What's for Breakfast: Oven-Puffed Apple Pancake

This puffed pancake is a favorite in our house for breakfast. We make this puffy, custardy pancake with apples since we usually happen to have some on hand, but it's equally good made with fresh berries, too. This big pancake is also called a "Dutch Baby", which my kids think is funny. The kids love to watch this pancake cook through the oven window, since the batter puffs up dramatically as it bakes.

It's actually quite easy to forget to put on your oven mitt when you're moving the hot pan in and out of the oven—I know this from painful experience—so always make sure you have one on you hand before you reach in to grab the skillet handle. Needless to say, this probably isn't a recipe for little ones to help with, other than with mixing the batter.

Here's what you'll need:

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 large tart apples, peeled and sliced
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• Powdered sugar for serving

Here's how to make it:

Preheat your oven to 450º. Melt 1 tablespoon butter over medium heat in a 10-inch heavy ovenproof skillet. Add apples and cinnamon and cook over medium heat until softened, about 5–10 minutes. Remove apples from pan and set aside. Put remaining 3 tablespoons butter in the skillet and put in the oven to let the butter melt and the pan heat.

Meanwhile, combine flour and salt in a large mixing bowl, and eggs, milk, and vanilla in another. Add wet ingredients to the dry ones and whisk until smooth.

Put on an oven mitt (really, really important) and remove the pan from the oven. Pour the batter into the pan all at once, and then pour the apples in evenly on top of the batter.

Return the pan to the oven and bake until the pancake is puffed and browned, about 12–15 minutes.

Remove from oven and carefully slide onto a serving plate (you may need a spatula here). Dust with powdered sugar and cut into wedges for serving. Serves 4.