German Pancake {Whole Grain Option} with Butter Syrup
This easy German pancake recipe is a breakfast staple! Five basic ingredients for a perfect baked pancake. Those craggy, golden edges are the best!
This simple German pancake is a staple breakfast around here, especially on the weekend!
Puffy and golden, it’s a classic, and this recipe has been in our family for years.
Blender Recipe
Five basic ingredients go into a blender:
- eggs
- milk
- vanilla
- salt
- flour
Process until smooth and well-combined. You don’t want to over blend here, but at the same time, you don’t want flour bits and lumps.
Best Pan for German Pancake
I always use a glass 9X13-inch dish for this recipe.
I’ve tried baking in a metal pan, and while it worked ok, it was much harder to clean the metal pan of the egg-based batter than the glass pan.
A cast iron skillet could also be used, although you’d likely need to cut down the recipe to use for a 9- or 10-inch skillet.
One word of caution for glass pans: after removing the baked pancake from the oven, ALWAYS set the hot glass pan on a trivet or hot pad and NOT on a cold countertop (even if it’s a material that can withstand heat). I’ve learned the hard way that the glass pan will shatter in to a million pieces.
Puffy Golden Pancake
German pancakes are notorious for their puffy, golden edges and wavy middles.
Our house is deeply divided on which section is best. Several of us fight over the craggy edges while the others try to sneak seconds on a middle piece before anyone notices.
What to Serve with German Pancake
This German pancake is delicious served with maple syrup, jam, or a sprinkle of powdered sugar.
But when we’re feeling like we want to treat ourselves in a special way, I’ll make the buttermilk syrup featured here. It’s also included with the recipe below.
It may seem unusual to simmer butter, buttermilk, baking soda, and sugar together to make syrup, but I promise it works.
I mean, if you are morally opposed to eating caramel for breakfast, you might want to look away, but otherwise, this is the breakfast dreams are made of.
A Special Breakfast
Brian makes this recipe more often than I do. It’s his signature recipe for weekend breakfasts, and we all love him for it.
For our family of seven, one pan isn’t enough anymore. So we (or rather, Brian) doubles the recipe and splits between two 9X13-inch pans.
It’s gobbled up lickety split, and it will definitely be a recipe that is passed down to future generations!
One Year Ago: Amazing Romaine Salad with Light Poppy Seed Vinaigrette
Two Years Ago: Stir-Fried Broccoli with Brown Rice {Meat Optional}
Three Years Ago: Cinnamon Roll Sugar Cookies
Baked German Pancake
Ingredients
For the Pan:
- 2 to 4 tablespoons butter
Pancake:
- 6 large eggs
- 1 cup milk
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup (142 g) all-purpose or white whole wheat flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Syrup:
- 1 cup (212 g) granulated sugar
- ½ cup buttermilk
- ½ cup (113 g) salted butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
Instructions
- For the pancake: preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Put the butter in a glass 9X13-inch baking dish and pop the pan in the oven while it preheats (if it's taking a while to mix up the batter, keep an eye on the dish so the butter doesn't burn; take it out when the butter is melted). Swirl the melted butter to coat the bottom of the 9X13-inch pan and set aside.
- Combine all the pancake ingredients in a blender and process until smooth and well-combined, 20-30 seconds.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and immediately return to the oven. Bake for 20 minutes until the pancake is puffy and lightly browned on the bottom and edges.
- Serve immediately with jam, butter syrup, maple syrup or whatever else your heart desires.
- For the syrup: in a larger than you think saucepan (it will foam and triple in volume at the end), combine the sugar, buttermilk and butter and bring to a boil, stirring often. Reduce the heat and simmer for 5-7 minutes. Off the heat, stir in the vanilla and baking soda until well-combined. Serve warm over pancakes. For an extra caramelly version, add the baking soda at the beginning with the buttermilk.
Notes
Recommended Products
Recipe Source: pancake recipe from my Aunt Marilyn, syrup a combined recipe from Aunt Marilyn + Lindsay, a reader who emailed me her favorite butter syrup recipe eons ago
241 Comments on “German Pancake {Whole Grain Option} with Butter Syrup”
Just here to report that I’ve been making this recipe for years because it’s AMAZING, but I experimented with it tonight and discovered a variation tonight that my family loved.
I made the pancake recipe as normal, but I decided to leave out the vanilla extract. As soon as I pulled it from the oven I topped it with some lunchmeat (ham on half, salami on the other side) and then put a layer cheese. I put it under the broiler long enough to melt and bubble the cheese. Served it with some berry compote for the ham side (like a Monte Cristo) and I had pepperoncini and mustards for the salami side. The family devoured it.
And thank you so much for all of your work that you pour into your recipes and blog. I’ve been following and enjoying your recipes for about ten years now.
I love the savory variation, Samantha! Thanks for sharing!
I’m actually making this as I type out this review (10 year old girl sleepovers!) and have been making this, following this exact recipe for YEARS. It’s the most asked for breakfast at sleepovers and family get-togethers. I make the butter syrup with the baking soda added at the end (I do only half the recipe, the full version makes A LOT) and it’s always a hit.
The syrup is a must! So good! It worked with homemade buttermilk (lemon juice and milk).
This is a great recipe for an extra large Dutch baby. I normally follow NYTimes recipe for a cast iron pan.
This was perfect and the syrup was amazing!! Love both, yum!
We did the Carmel version and added the soda at the beginning and we didn’t like it at all. Didn’t taste like Carmel. Anyone else have this issue?
Any tips for making this in high altitudes? I can’t seem to keep mine from falling.
Hi Nicole, what type of pan are you using? You might try adding a few more tablespoons flour to the batter.
Would it work to make this in a cast iron skillet? I have a large 16 in cast iron and love to find recipes that I can bake in it…Thank Mel
Hello from Roseau.
Jill
Oh, miss Roseau! Yes, this should work great in a cast iron skillet!
I tried this for the first time today. It is simply fantastic! The buttermilk syrup is so delicious that I could eat it by the spoonful!
Delicious!! Make the syrup!!!
My six year old son said: This is so good I want 8ths! It’s from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe, right?”
My family does better without most dairy, but butter is fine. This MILK-FREE sub worked great:
Sub for buttermilk: 2tsp white vinegar + canned coconut milk to make 1/2 cup. Proceed as written.
Easy and delicious! The butter syrup completes the pancake, and it is very good drizzled over fresh strawberries and blueberries. This will be added to our Christmas morning breakfast! Thank you so much for sharing this recipe.
When you double the batch, do you bake both 9x13s at the same time? #idreamofadoubleoven
Yes, I do! They both fit in my standard size oven. (I dream of double ovens, too!)
Great, thanks! I’m always nervous to “crowd” the oven, but glad to hear that it will work fine!
Saved me this pregnancy
This is such a great recipe. I make this every Christmas morning for the past several years. Thank you for sharing!
I made this on a whim today. I love these baked breakfast recipes for lunch (what can I say, I’m a breakfast person). I made this today instead of the other baked pancake recipe on this blog I usually make. Holy śh!t it was fantastic. You weren’t lying about the decadent syrup. I could seriously eat that alone. I didn’t bake my pancake long enough, it wasn’t golden on top and it fell quite a bit after I took it out of the oven. It still tasted delicious but I’ll bake it longer next time. This recipe is a keeper. It’s so easy but makes me look like a kitchen rockstar.
hi,
just a quick not to this recepie.
this is not a german pancake, its a dutch baby pancake.
it is so sad, that food blogger and even star chefs do not do the proper research and representing so often origin recepies which are shown wrong. i am german and this is not a german pancake.
best regards Ludwig
Hi Ludwig,
In America “German Pancake” is another term for “Dutch Baby”–the etymology is pretty obscure but it seems to be named after a belief they had similarity to pfannkuchen. They seem to also be called “Dutch babies” likely because the words “Deutsch” and “Dutch” were commonly mistaken (for example that’s why the German speaking Pennsylvanians became known as “Pennsylvania Dutch” and not Pennsylvania Deutsch.
So in defense of Mel–this would be sort of like saying that “French toast” is not what you eat in France! It’s just the American term for the food. If you’re upset with it your worry is much bigger than Mel 🙂
The syrup with this pancake recipe is THE BEST! We had sliced fresh mango along side our pancake and drizzled the syrup over it….amazing! It tasted almost like my favorite sticky mango rice from my favorite Thai restaurant. Thank you for this wonderful, easy recipe that I will make over and over again!
This recipe was a huge hit with my family (as are all your recipes). I thought the syrup was an amazing addition to this pancake. My husband tends to like things a little less sweet than I do though. Is it possible to reduce the amount of sugar in the syrup an still have it come out with the correct consistency? Thanks!
You could definitely play around with the ingredient amounts – I’ve never reduced the sugar so I don’t know if the consistency will be the same.
Will the syrup keep if made in advance? What is the best way to store?
Yes, I store it in the refrigerator and warm it up before serving.
I made this with whole wheat (half hard red half hard white) flour and it was so good! And more filling than german pancakes usually are. Also I boiled the syrup a little too long and when it cooled it turned into taffy which my kids still ate!
I can’t thank you enough for this recipe. The pancake and the syrup both rocked my world!
If I like a thicker German Pancake could I just one and a half the recipe? Thoughts…
Yep!
I made the butter syrup this morning with maple sugar because I was out of white sugar….Holy Smokes!! AMAZING
We made the white whole wheat version and the egg separated from the flour and some sink to the bottom and some rose to the top.
At the top of the recipe it says “cook time 30 minutes” but in the recipe it says 20 minutes. I learned by sad experience last night that 30 minutes is too long . Next time I’ll pay more attention to the recipe, but you might want to fix that. This recipe is almost identical to one I grew up having, so I know it’s good. I’ll try again.
The cook time at the top of the recipe includes the time needed for all components of the recipe (in this case, the pancakes and the syrup) so that people know how long the full recipe will take. Sorry if that was confusing!
Made these again over the weekend for a family reunion – they were delicious! Thanks!
Would this turn out with gluten free flour?
I haven’t tried it, but I’m pretty sure others have tried it and reported back in the comment thread about using gluten free flour.
I used it with Bob’s 1 to 1 Gluten Free flour and it worked okay. Not amazing as the original recipe is a family staple and we could definitely tell the difference, but it was still okay, and the butter syrup is the real star anyway lol.
My 10th grader is taking German and I thought he’d think it was funny to have German pancakes. He liked them but LOVED the syrup. Thank you for posting! Definitely making again
These turned out really good! No surprises there though, everything I’ve made from this website has been good! I WAS wondering though where I can find white whole wheat flour? I’ve looked a couple different places now with no luck♀️
Hi Alexa, most prepackaged wheat flour is red whole wheat flour – I think King Arthur Flour sells a lighter “pastry” whole wheat flour in stores that is white wheat, but I’m not sure. I know you can buy it more easily online but that doesn’t help if you are looking to use it right away.
Kroger/Smiths sells a brand of whole wheat white flour. The brand is called Wheat Montana, the bag is yellow and says Prairie Gold.
Mel, first off we love you. Thank you for the amazing recipes, tips, and love you share. I was excited to see German Pancakes pop up on your feed. A true classic. A very delicious, simple classic. Please, please try topping it with a generous sprinkle of “snow” powdered sugar, then squeeze fresh lemon juice, finally top with fresh strawberries! You will LOVE it! I honestly request if for my birthday treat. So delicious!
Thanks, Nicole! Will definitely try that!
This is awesome!
We LOVE this syrup! It is a family favorite. This morning I was reheating some left over syrup on the stove and forgot about it. By the time I realized it the syrup had caramalized. We cut up some apples and dipped them into the now caramel butter syrup. It was delicious! It had a similar texture/flavor to dulce de leche.
Why German? I have never seen Pancake Like this and german people never war Pancake at breakfast!!!
At least it’s not “French” like most everything else that also has nothing to do with food origins. It’s just what it’s called here. Although it also goes by Dutch baby. I assume the Dutch wouldn’t claim any culinary roots either. It’s basically a giant popover; although if you have English heritage, it would be a giant Yorkshire pudding. That last one just might be geographically accurate!
Oh my gosh that syrup is amazing! The pancake was light and delicious. My son could not stop telling me all day how good my “new” pancakes were. Thank you for sharing!
This recipe is amazing!! Our family really loved it! It looks really weird toward the end of baking , but the taste is so delicious and with the butter syrup, it is over the top! Definitely a keeper. Thanks for sharing this.
Perfect breakfast for our snow day today! I made this and the chocolate version side-by-side. The syrup is probably my favorite part!
The recipe was great! I followed it to a T and it turned out wonderful. Tastes delicious, and I can understand how one family would devour it. Thanks!
In case anyone was wondering, over-mixing the flour portion of this will DEFINITELY result in a super dense, firm… thing. Don’t even want to call it a pancake. Scientific experiment courtesy of a 2-year-old who enthusiastically whisked while Mom wasn’t looking. Will have to try again sometime…
Loved it! Easy & quick to make. I had to use a smaller round bowl to bake it & it puffed up like a souffle, but it was great nonetheless. Thanks for the recipe.
LOVE this recipe! We have it every Sunday morning (: my picky toddler will eat as us adults. Thank you Mel!
Just wanted to leave a comment on the syrup though- I’ve found I can only let it simmer for 5 minutes or it crystallizes. Super yummy crystals though!
Thanks for the feedback, Emily!
This is too funny! My husband has been making these for our kids from the Betty Crocker cookbook for maybe a dozen years (doubled, just like Brian), and they call them “Dad’s Famous Pancakes”. He actually may have been the one to dub them that because, like Bart, he wanted a food tradition to be remembered by! I guess this is the perfect dad recipe.
I’m excited to try your exact recipe, as well as the buttermilk syrup…yum! Thank you!
Oh, so funny!
Made this for the first time months ago as something new to try with my kids that they could be hands on with, which they loved. After being diagnosed with Celiac I wanted to be able to eat the same delicious things and so I tried the recipe with “all purpose” or “cup-for-cup” gluten free flour and it was even BETTER than before! The end result was slightly more dense which my family enjoyed. Also, the butter syrup is to die for!
I made the syrup and I get a baking soda aftertaste. My husband said he wouldn’t of noticed it if I wouldn’t of said anything. Did I do something wrong or am I just being weird?
You could try decreasing the baking soda a bit – but I’m guessing you didn’t do anything wrong. We are probably all just used to it. 🙂
Just made these, pancakes tasted great and syrup did too. But while adding the baking soda it had a sort of acid smell, it mostly disappeared as it set, but could still smell it a little. What did I do wrong?
I think it is just fine, Margaret – the baking soda might have a bit of an acrid smell but the flavor shouldn’t be noticeable.
I’ve eaten these my whole life. They are hands down the fastest way to become the favorite parent. I’ve never made them in a blender, but that is definitely happening the next time these are made. If you haven’t tried the topping of sprinkled lemon juice followed by sprinkled powdered sugar, it’s time.
Mel, have you ever tried subbing coconut extract for vanilla extract in the syrup recipe? It’s super yummy and a nice way to change things up.
Followed the directions to a T, but it didn’t rise up the dudes & got big bubbles in the middle. What’s I do wrong? I barely mixed the flour & salt in, just ‘TIL combined. I’m super bummed, I was really looking forward to this. 🙁
However, I did use milk & lemon juice to make butter milk & the syrup turned out perfectly.
I’m not Mel replying- sorry! But I discovered I had the same problem if I don’t pour the mixture into the hot pan almost immediately after it’s all been mixed or if the oven isn’t all the way preheated. Who knew such a simple recipe could be so temperamental! Good luck next time!
I’ve never commented on a recipe before, but we make this all the time, and are making it now. My daughter, who is 3, yells “I LOVE Dutch Babies!” when she hears we’re making this.
Haha, so cute!
My wife told me yesterday that she had a blog post that she wanted to share with me and although I was expecting it to be related to politics, SEO, religion, or parenting, it turned out to be this article. I guess it could loosely fall under the category of parenting.
I guess I need to learn to make this yummy dish. She made it for us all this morning and it was a hit. The kids said it reminded them of crepes ( which they like to pronounce as creepy’s).
Just made this. It was amazing!!! Thank you so much: to you and Bart!
I’ve made this a couple times and they are delicious!! But my center never puffs up. The sides get super puffy but the center is like a black hole of sadness….any idea what I could be doing wrong?? I typically half the recipe and bake it in an 8×8. Could that be the cause?
That sounds similar to mine, Megan – the sides puff up way more than the middle.
They’ll puff up much more beautifully if you use cast iron. They just retain the heat better and the hot pan is what’s key.
Best recipe ever. Bad, because I could eat the entire pan myself…if I let myself. Thank you for sharing!
My whole family LOVES this for breakfast. Don’t try to make the pancake part with buttermilk, though because it won’t rise very much.
Great recipe!! We ate this the other day and topped them with sauteed apples that had been tossed in cinnamon and sugar, and then we sprinkled a bit of powdered sugar on top. It was amazing, so much in fact that we decided this needed to be a traditional meal in our home. Thank you for being our “go to” site for recipes!
Yum! Sounds so delicious, Rachel!
My kids LOVED this so much when we had it for Brinner the other night that they requested it for breakfast this morning. As I went to add the flour I realized I was all out of all purpose so I used Sprouted Spelt flour instead. I was prepared for a less than puffy pancake, but surprisingly it still worked well and was delicious. The butter syrup is a game changer and certainly took it to the next level!
I was looking for something to shake up our breakfast routine and found this recipe. I’ve never had German pancakes before but the whole family loved them! I considered cutting the recipe in half because I have just three younger kids but the whole batch got eaten. Glad I left it the way it was! Thanks for a great new breakfast recipe!
Everything was delicious! I simmered the syrup at too high a temperature, though, and couldn’t do it for more than 5 minutes. It ended up coming out much too thick. It was delicious though, and I know better for next time!
Hi Mel!
I made this syrup today and it is amazing! But I messed up and ended up making a double batch. Can I save the syrup for another day?
Yeah, absolutely! It will save for a couple weeks in the fridge.
I’ve made this a couple of times and my family loves it! Do you think this is a meal that could be brought into someone early in the day, they refrigerate it and then bake it themselves? Same question for the syrup…Thanks for your help!!! 🙂
That’s a great question…I don’t know. Would you put the batter in a disposable pan? I think it might work better to bake it for them and then let them warm it up to eat (both with the pancake and the syrup).
Since I couldn’t find a comment where anyone mentioned trying this with non-dairy milk, I thought I would leave my experience! I made this with homemade cashew milk (I’ve learned it works better than any other type of non-dairy milk, plus it’s a cinch to make!) and it turned out great!
I also only made 1/3 of the recipe. I used a glass loaf pan, the cashew milk, and baked for 14 minutes. For the syrup, I used maybe 1/4-1/2 tsp lemon juice and added the cashew milk to let it sour. I let it cook too long and too high so it was really thick, but it tasted phenomenal. I ate the whole thing because I was starving, but this size would work well for a breakfast for two with bacon and fruit.
Thanks for the details, Stacey! That’s awesome both the pancake and syrup works with cashew milk!
Made half the recipe and are a half of that – very, very filling! I should have had only a quarter of it but it was just too good to pass up. Unsure how it will taste reheated tomorrow but I think if I bake it in a 350 oven for 5-8 mi utes it might still be almost as good. The butter syrup is yummy but next time I’d add a little more vanilla. This is a good recipe for a change from the standard however I still like my old fashioned buttermilk pancakes best. Thanks for a different spin on an old favorite.
Can I leave the baking soda out of the butter syrup? What does it do for the recipe?
It’s pretty important for the syrup – creates a silky, creamy texture.
This is one of my kids favorite breakfast! I make it all the time. I love how easy it is and how it I need to use up some eggs this is an easy way to do it!
What would be the quantity of sugar substitute for syrup
Sorry, Marilyn – I’m not sure what you mean?? Are you wanting to sub something for sugar in the syrup?
Using a blender for these is a revelation! A double batch just fit (about 6 cups total) and is so much easier than using & washing my KitchenAid bowl & whisk attachment.
Turned out so well and puffy (kids have coined these “Puffy pancakes”) and the syrup is basically the best ever.
DELICIOUS we all love this recipe!
The syrup is definitely what makes these fabulous!
Family favorite! Thank you for the wonderful recipe, the syrup is the best!!
wonderful recipes, but oooh boy that butter syrup! do you think it can be made with honey instead of sugar…only because I ended up getting a couple quarts of honey (if you can believe it !) if so, make it the same way?
I haven’t ever tried that, sorry! I don’t know if it would work out the same…
I just made this no less than 30 min ago. The Pancakes turned out great as did the Syrup but when I doubled the syrup I also doubled the Baking Soda, I’d advise not to do that as it tastes off. I also added lemon at the end of the syrup with the vanilla and baking soda. Thank you again.
I made this over the weekend. The pancake was great, but that SYRUP!! Oh, wow. My breakfast game has been seriously revamped with it. Thank you!!
Hey Mel! My husband and I try to make this every Saturday morning…a new tradition! Just thought I’d let you know that this morning we were out of milk, so I subbed in 2 tablespoons of sour cream and 3/4 cup of water and it turned out even fluffier and more delicious! Might try sour cream and milk next time and see what happens!
Oh, awesome! I’ll have to try that…
Do you think I could sub in soy milk for the pancake? I’m sure I couldn’t for the buttermilk though, just wouldn’t have the right flavor
I haven’t tried that, Jennifer – but I think it’s probably worth experimenting.
Hi Mel! I just wanted to report that I made this syrup tonight with kefir and it turned out great!! I thought it smelled funky while cooking, but it tasted oh so divine once done! The only possible weird thing was that there were tiny little bits of kefir-ish things in the syrup, but it didn’t change the flavor at all. So dang good! Thank you so much!
So happy to know that, Meg! Thanks for reporting back.
I subbed buttermilk with powdered buttermilk and blended the lumps with a hand blender…. smoothed it out and the sauce was a wild success!
Hey,
I’m just curious to know why it’s called German pancake?
I’m German and I’ve never heard of this before.
It looks yummy though and butter syrup must be something else. Since I’m a fan of baled Frensh Toast, I’ll definitely try this as well.
Not sure, Nina!
German Pancake a.k.a. Dutch Baby, as in Pennsylvania Dutch, who are of German origin.
I’ve also heard of it called a “Dutch baby” my favorite!
This looks delicious! But I’m not sure what I did wrong with the syrup. I followed all the steps exactly and it turned out all sticky and gooey, not like a strip at all. Any suggestions?
Any chance it boiled too long? You might try reducing the heat or boiling a bit less next time.
I live in Star Valley–would you add any flour for high altitude…or adjust baking time (longer?). Love your blog Mel!
I’ve never adjusted for high altitude and they’ve been fine, but it’s been a long time since I’ve lived at high altitude, so you might want to try if you normally have to adjust for high altitude.
I live in Colorado at 7500 plus feet and have needed no adjustments.
Is there a way to substitute egg whites for th a portion of the eggs?
You could definitely try that, Lisa – I haven’t tried it myself so I don’t know for sure how it would affect the recipe.
If I want to try it in muffin pans…do u suggest filling each one half full? Im thinking they “grow”? ….And how long would you guess to cook? Please answer, someone! I want to try these Christmas morning and dont want to screw it up!
I’ve never made these in a muffin tin…but you could try filling halfway full and baking for 12 minutes?
I don’t have a blender. Will this recipe whip up correctly with electric beaters? Thanks!
Sure, I think that would work!
I’ve used a wire whisp. Works great
Just made it. What a success! I used whole milk and syrup.
Thx Mel
We use our food processor for everything because we don’t have a blender. Would that work?
If your food processor can get ingredients really smooth, I think it would work just fine.
I’m sure these are best fresh, but curious if they would last refrigerated then reheated later in the day?
Loved the syrup! I boiled on low heat and it turned out perfect! I used milk with lemon juice since I didn’t have buttermilk. Still perfect I could sit and just eat the syrup! My family has made these pancakes for as long as I can remember but I forget if it’s 6 eggs and 1 cup ratio or 12 eggs. Big family and we made a LOT so I think that is where the 12 comes from. Thank you for the recipe!
Thanks for letting me know this worked with a homemade buttermilk option, Tiffany!
I made this with half whole wheat and half regular all purpose flour. I usually make it with all purpose flour only. It was dense, but I want to play with the ratios so it is a bit healthier. So, any suggestions on ratio for whole wheat flour or another type of whole wheat flour?
Thanks- this is similar to one I make all the time. I usually throw in some fresh nutmeg and a dash of cinnamon
So someone above in the comments said they use ground oat flour (made in their blender, I believe, from regular oats) as a sub for the flour and the pancakes are super light and fluffy – almost crispy, if I remember right. That might be worth a try. Also, when I make these with whole wheat flour, I’m careful not to pack the flour in the cup to avoid even more density than whole wheat flour normally gives.
What did I do wrong?! I followed your directions exactly and I ended up with a nasty, brown, gritty blob of “syrup” that I ended up throwing in the trash. 7 minutes of boiling? So disappointed with how it turned out!!
I’m not sure what went wrong, Jennifer – sorry it didn’t work out for you!
You boiled it too long… bring it to a boil, turn heat down and simmer for 7 minutes. It’s almost like making candy but keeping it at a simmer keeps it from getting to the softball stage. This is so worth trying again!
Hi Mel,
I am not a big egg fan, but I know they are needed in baking! Does this dish taste more like a pancake or eggs? I wasn’t sure if the eggs were for the fluff or for the flavor.
Thank you!
These are definitely eggy in flavor…not quite as fluffy and “bready” as a pancake.
An interesting thing to keep in mind, the size if your cooking pan does affect the flavor. A friend was introducing it to me and she had a 6″ and a 8″ cast iron pan. One was “eggy” while the other wasnt. Dont remember which was which though. But just a thought to keep in mind
Our recipe is very similar although only 4 eggs and no vanilla. I might have to try with 6 eggs to see if there is a difference.
My husband has done the exact thing everything he makes is now Dads Famous … Your Zephyr pancakes are known in our house as “dads famous pancakes”. Thanks for sharing such amazing recipes that the whole family can enjoy.
I love that he has famous pancakes! Such a fun memory for your family…
I have found your recipe is lacking in Basic flavor. So I have added more salt and added a couple or more tablespoons of sugar or real maple syrup. It enhances the flavor greatly. And I have even increased the butter an additional tablespoon when not using the butter syrup.
Love your site!
In oven now 🙂
Do you think I could sub (milk/vinegar buttermilk substitute ) for actual buttermilk in the syrup?
Someone else commented that they’ve tried that and the syrup curdled so I’d probably suggest sticking with storebought buttermilk.
The pancake came out pretty dense and did not rise. Maybe I over mixed the batter.
My mom always put an apple, brown sugar and butter mixture on the bottom of the pan before pouring in the pancake batter. I have no idea how she made it but the pancakes never needed syrup because of the amazing gooey carmel sauce on the bottom of the pan. It was always my favorite breakfast. Also, I echo all of the other comments about trying coconut extract. It’s AMAZING!
My mom always put a brown sugar, butter, and apple mixture on the bottom of the pan before she added the pancake mixture. It was always divine and never needed syrup because of the Carmel goodness on the bottom of he pan. I can’t wait to try it with butter syrup.
i love THESE (we call them dutch babies) but I’ve had trouble where if they sit for any length of time after I’ve made them (I’m talking 5 or 10 minutes), they shrink. They shrink down to nothing and it’s very sad. Has anyone else had this issue? Can I fix it?
Dutch Babies are a matter of out of the oven, onto the table and onto the plate. Wait for any length of time and you might just as well have made normal flat pancakes.
HI Mel,
I’m a little late to the conversation, but for a syrup variation, we make apple syrup with our “puffy pancakes.” Apple juice, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and corn starch. It’s yummy!
I have been making this syrup for years. It is the best syrup in the entire world! Whenever I make pancakes, waffles or German pancakes I am always asked if I made my special syrup. (I only cook mine for 3 min after it boils though) Delicious! We did try this version of German pancakes this morning “because it’s Mels recipe” and they were a big hit! Thanks!
We love German pancakes and it is totally my husband that makes them (most of the time) too! That and cottage cheese pancakes with this buttermilk syrup. They’re so delicious!
We love these, too! Especially with the butter syrup. My mom was a missionary in NYC, and her President’s wife would make them for the missionaries, except they called them Hoot Nannies. And as if the name isn’t funny already, everyone would have to yell “Hoot nanny, Hoot nanny, hoot, hoot, hoot!” It wouldn’t be brought out until they were yelling loud enough. Haha. Needless to say, we kept the tradition alive when I was growing up.
Oh my gosh, that’s hilarious.
Oh yum, yum! I could drink that syrup right out of the pan. I used pure maple sryup instead of the sugar and still delicious. My boys loved the pancake (did whole grain version) too. I was a little worried because their favorite breakfast is a chocolate dutch baby and I thought this might taste a little bland to them but NOPE, I had to wrestle them to even get a bite. Thanks Mel, I’m working this into the regular breakfast rotation!
This is really interesting and I want to make it. My dad made ‘german pancakes’ growing up, but they were more like crepes — thinner batter, large and you put jam on them and roll them up. That was his family breakfast recipe.
This is the recipe my husband made for our kids when he had to make dinner. It is still a family favorite:)
I grew up calling this dish Popeye Pancake. We never ate it with syrup though, always topped with shredded sharp cheddar cheese and plenty of crumbled bacon…yum. I may have to try it with the butter syrup for my own kids now.
Thanks for all of your wonderful recipes Mel! And my husband sends his thanks as well. 😉
This sounds delicious! I was just wondering if anyone ever tried making the buttermilk/butter syrup with soured milk instead of real buttermilk?
I haven’t tried that Emily, sorry I can’t tell you for sure if it will work!
My sister tried the soured milk trick for this syrup when we were visiting, and it didn’t come together. It just looked curdled.
Good to know – thank you!
I tried it with 2% milk and white vinegar. It worked great for me! So yummy!
I mix the milk with lemon or lime and let it sour for about 10 minutes. Works perfectly and this syrup is absolutely the best stuff ever
Looks like you’ve posted a well-beloved recipe for many families! German pancakes with butter syrup is the favorite breakfast of all 4 of my kids, too. my husband eats his with peanut butter and butter syrup. I like mine with fresh strawberries or peaches and whipped cream. Yummmm!
I’ve been keeping busy while snowed-in and decided to make these – good call! They were delicious with white whole wheat (and the kids agreed – the syrup is the star of the show). Thanks for such a simple, lovely recipe!
I made these for my kids this morning for our “Tuesday Special Breakfast” and they especially loved the syrup. (“Can I have some more frosting on mine?”) And I was so proud of myself for putting together a new recipe, even on a school morning! Thanks for sharing this in such a friendly, simple way!
My husband loves these so much, we have them almost every Sunday after church 🙂 We also like to sprinkle on powdered sugar and lemon juice! Whipping cream on top of that is delicious, too– it tastes like a lemon cream pie.
We make this same syrup but instead of vanilla use 1/2 tsp of coconut flavoring (and 1/2 tsp of baking soda – I’ll have to try it with the full 1 tsp). So so Yummy!!!
I made this this morning for my son’s birthday breakfast and it turned out very eggy. Never had a German pancake before, so maybe they’re supposed to be eggy? Luckily I had some waffles in the freezer. 🙂
Yes, since the base of the batter is made of a lot eggs, the baked pancake is definitely on the eggy side.
If we make it again I might just go crazy and top it with veggies and cheese instead of syrup!
I’m making it! I made the dutch one, but not german. And I live in Germany now 🙂
We just had this for dinner and was amazing! Kids were over the moon. Only had 1/2 cup of white sugar for the syrup after I had pancakes already in the oven (arg) so subbed in 1/2 cup brown and was magical anyway! Will have to try again after we have the right amount of white- but as it was- this is a keeper. THANKS!
I know this is a long shot, but any idea on how this would work with a gluten free flour blend?
I haven’t tried it gluten-free but I think it stands a good chance of working (or at least experimenting!).
It works fairly well, since it’s a low flour yield. Good luck!
I have made a similar recipe with gluten free “cup for cup” type flour. It’s still delicious. There are never leftovers for our family of 3! It doesn’t get AS light and puffy as white flour, but I’ve eaten bread that tastes like cardboard as my only option. This is AMAZING.
Works well. My daughter is GF and I make this for her any time she stays overnight. It’s her go to breakfast from mom. I use King Arthur GF flour. It’s a little denser but we don’t mind that.
my kids love those and we call them hootinanies which is even more fun 🙂
This made me smile! My husband (who loves to cook) doesn’t seem to find much time these days to cook. If you ask my children (who didn’t get to see him cooking up a storm during our early years of marriage), the one thing Dad is known for in the kitchen is this exact same thing! He serves it with lots of powdered sugar and fresh squeezed lemon. It is typically the dish served the morning of a sleepover. He is now known outside of our household for this specialty. Another child who hasn’t experienced it approached my husband on the playground b/c he had heard of the epic deliciousness. Love that your husband has the same rock star ability!
Mel – since I am not one to comment often. Let me take the opportunity to say THANK YOU! My family loves your recipes. My sister pointed me your way and we have never, ever been disappointed. If I say “this is from Mel”, my family knows they are going to love it. I am not exaggerating when I say you make at least a weekly appearance at our dinner table if not more. As a working mom of two children with lots of activities, knowing that your recipes will be straightforward and delicious is more than I could ask for!
Thank you so much, Eliza!
Dinner tonight–thanks!
When I saw the syrup made the blog this morning, I might have cheered and then immediately texted my sister and husband bragging about my new-found fame. Haha! You’re basically my kitchen idol, so I was pretty excited! I’m curious what cooking the syrup longer does? I usually only let it boil about a minute, but I will try 7 next time, with these German pancakesI I know I’ve said this before, but I use your almost blog every day. Yesterday I made roasted cauliflower and this morning your newer applesauce muffins. So thanks for all the work you put into your blog–it is always my go-to for something delish!
Hey Lindsay! I was hoping you’d see this post. I’ve always made a similar buttermilk syrup and it boils for 7 minutes so I make this version the same way. It might be my imagination but I think it makes it slightly thicker and richer. 🙂
That’s good enough for me! I’ll try it next time! Thanks. 🙂
Plus, I’m getting a kick (from here and the comments on Instagram) about all the alternate names. Love it!
You guys are killing me with all your variations. Yum! We do the lemon juice/powdered sugar number on ebelskivers but it looks like we need to introduce our German pancakes to the same deal. And I love the idea of baking the batter in muffin cups. Thanks for chiming in! Gosh, I love you guys.
I LOVE german pancakes, my mom made them about once a week when I was a kid. I always put powdered sugar and fresh squeezed lemon on them. However, I have to say that your buttery syrup sounds amazing. I might just change my ways and try it. I’m so glad you shared this because since I’m a grown up now, my mom is no longer making me breakfast, I sort of forget about this breakfast delight.
Thumbs up from another of your male readers!
Hey, Nick! 🙂
We love to add sliced apples, that have been cooked with butter and brown sugar on top. It’s a German Apple Pancake.
These are my kids favorite! We always have them for our “friend” Christmas breakfast:)
Butter syrup is the best!
This also happens to be my husband’s go to breakfast. He likes to make them in a jumbo muffin pan and then they become little cups that the kids can fill with fresh fruit and whip cream, jam, or lemon juice and powder sugar. YUMMO!
4-4-1-1 German PANCAKES We have these almost every week.
Oven 400, 4 eggs, 1 c flour, 1 c milk. Add vanilla and pinch salt. I use 2 frypans
heated w lots of butter rolled around, before pouring in the egg mixture. We put lots of powdered sugar and 2 whole lemons squeezed over them making a glaze. YUMMM.
Exactly the recipe that I have in a German cookbook but they called it Flaffle. We just call it wonderful. Has been a favorite in our home for the last 25 years and mostly have it with fresh lemons and powder sugar. Only difference is our book calls for 425. Will have to try the butter syrup
I adore German pancakes. They are also great with lemon juice and powdered sugar. I’ve made the same buttermilk syrup recipe often, but it turns out a darker caramel color. I wonder if it’s because I add the baking soda in the beginning with the rest of the ingredients? I only boil for 4-5 minutes. I think I like the lighter color better so will have to try adding the baking soda at the end.
we cook ours at 450 for 15 ,minutes….it puffs up high….
German pancakes are one of our favorite meals for breakfast, and breakfast for dinner. My husband grew up eating them all the time, so they’re a staple for us now!
Paige
http://thehappyflammily.com
ps…….we use half butter and half olive oil
and no vanilla………in fact we don’t even put
syrup on, we like them plain!!
We call them Hootenanny’s.
Would be interested to see the whole grain version…….I have made our recipe with white whole wheat flour and it does not rise/puff at all…….
Haha this reminds me so much of my family!!! I have twin uncles, who we actually live with right now (and my grandparents too, but that’s not important), but this is the ONLY thing they make (other than frozen pizza a cereal lol)!!! It is so funny because when they make it it always tasted better than when we do lol. And they make the butter syrup too (except we call it buttermilk syrup).
My dad’s claim to fame is Kraft Mac n Cheese with cut up hot dogs or, if he was feeling really fancy, ground beef. So I applaud Bart’s efforts!
I’ve never made German Pancakes – we’re addicted to your oatmeal pancakes. But with your go-ahead to use whole wheat flour, I think we’ll give them a shot this week!
We made this for dinner last week. Breakfast for dinner is always a fav at our house. Will have to try it with the syrup next time and with the whole wheat. I have never done that. Thanks Mel/Brian and Go Bart Go! My husband’s legacy is aebelskivers 🙂
This is too funny. I made a german pancake yesterday with almond milk and the taste was (obviously) a little different. As I sat there eating it, I thought to myself, “I wonder why Mel has never posted anything like a german pancake. I wonder what variations she would dare to try.”
MMMMMmm! Have to say I love the idea of one pan and done- no flipping. Printing it out. 😀
This is my Yorkshire Pudding recipe minus the vanilla. We make it with a roast dinner and top with gravy! Heavenly!!
Funny timing, Heather! I decided to make Yorkshire pudding last night VERY last minute with our roast beef and gravy and as I was whipping it up (just grabbed a recipe from trusty Joy of Cooking) I thought, Hmmm, this is shockingly similar to our German pancakes. 🙂
This looks delicious! Since there are just two of us, do you think it would be possible to make half and bake in an 8″ square pan or an 11 x 7 dish? Thanks!
Yes, it works with half recipe….
Yes! Halving it works great. I’d suggest using an 8X8.
We like them a little thicker and usually make this same full recipe in an 8×8 or 11×7. I usually cook them around 30 min,maybe a smidge more if needed. Adding 1tsp sugar to the mix can make the top have a yummy crisp to it.
We grew up eating German pancake baked with peaches thrown in and topped with powdered sugar when it was done cooking. So yummy good (although I picked out the peaches).
Are these also called Dutch baby’s?
Yep.
I have no idea why my first comment disappeared into cyberspace. Anyway, I grew up eating German pancakes. They are simple AND delicious! Two things that make a great recipe in my book. My mom would serve them with warm homemade applesauce with cinnamon mixed in. That was a piece of heaven on a plate. During peach season, making German pancakes with fresh peaches on top was a must. I often make sautéed cinnamon apples to serve along with these. The addition of white whole wheat flour and butter syrup looks like a must try for breakfast very soon.
I’m excited to make these with whole wheat flour. I’ve never been brave enough to try. We call them puff pancakes in our house or ‘puffers’ for short. I’ve always made mine in our non-stick skillet. I’m going to have to give the 9 x 13 a try. Thanks for all your great recipes, some of our new family favourites are from your site:)
We too love German Pancakes. I think that the kids would love butter syrup and me too, so we’ll have to try that for a special occasion. My husband has the same problem as you, but all of my brothers cook and enjoy it.
Mel, next time leave the butter in the oven until it’s hot and bubbly, and slightly browned. It’s AMAZING!
That’s what we do too.
German pancakes were my family’s go-to for birthday breakfasts and Christmas morning, and now I make them at least a couple of times a month for my family. I use lots more butter (6 Tbsp.) and up the flour and milk to 1 1/2 cups, and the eggs to 9. For a fun variation, try adding orange zest to the batter. It’s delicious!
My son-in-law made this for us and I LOVE them. He taught us to sprinkle with powdered sugar and squeeze lemon juice over. DELICIOUS!!!!
Oh Mel, I’m loving that you have gone a little ‘retro’ lately … Jello, rice Krispy treats, and now this !!! I’ve wanted to ask you for as long as I’ve been reading this blog why Gernan Pancake was not on the breakfast rotation … Honestly it’s my kids favorite and first request when I ask what they want for breakfast … And it’s my go to on Saturday’s that are filled with a day of sports …or any other day that I want to load my kiddos up on protein … I’m even known to sometimes make it with 9 eggs, 1 1/2 cups of milk and 1 1/2 cups of flour in an 11x 15 pan…. No leftovers !! We too, occasionally, enjoy it with the butter/buttermilk syrup (my hubby’s favorite). And of course, it’s one of the first things each of my kids are learning to make as they venture into the world of cooking…. My missionary makes it … And sends photos of it :-). I love this post… A little glimpse into your world … My hubby too doesn’t get much kitchen time.. And when he does it usually involves breakfast ❤️
These look so delicious, and a perfect way to have pancakes without standing over a griddle forever.
You had me at butter syrup. Definitely going to try this next weekend (if I can get up early enough before my hangry toddler wakes up). Thanks for sharing!
My husband’s family calls these Inky Monsters, no idea why but it’s so much more fun to say we are having Inky Monsters than German pancakes so it’s stuck with our boys too.
I grew up eating German pancakes. The butter syrup looks really good. I’ll have to give it a try. One of my favorite ways to eat them is with fresh peaches, sautéed cinnamon apples or just warmed cinnamon applesauce.
A woman I serve with in church just made german pancakes in cupcake pans and they were incredible! The edge is always the best part and so this way, everyone gets an edge and a nice fluffy middle. They were amazing and I plan to make them that way from now on! I will have to try it with whole wheat flour now. Thanks!!
Yes! The edges are the best.
Sounds like a great way to prepare them. Thanks for the tip!
You literally read my mind. I have been wondering if whole wheat flour would work for these. And to take the butter syrup to the next level add a tsp of coconut extract in place of the vanilla. It’s so good, I can’t go back to just vanilla!
The coconut sounds delicious (although we would be a house divided on the matter). The whole wheat flour is delicious – the pancakes are tad less light but we still love them.
I agree with the Coconut extract! It’s amazing. And even most non coconut lovers like it because it doesn’t have coconut texture.
I have been making these for years. We eat them almost every weekend and sometimes during the week for dinner. I use my electric hand mixer to beat the batter instead of the blender. Often I am using the blender to make smoothies. I make the syrup sometimes but most often we use maple syrup. They are also great with powered sugar and fresh lemon juice. To make it go farther I add an extra egg. The whole family loves these and I love getting to sit down to breakfast instead of flipping pancakes.
This looks so fantastic. A great choice for breakfast this weekend. I was happy to see there was not too much butter in the pancake (although I think the 2 T. is missing from the ingredient list), but the syrup looks decadent! Can’t wait to make. Wow, 8 1/2 years goes by fast. I am curious what your first post was–do you remember–I would love to check it out! So many years of fun with you, Mel!
I’ve actually deleted some of my very first posts (they were so bad!) and hidden others in the archives. 🙂 But this lemon pound cake is right around the first. I hope you still love me.
How long will the leftover syrup last?
A week or so in the fridge (we warm it up as we need it).
Mel. Please tell Bart about EBELSKIEVER , the danish pancake balls. He can learn how by YOUTUBE, the kids can help. Ingebretsens scanddinavian center has a store in mpls,mn and wisconsin. I recomend taking the whole family there and sampling everything and bring home a EBELSKIEVER pan. Fun deciding what to hide in the pancake ball. I love berries. from minnesota jade sharp
I’ve made your rollup blender pancakes which are my favourite till now. But I really need to try this, it looks so yummy.
Your writing always brings forth an inner smile. Never had a German pancake and I have never heard of butter syrup. Like Bart, I learn so much from following your blog. I like the fact that the pancake is done in a blender and is baked so requires no constant attention or flipping. Saturday is our “special breakfast morning” and I’ll let you know how well received butter syrup is in our home.