Ham and Swiss Dutch Baby

This savory egg pancake is baked in a sizzling hot cast iron skillet, which causes it to balloon into a large bowl-shape in the oven. It’s filled with diced ham and Swiss cheese, and finished with a handful of fresh greens and cherry tomatoes.

This dramatic-looking Dutch Baby is a complete one-skillet meal convenient enough for weeknight dinners. It’s also been a weekday favorite when we need a quick lunch but want to eat well.

The recipe begins with lots of eggs, milk, flour, and a few chopped herbs and spices.  The base pancake recipe really is a simple affair.

You’ll whisk the eggs and milk in a big bowl, and stir together the dry ingredients in a separate bowl. When you whisk the two together by hand, you’ll have lumps of flour form and float to to the surface. This is normal!

Pour the mixture into a food processor, or in the pitcher of a blender. You could also use an immersion blender to make this mixture smooth. Just give it a whir until no lumps remain.

Generously butter a 10 inch cast iron skillet and place it over heat until bubbly and slightly browned. This gives the pancake a browned butter flavor, which is so nutty and delicious – but that probably goes without saying.

When the skillet is hot, and the butter is browning nicely, stir the herbs into the pancake batter. Here we’ve used thyme and scallions.

Pour the mixture into the hot skillet. It will sizzle and make a little scalding noise, and it may set slightly around the edges after it’s all poured in the pan. Immediately transfer the pancake to a hot, preheated, 425°F oven.

During baking, the batter will puff up and at the end, it should look like a pancake coliseum with high edges. Have ready the fillings you plan to use, and toss them on 5 minutes before bake time is up. I love this dish simply topped with cheese (I’m such an egg + cheese on everything girl), but if you’re serving to very hungry guests, precooked diced ham will make it a heartier offering.

You can top this pancake with whatever pre-cooked meat and cheeses you’d like, but the greens on top give this dish balance with a fresh bite. I don’t consider them optional!

Savory Ham and Swiss Dutch Baby

Heather Baird

This savory egg pancake is baked in a sizzling hot cast iron skillet, which causes it to balloon into a large bowl-shape in the oven. It’s filled with diced ham and Swiss cheese, and finished with a handful of fresh greens and cherry tomatoes.

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 35 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Servings 6

Equipment

• 10 inch cast iron skillet

Ingredients

 

US CustomaryMetric

 

1x2x3x

• 1 cup and 2 tablespoons 144g all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 8 large eggs
• 3/4 cup 180ml whole milk
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh thyme
• 2 tablespoons minced scallions
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 4 slices Swiss cheese
• 4 oz. diced cooked ham
• Baby arugula
• Cherry tomatoes
• Flaky sea salt

Instructions

 

• Preheat oven to 425°F. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, kosher salt and black pepper. Whisk together eggs and milk in a separate bowl.
• Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and whisk together until just combined. Transfer to a food processor or blender, and blend for 30 seconds to 1 minute, until no lumps appear; set aside.
• Melt the butter in a 10 inch cast iron skillet over medium-high heat on the stove top. Cook until browned, about 5 to 7 minutes.
• Pour the batter into the hot buttery skillet and transfer to the oven. Bake for 20 minutes. The sides will begin to rise over the top of the skillet forming a bowl shape.
• Pull out the oven rack with the skillet on it and sprinkle on chopped ham. Arrange Swiss cheese slices evenly over the inside of the pancake and bake for 5 more minutes.
• Let cool 3-5 minutes and then scatter a handful of baby arugula and a few cherry tomatoes over the center. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt and serve immediately.

Keyword dutch baby, german pancake

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