or frying pan to form leavened flat cakes.

What do British call pancakes? ›

While flapjacks is an informal nickname for pancakes, some people may use the terms hotcakes and griddlecakes to refer to specific types of pancakes. In the UK, the word flapjack refers to something entirely different—a baked good made from oats that resembles a granola bar.

American and Canadian pancakes (sometimes called hotcakes, griddlecakes, or flapjacks) are usually served at breakfast, in a stack of two or three, topped with maple syrup or table syrup, and butter. They are often served with other items such as bacon, toast, eggs or sausage.

Remember that baking soda is 3-4 times stronger than baking powder, so you'll need a lot more baking powder to get the same leavening action. As a general rule, triple the amount of baking powder for the amount of baking soda called for in a recipe. For example, 1 teaspoon baking soda = 3 teaspoons baking powder.

The meringue is key to making fluffy pancakes so make sure that they hold a stiff peak. Over mixing can lead to deflating the pancakes as well, so do a gentle scoop and fold motion when mixing together the whites and yolks.

Flat pancakes are nearly always because of expired baking powder, too little baking powder for the recipe size, or too thin of a batter.

Deflating after baking is normal for a Dutch Baby. The high oven heat causes the batter to puff up, and it naturally deflates once removed from the heat.

When you mix flour with eggs and liquid, the gluten molecules get more flexible and bind to each other to form networks, or nets. These nets trap the air from the carbon dioxide gas, causing the pancake to lift and have a chewable texture.