Orange Buttermilk Cornmeal Dutch Baby

In my experience, there are two kinds of people in the world: people who love Dutch babies, and people who just haven’t had the right one yet.

I first fell in love with Dutch babies via Bon Appetit’s Savory Dutch Baby recipe. It is delicious, and infinitely riffle. But then my partner got me The Art of Escapism Cooking for my birthday, and from the minute I saw the crackling pancake with caramel-clustered blueberries, I just could. not. get the idea of a Dutch baby topped with those sweet lil bluebs out of my head.

So this, friends, is how I came to expand my Dutch baby horizons to the sweeter side of things. Saturday morning found me collecting all my usual ingredients for a quick blitz in the blender, anticipating I was only a few moments away from eggy, pancake-y bliss. Some buttermilk languishing in the fridge got brought to the party, and when I found I was out of lemons, orange zest very generously pinch hit. A little cornmeal for a more interesting texture, and we were ready to roll!

But. Then I remembered that I had read someplace that J. Kenji Lopez-Alt says an overnight rest of the batter makes for better Dutch babies. And if there’s one rule in life we should all follow, it’s to always listen to J. Kenji Lopez-Alt. Sooooo my Saturday brunch dreams were dashed. But not for long! After a stint in the fridge, my Dutch baby was back on track.

I really thought I would always be a savory Dutch baby person– I’m definitely more of a salty than sweet gal. But after this, I’m not so sure. I reeeeeally loved this brunch. Maybe I’ll just have to find a way to marry the two! Don’t be surprised if, come the weekend, you find me puttering around the kitchen mumbling to myself about crumbled candied bacon and where exactly one must draw the line between sweet and savory cheeses…

Orange Buttermilk Cornmeal Dutch Baby

• 3 Eggs, room temperature
• 3/4 c. Buttermilk, room temperature (regular whole milk is also fine)
• 3 T. Unsalted Butter, melted, slightly cooled, and divided
• 1 t. Vanilla
• 1 T. Sugar
• 1 t. Orange zest
• 1/4 c. Flour
• 1/4 c. Cornmeal (if you don’t have cornmeal, just double the amount of flour used)
• 2 T. Cornstarch
• 1/4 t. Salt
• 1/4 c. Powdered Sugar, for serving
• Caramel-Clustered Blueberries (see below)

In a blender, blitz eggs on high speed until frothy, then stream in buttermilk, 2 T. butter, and vanilla, blending until combined. (If you don’t have a blender, a whisk and some muscles will do the trick.) Rub orange zest into sugar with your fingers, then add to the blender with the flour, cornmeal, cornstarch, and salt. Blend at a medium speed just until combined. Transfer to a sealed container and store in the fridge overnight.

When ready to cook the Dutch baby, place a medium skillet in the oven and preheat to 450– let it all heat up together for at least 20 min. Give batter a good shake to make sure it’s thoroughly combined, then remove the skillet from the oven. (Move quickly in this part!) Swirl remaining T. melted butter around the pan, then quickly pour in batter. Bake for approx. 20 min., until Dutch baby is puffed and golden brown. Dust with powdered sugar and serve topped with caramel-clustered blueberries.

Caramel-Clustered Blueberries (Lady and Pups)

• 1 c. fresh Blueberries (sorry, they gotta be fresh for this one)
• 1/3 c. Sugar
• 1 T. Water

Wash and gently pat blueberries dry, then put them in a ziploc bag and freeze them for for 45-60 minutes til frozen (this can be done the night before when you’re mixing up the Dutch baby batter). The next morning, combine sugar and water in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Swirl gently (but do not stir!) until the sugar is fully melted and a deep amber color. Turn off the heat and dump in blueberries. (Move quickly in this part!) Stir for just a few seconds, then turn out onto a parchment-lined plate. The cold blueberries will harden the caramel very quickly, so you need to get them turned out fast. Transfer to freezer til needed.

As if berries don’t make every breakfast carb better, Mandy Lee went and clustered them up in a quick caramel. Excuse me while I add these to every single breakfast for the rest of my days on earth. Is it the weekend yet?