The quest for a simple breakfast that is filling enough to keep the kids satisfied until lunch is an endless one. Oatmeal is a good stick-to-the-ribs breakfast, but eggs are also so healthy for little growing bodies and brains.
Scrambled eggs or Egg cups are good, but my kids need some additional carb to go alongside it.
What I needed was an all-in-one breakfast that had both protein and carbs, but that didn’t make much mess on the counter and didn’t get too many dishes dirty.
I found the answer in German pancakes, also known as Oven Pancakes and Dutch Babies.
While it does make more dirty dishes than oatmeal, it is easier to clean up and kids don’t drop and slop it all over the counter, floor, and table. Totally worth the 20 minute baking time in my book.
Here’s how I’ve streamlined the process to get breakfast on the table quickly.
Streamlined German Oven Pancakes
- Turn the oven on to 400*. Pop in a 9×13 pan with two tablespoons of butter. It will preheat and melt the butter, greasing the pan and getting ready to make that pancake puff.
- Pull out milk, 6 eggs, and flour. I whisk this together in a batter bowl that has the measurements marked along the side so I don’t have to get a measuring cup dirty. First pour in one cup of milk, then crack in the six eggs, then dump in 1 cup of flour. I’ve used 1/2 whole wheat and 1/2 white flour or I’ve also used all whole wheat when I have soft white wheat (also known as pastry whole wheat flour). It doesn’t quite fluff up as much with whole wheat, but the extra nutrition makes it worth it.
- Whisk vigorously until the batter is well beaten. Let it sit until the oven is done preheating.
- Pull the hot pan out of the oven and shake the melted butter to evenly cover the bottom. Pour in the batter quickly then pop it back into the oven. Bake for 20 minutes.
- Serve with a sprinkle of powdered sugar over the top.
German pancakes – oven pancakes, dutch babies, or whatever else you want to call them – are also great baked with thinly sliced apples on the batter or topped with fresh berries.
After a satisfying breakfast, the kids are ready to tackle their day with plenty of energy and attention.
Learn how simple bread-making can be!
Fresh homemade bread is more of an art than a science. This one-page printable shows you how to approach the process artistically so you can have delicious, reliable bread every time – by hand or machine, whole wheat or white!
These sound delicious! They’re going to be added into our breakfast routine this week.
I make mine in the blender; less whisking :)
I made these this morning after seeing this recipe last night – big hit with my 2 teens! Will use a hand mixer instead of a whisk next time probably. Added a little salt – was I supposed to? Very simple. No syrup and butter needed – the dusting of powdered sugar was good. But they still felt like they were getting a treat, and not just scrambled eggs :-) Thanks!
What are your ideas for making these gluten free?
If you use a gluten-free flour mix, I’d just replace the flour in this with that substitute 1:1 – same with a milk alternative.
I always make mine in a cast iron skillet and had no idea that it would work in a 9×13 – great to know for when we need a bigger pancake!
So glad I discovered these on your site. Made the batter in the blender and added salt and a little vanilla. This recipe is so much easier than standing there flipping regular pancakes and love the extra eggs for protein. I used Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 gluten free flour – worked great!