Macheesmo

How much have we talked about pancakes over the years? Kind of a lot.

But, you know what might just be better than a stack of pancakes? One big pancake. It’s certainly easier.

And in my humble opinion, you know what’s better than a pancake covered in syrup? A savory pancake covered in cheddar cheese and hot sauce.

Call me crazy, but this Savory Dutch Baby is my dream brunch.

Savory Dutch Baby

by Nick

Serves:

Serves 2

Prep Time:

15 mins

Total Time:

45 mins

Print Recipe

Rate This Recipe

Just a moment please...

Helpful Equipment:

Did you make this?

Snap a photo and tag @macheesmo so I can see your work.

Savory Dutch baby pancake baked in a cast iron skillet made with cheddar and scallions! Nice and crispy around the edge with a fluffy and delicious center.

Ingredients

1 cup cheddar cheese, grated

4 scallions, whites and greens separated

3 tablespoons butter, divided

1/2 cup milk

2 large eggs

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon sugar

Pinch of kosher salt

Pinch of chili powder

Pinch of black pepper

Hot sauce, garnish

Instructions

1) Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Melt butter in the microwave in short bursts. Add two tablespoons of the butter to a 10-12 inch cast iron skillet. Reserve 1 tablespoon of butter for the batter.

2) Chop scallions into whites and greens. Leave the greens in large pieces and slice into strips. Then dunk the strips into cold water. As they chill, they will curl up!

3) Dice the scallion whites and add to the cast iron skillet with the butter. Stick the skillet in the oven for 10 minutes to preheat.

4) Meanwhile, add the milk, eggs, flour, sugar, salt, and a pinch of chili powder to a blender and blend on high for 30 seconds until the batter is very smooth. Pulse in the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter very last.

5) Remove skillet from the oven and sprinkle half the grated cheese directly into the pan. Then quickly pour in the batter and sprinkle the last of the cheese on top of the batter. Return to the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes. If you’re using a 12 inch skillet, 25 minutes should be perfect. With a smaller skillet, you might need to bake it longer as your pancake will be thicker.

6) Remove pancake from oven and let cool briefly. Then cut into quarters and sprinkle with curly green scallions (dry them off first). Serve with hot sauce (or syrup actually).

Savory Dutch Baby

Cheddallion

Cheddar cheese and scallions are such a fantastic flavor combo. I would venture to say that in almost any recipe that has cheddar, you could add scallions and vice-versa. I can’t think of a single exception at the moment.

So we’ll be using them both in this savory Dutch Baby and using the whites and greens a bit differently for the scallions.

Quick Batter

Before we get to that though, let’s talk about the batter for this big ole pancake. The best way to make it happen is actually with a blender which will ensure that the batter gets completely whipped together. It’ll also whip in lots of air which will make the pancake puff up beautifully while it cooks.

I added a big pinch of chili powder and black pepper to my batter because I’m crazy like that.

Cooking the Pancake

To start the pancake, add 2 tablespoons of melted butter (use the other tablespoon in the batter) to a large cast iron skillet. You can use a 10-inch or 12-inch skillet for this without too much worry. Add the chopped scallion whites to the skillet also.

Stick the skillet in a 450 degree F. oven for about 10 minutes to get it really nice and hot.

For the scallion greens, slice them into long slivers and stick them in some cold water. They will curl up all cute like.

Now you have to work quickly.

Pull the skillet out of the oven and it should be really hot. Scoot around the scallions so they are evenly spread over the skillet and sprinkle on half of the cheddar cheese. Will some of it burn on the bottom of the pan? Sort of.

It will get crispy and delicious on the bottom which is awesome.

Then pour in your Savory Dutch Baby batter and sprinkle the rest of the cheese right on top!

This lovely thing will need to bake for 25-30 minutes. 25 minutes is perfect if you use a 12 inch pan like I did, but if you use a smaller one you’ll need to add on 5-10 minutes because your pancake will be thicker.

While it bakes it will puff up beautifully in the hot pan.

When the Savory Dutch Baby comes out,  the edges should be nice and crispy and the center fluffy and delicious.

Slice this thing into quarters and sprinkle on some of those curly scallion greens (dry them off first).

Hot sauce is probably your best option for a garnish, but honestly syrup tastes pretty darn good also.

I say this Savory Dutch Baby feeds two but I’m pretty sure I could house one by myself if you made me do it.

I would love someone to make me do it.