Single Serve Dutch Baby | One Pot One Portion
If you haven’t heard of a Dutch baby before then the best way I can describe it is to say it’s essentially a sweet Yorkshire pudding (and if you haven’t heard of a Yorkshire pudding before then we need to have words...).The batter of a Dutch baby is similar, though with slightly less flour and the addition of sugar which caramelises as it bakes and creates a jewelled crust on the edges of the baby. The magic of fat and eggs rising in the oven will never cease to delight me, and this might be my favourite iteration yet.
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My Single Serve Dutch Baby: Your Ultimate One-Pot Pancake Perfection
Are you dreaming of a warm, fluffy, and utterly delightful treat that’s perfectly sized just for you? Look no further than my Single Serve Dutch Baby! This recipe transforms simple ingredients into a dramatically risen, golden-edged pancake that's a true joy to behold and even better to eat. It's the ultimate hassle-free, utterly scrumptious one pot dessert, designed entirely for cooking for one.
My Single Serve Dutch Baby is a culinary marvel, often described as a cross between a pancake, a crêpe, and a popover. It puffs up beautifully in the oven or air fryer, creating a crispy exterior and a tender, custardy interior. It's a truly impressive single serve pancake that feels incredibly indulgent, yet requires minimal effort. Just imagine: golden perfection, topped with fresh fruit and a scoop of melting ice cream, all made just for you.
About This Dish:
My Single Serve Dutch Baby is a classic American pancake often baked in a cast-iron skillet, hence its dramatic rise and unique shape. It's known for its impressive puff, which creates a large, bowl-like pancake with beautifully crisp, golden-brown edges and a soft, eggy centre. Unlike traditional pancakes that are cooked individually on a griddle, the Dutch Baby bakes as one large, magnificent piece.
This is my go-to recipe when I want something quick, comforting, and wonderfully special for breakfast, brunch, or a light dessert. The combination of its impressive rise, delicate texture, and ability to hold a variety of toppings makes it incredibly versatile. It's a simple yet elegant treat that feels like a gourmet experience, all achieved with minimal effort and in one glorious pan.
Why You'll Want to Make My Recipe: The Solo Cook's Sweet Escape
My Single Serve Dutch Baby is an absolute game-changer for anyone seeking a quick, satisfying, and utterly delicious treat designed specifically for a single serving. Whether you're a busy solo cook, a student craving a unique breakfast, an empty nester enjoying a quiet morning, a single parent needing a fast and impressive dessert, or simply someone who appreciates perfectly portioned treats, this recipe is crafted for you.
Single Serve
This recipe is inherently a single-serve sensation. Every ingredient is precisely portioned to create one perfect, risen pancake, eliminating waste and ensuring you have just the right amount for a delightful treat. It's truly a one portion marvel, designed for effortless enjoyment when you're cooking for one. This makes it an ideal single serve dessert or breakfast.
Quick & Easy
From whisking the simple batter to pulling your beautifully risen Dutch Baby from the oven, this dish genuinely comes together quickly. With a baking time of just 12-18 minutes, the active prep time is minimal, making it a fantastic choice for a speedy breakfast, brunch, or a fuss-free dinner for one dessert. No long waits, just deliciousness in a flash.
One Pot
This is the true beauty of this recipe! My Single Serve Dutch Baby is a genuine one pot dessert. The batter is whisked in a jug or bowl, and then poured directly into a hot skillet, which goes straight into the oven or air fryer. This significantly minimises washing up, ensuring you spend less time scrubbing and more time enjoying. It’s the ultimate convenience for cooking for one, keeping your kitchen tidy while delivering maximum flavour.
Top Tips for Perfect Single Serve Dutch Baby: Achieving the Iconic Puff
Creating a perfectly risen, golden dutch baby recipe is simple with these key tips.
- Use a Hot Skillet: Preheating your small skillet with the butter inside for 4-5 minutes in the oven is crucial. The sizzling hot butter and pan create steam that makes the Dutch Baby puff dramatically and gives it those signature crisp edges.
- Whisk Batter Smoothly: Ensure your batter is completely smooth before pouring it into the hot pan. A few lumps might be okay in regular pancakes, but for a Dutch Baby's consistent rise, a smooth batter is best.
- Don't Open the Oven Door! Resist the temptation to open the oven door during baking. The sudden drop in temperature can cause your Dutch Baby to deflate, ruining its dramatic puff. Let it bake undisturbed until golden and risen.
- Bake Until Golden and Crisp: Look for a golden-brown colour and slightly crisp edges. The centre might still be a little softer or custardy, which is part of its charm. Baking times can vary slightly between ovens and air fryers (closer to 12 minutes in an air fryer, 18 in a conventional oven).
- Serve Immediately: A Dutch Baby is at its peak right out of the oven when it's still beautifully puffed. It will deflate as it cools, so prepare your toppings and serve it straight away for the full impressive effect.
More Detail on Ingredients and the Tools You'll Need
Having the right ingredients and a few basic tools makes whipping up my delicious single-serve dessert a breeze.
Essential Ingredients:
- Egg: The foundation of the Dutch Baby, providing structure and contributing to its rich flavour and impressive rise.
- Milk: Adds liquid to the batter, contributing to its smooth consistency and helping the pancake to puff.
- Flour: Plain flour (all-purpose flour) provides the structure for the pancake, ensuring it holds its shape as it rises.
- Caster Sugar: A fine-grained sugar that sweetens the batter lightly and helps with browning.
- Butter: Melted in the hot skillet, it adds richness and helps create the beautiful golden, crispy edges.
To Serve:
- Fresh Strawberries: Quartered, they add a burst of fresh, sweet, and slightly tart flavour, along with vibrant colour. Other berries or sliced fruit work well too.
- Vanilla Ice Cream: A scoop of classic vanilla ice cream provides a cool, creamy contrast to the warm pancake, melting delightfully into its nooks and crannies. Cream or custard are also delicious alternatives.
- Icing Sugar: A dusting of powdered (confectioners') sugar adds a final touch of sweetness and a beautiful, elegant finish.
Essential Tools:
- Small Skillet: An oven-safe skillet (e.g., cast iron or an ovenproof non-stick pan), ideally 6-8 inches in diameter, is crucial for baking the Dutch Baby and achieving its unique shape. This makes it a genuine one pot recipe.
- Jug or Bowl: For whisking together the batter. A jug with a pouring spout makes it easy to transfer the batter to the hot skillet.
- Whisk: For combining the ingredients until smooth and lump-free.
- Oven or Air Fryer: For baking the Dutch Baby to golden perfection.
- Sifter (optional): For evenly dusting icing sugar over the top.
Delicious Variations: Customising My Single Serve Dutch Baby
My Single Serve Dutch Baby is incredibly versatile! Feel free to adapt it to your taste or dietary needs.
- Making it Gluten-Free: Simply substitute the plain flour with a gluten-free flour blend. Ensure it's a blend suitable for baking for the best rise and texture.
- Making it Dairy-Free: This requires substituting the milk, butter, and serving accompaniments.
- Milk: Use a dairy-free milk alternative (e.g., almond, oat, or soy milk).
- Butter: Swap for a plant-based butter alternative.
- Serving: Serve with fresh fruit and a dairy-free ice cream or whipped coconut cream.
- Making it Vegan: This recipe contains egg, so it needs a significant substitution.
- Egg: Use a vegan egg substitute suitable for baking (e.g., a flax egg, or a commercial egg replacer). Results may vary slightly in puffiness compared to a traditional egg.
- Milk: Use a dairy-free milk alternative.
- Butter: Use plant-based butter.
- Serving: Serve with fresh fruit and a vegan ice cream or whipped coconut cream.
- Spice it Up: Add a pinch of cinnamon, nutmeg, or cardamom to the flour mixture for a warmer, spicier flavour profile, especially lovely for an apple crumble inspired twist (though this is an apple Dutch Baby!).
- Different Toppings: While strawberries and vanilla ice cream are classic, get creative! Try sliced bananas and a drizzle of caramel sauce, sautéed apples, fresh berries with a dollop of whipped cream, chocolate chips, or a squeeze of fresh lemon juice with extra icing sugar.
- Make it Savoury: For a savoury twist, omit the caster sugar from the batter. After baking, top with sautéed mushrooms, spinach, cheese, or even a fried egg and a sprinkle of fresh herbs.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q: What is a Dutch Baby?
A: A Dutch Baby (also known as a German pancake or a Hootenanny) is a large, puffy, oven-baked pancake typically made from a simple batter of eggs, flour, milk, and sugar. It's baked in a hot skillet, which causes its edges to dramatically rise and crisp, creating a beautiful, bowl-like shape. It’s a very popular dutch baby recipe for breakfast or brunch.
Q: Why does the Dutch Baby puff up so much?
A: The dramatic puff of a Dutch Baby comes from the combination of a high heat oven/air fryer and a hot, buttered skillet. When the cold batter hits the hot pan, the moisture in the batter rapidly turns to steam, causing the pancake to inflate. As it bakes, the structure sets, and it creates those characteristic high, crispy edges.
Q: Can I use different types of flour?
A: While plain flour (all-purpose flour) is standard, you can experiment with other flours. For a slightly denser, nuttier flavour, you could try using a portion of wholemeal (whole wheat) flour. If trying gluten-free, ensure you use a dedicated gluten-free flour blend.
Q: How do I know when it's cooked?
A: Your Dutch Baby is cooked when it's dramatically risen, golden brown around the edges, and the centre appears set. It should look crisp on the outside. Baking times can vary depending on your oven or air fryer, so keep an eye on it after about 10-12 minutes.
Q: Can I make the batter ahead of time?
A: While you can whisk the dry ingredients and wet ingredients separately and combine them just before baking, it's generally best to make the Dutch Baby batter fresh right before baking. The leavening effect relies on fresh ingredients and the immediate reaction with the hot pan for maximum puff.
Enjoy my incredibly easy, impressive, and perfectly portioned Single Serve Dutch Baby! It's the ultimate example of how simple ingredients can create something truly delicious when you're cooking for one.
Ingredients
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"One Pot One Portion is, to borrow from The Parent Trap “a brilliant beyond brilliant idea”…I know many feel that it’s too much bother to cook ‘just’ for themselves — a sad admission, I feel — and to those people, and many others besides, I say: get this book and prove yourself liberatingly wrong!…Thank goodness for books! And thank goodness for Eleanor Wilkinson, a young talent to lift the spirits…There are so many people who could benefit from this book…this book is a boon and a blessing"
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I buy a lot of cook books and this is genuinely one of the best l've ever bought. I've tried 6 or 7 recipes so far and they're all winners. I'm well used to scaling recipes down to one portion, but not having to calculate measurements as l go along feels like a little luxury. One of the best things about the book is that all the recipes are actually cooked in one pot - in a lot of other so-called books you still have to make your side dish in a separate pot. With these recipes, even if they include rice or pasta, it's all cooked together. No mountains of washing up! Highly recommended.
I have been following Eleanor on IG for a while and have made several of her dishes before the cookbook came out. I was thrilled to see so many new things to try and have already made about 6 of them. Her recipes are approachable, the dishes are delicious, and they make me feel like I can cook! Highly recommend.
If you love eating good home cooked food but can't be bothered to cook just for yourself, then this is the book for you. Using ingredients that are easy to find, then mixing, cooking and eating from the same pan or dish means a minimum of washing up. Every recipe I have tried so far has been delicious and have all turned out well which isn't always the case with many cookery books. Definitely recommend!
Following Eleanor on Instagram and seeing her recipes come to life is one thing but then having them in my own kitchen is quite another. Not only are the recipes easy to follow and delicious she also help you not to waste food. This book is like having all your favourite foods in one place with the added bonus of an old friend showing you the ropes. Congratulations Eleanor when can I pre-order the next one?
Bought this for my sister who cooks for one. She absolutely loved it finding it inspiring! So many great recipes to motivate and keep you cooking when it's just you eating!
Follow Eleanor on socials and knew I NEEDED this book immediately! SO glad I paid extra and had it shipped from the UK (to US). Eleanor's voice is loud and clear in every recipe. The pictures are beautiful, the instructions are perfectly clear, and I want to make EVERYTHING. I cannot recommend this book enough!
This is perfect, as far as influencer chefs go, I find this book refreshing in what has become a cohort of lauded influencers who really aren't doing much more than the bog standard meals most people make anyway, or making googled recipes and adding their own "flair". This book is different as it's your normal fare you'd likely make yourself, given a little bit of a twist to speed up the process / use less utensils / ingredients / food waste, in really creative and tasty ways, all perfectly portioned for one.
Great present! Bought this for my sister who cooks for one. She absolutely loved it finding it inspiring! So many great recipes to motivate and keep you cooking when it's just you eating!
Great present! Bought this for my sister who cooks for one. She absolutely loved it finding it inspiring! So many great recipes to motivate and keep you cooking when it's just you
Follow Eleanor on socials and knew I NEEDED this book immediately! SO glad I paid extra and had it shipped from the UK (to US). Eleanor's voice is loud and clear in every recipe. The pictures are beautiful, the instructions are perfectly clear, and I want to make EVERYTHING. I cannot recommend this book enough!
This recipe book is stunning and fulfils its role brilliantly in catering for individuals who want to eat delicious meals, but don't want to prepare family sized portions or devote their entire evening to cooking. Who'd believe you could make an entire roast for one person and only use one pan in the process! She is a genius and I couldn't recommend this book any more highly.
One of the best things about the book is that all the recipes are actually cooked in one pot - in a lot of other so-called books you still have to make your side dish in a separate pot. With these recipes, even if they include rice or pasta, it's all cooked together. No mountains of washing up!
This is the book I've been waiting for! I (very happily!) live alone, love to cook and read cookery books, but every recipe is for two people or more. This gorgeous book contains recipes perfectly proportioned for one person (and I'm always a very hungry one person!) which ensures more variety, less food waste, and pure, gluttonous joy.
It's so nice to finally have a recipe book that I can go to if I want a quick easy meal with minimal cleaning up required! Everything l've tried so far is delicious. And I salivate at the thought of everything in there!
Totally reignited my cooking mojo which had been MIA for a while. I'm going to buy my daughter a copy to take back to Uni too as everything is simple and delicious - perfect for a student!
Best cookbook for somebody single!
The fact I know I won't have loads to wash up really feels motivating and l've earmarked so many of the recipes already.
This book is like having all your favourite foods in one place with the added bonus of an old friend showing you the ropes. Congratulations Eleanor when can I pre-order the next one?