There’s a reason I’ve only shared a few pancake recipes over the last eight years: standing at the stove flipping pancakes is not my idea of a relaxing Saturday morning. But now I can have my cake and eat it, too. A buttermilk Dutch baby satisfies my pancake cravings without the hassle of making them at the stove.

Buttermilk Dutch Baby

Until recently, I had two choices for weekend pancakes. Either stand at the stove and flip pancakes only to sit down to a plate of pancakes, each with varying degrees of warmness, along with a thought that all the effort wasn’t worth the result. Or, instead of standing at the stove, I can get up, get dressed, drive to a restaurant, stand in line, and wait to order a stack of cakes. It’s a nice idea, but it sort of gets in the way of a low and slow start to the weekend, which is my preferred way to spend a Saturday morning.

So it was, oh, I don’t know, a couple Saturdays ago, that I stumbled on a Dutch baby recipe from NYT Cooking site. It required only two tools: a blender and 10-inch oven-safe skillet plus less than five minutes to make the batter. There’s no pancake flipping at the stove because the Dutch baby bakes up in the oven all on its own.

Needless to say, thirty minutes after discovering the recipe I tucked into my first Dutch baby and I was so taken with the final result, a puffy golden pancake with crispy edges and a soft eggy center, that I snapped a pic and shared it on Instagram along with the link to the recipe. I figured I can’t be the only soul who’s turned down pancakes on the weekend because of good old-fashioned laziness, so I shared this easy method that leads to the same end: a golden pancake dusted with powdered sugar and drizzled with maple syrup.

And, as is my way, I didn’t stop with that first experiment. Since then I’ve played with the recipe, swapping milk for buttermilk, adding a bit more sugar, and brightening it all up with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice. It’s a tangier twist on the original and a nod to its high-maintenance cousin, buttermilk pancakes.

How to Make a Dutch Baby

To start, place the skillet in the oven first thing an let it heat up along with the oven. Once heated, drop the butter in the hot skillet so it melts and sizzles on contact.
A blender makes easy work of the batter. It’s a quick dump and whirr operation, but a bowl and whisk will work, too.
When it’s time to pour the batter into the hot skillet I pull the oven rack out far enough to pour the batter. The first time I made it I pulled the hot skillet out, added the batter, and then transferred the skillet back to the oven. The batter sloshed around dangerously close to the edges as I transferred it back, raising my stress levels to an unnecessary level.
I’m a traditional maple syrup with my pancakes girl, but, as suggested in the original recipe, fresh fruit, or preserves, honey, or a combination of all would make for a delicious topping.

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