The Dutch Baby doesn’t seem like a very well-known recipe idea here in the UK, for whatever reason; I came across it whilst googling ideas for my new cast iron skillet when I first got myself one. I have no idea why because Dutch Babies are tasty, easy and a great way to use up any leftover batter or ingredients you might have post Pancake Day, so today I’m sharing my go-to savoury take on this dish…
INGREDIENTS
Base batter:
Milk
Plan / all purpose flour
Whole milk
Eggs
Savoury extras:
Whole grain mustard
Cheese (any semi-hard cheese will do – I recommend cheddar or a nutty Gruyère)
Topping:
Oyster mushrooms
Tenderstem broccoli
Cavolo Nero (or another kale variety)
Garlic
Nutmeg
Olive oil for finishing (optional)
TIPS
This is an impressive-looking centrepiece but actually very simple and forgiving recipe; the main things I’d advise are to ensure your skillet (which must be cast iron) has been preheated at a high temperature for at least 15 minutes before you put anything in it and to make sure your oven is arranged so that the skillet is in the middle without any obstructions above it in case it rises significantly.
I recommend filling the skillet with pancake batter around halfway, though slightly more towards 2/3s of the way will also work. For reference, I have a 32cm cast iron that’s 6.3cm deep (you can get one for around £25 from Amazon, though you’ll need to spend some time seasoning it and building up patina).
The cooking time is pretty flexible; a Dutch Baby is like an interesting cross between a pancake and a Yorkshire Pudding, so you can retain more moisture or cook it on the higher side of what I’ve suggested to get a bit of extra crisp. If you have more moist toppings, you can definitely go more towards the ‘Yorkshire Pudding’ end of the spectrum. I take it out halfway to add the cheese topping so it can melt in as pictured above.
Savoury Dutch Baby with Mushrooms, Kale & Broccoli
A low-maintenance brunch centrepiece using pancake batter
Ingredients
- 1 cup of plain flour
- 4 large eggs
- 175ml of whole milk
- 1 tsp of mustard
- 1 tbsp of butter
- 50g of melting cheese (grated)
- 2 cloves of garlic (chopped finely, grated or crushed)
- 80g of oyster mushrooms (broken apart by hand)
- 50g of broccoli (chopped / prepped to your preference)
- 80g of cavolo nero (de-stemmed and roughly chopped)
- 1/4 of a tsp of nutmeg
- Olive oil for cooking and finishing
- Salt and pepper to taste
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 250C with the skillet inside (for 15-20 minutes, during which time you can prep your toppings and make the batter)
- Combine the flour in a large mixing bowl with a pinch of salt, a little pepper and half of the grated cheese
- In a separate bowl, beat together the eggs, mustard and milk
- Add the wet ingredients into the dry, whisking consistently until no flour pockets remain (alternatively, use a food processor)
- Remove the skillet from the oven and lower the heat to 225C, then add the butter to the skillet, return it to the oven for a couple of minutes until its melted and fragrant
- Remove the skillet from the oven and pour the batter directly into it, filling it no more than 2/3s of the way and oven bake for 10 minutes until the Baby begins to rise
- Remove the skillet from the oven and sprinkle the remaining cheese over the Baby, return to the oven for a further 10-15 minutes whilst you cook the toppings
- Over a medium heat, add some olive oil to a wide-based lidded pan and sauté the garlic for a couple of minutes until fragrant
- Add the broccoli and sauté for a further 5 minutes
- Add the oyster mushrooms and nutmeg, season everything with salt and pepper
- Add the cavolo nero, stir and cover; steam for another 5 minutes
- The Dutch Baby should now be ready to be removed from the oven so top it with the vegetable mix and drizzle over some olive oil to serve
Let me know if you try my go-to savoury Dutch Baby!
If you want more of visual on how to create this dish, check it out here:
But First, Food 
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