Banana-Cinnamon Dutch Pancakes

Long time no see, blogosphere world. Although I won't be making regular posts in the near future, I thought I would share this really simple recipe for Dutch pancakes.

Until I went to Holland recently, I had no idea that the Dutch have their own take on the all-American breakfast food. Although Dutch and American pancakes bear some similarities, they are also remarkably different. For one thing, Dutch pancakes are very rarely eaten for breakfast, as they're (surprisingly!) extremely filling, although with the way portion control works in North America though, I doubt this would stop anyone here. More often, Dutch pancakes are eaten at lunch or dinner, with two diners sharing the meal. Another departure from its American cousin is that Dutch pancakes can also be savory. In fact, pancakes stuffed or cooked with salmon, chicken, beef, ham, vegetables, cheese, etc. are just as common, if not more so, than their sweet apple, banana, chocolate counterparts.


When I was in Amsterdam, I went to the Pancake Bakery at Prinsengracht 191, which happens to be just further north along the same canal where Anne Frank House is located. The Pancake Bakery is a cozy, dim lit establishment that is busy during the day, but positively bustling at night as the crowd of locals and tourists spill out of the restaurant and down the cobbled streets by the canal. Needless to say, as much as I enjoy American pancakes from time to time, I would choose Dutch pancakes over them, hands down, every time.

This recipe is a variation of what I had while I was in Europe. It's very amenable to your own additions or experimentation, of course.

For the prep

• Cost: $3-4 dollars for two people. Maybe less.

There's not a lot you'll need to make these pancakes, which is actually part of what makes them so awesome. I was able to wake up and put these together with what I could find in a very sparsely supplied kitchen. In fact, I had intended to make regular pancakes, but there was no baking powder (among other things). There were bananas on hand, but feel free to use whatever you can find (just make sure you dice anything that will take a while to cook into small enough pieces that it will cook relatively quickly-- these pancakes don't have a long cooking time).

Cooking

Ease: 4/5

You will need:

• 1 egg per person
• Flour (approximately 1/2 c per person)
• Milk (again, approximately 1/2 c per person)
• Vanilla (optional)
• Sugar (optional)
• Banana, thinly sliced
  
• Cinnamon

Beat the egg thoroughly with a whisk. Begin to add flour to the egg mixture, about 1/4 c at a time. Mix thoroughly each time you add the flour so the batter remains smooth. You want to keep adding flour until the batter is extremely thick, but not like a ball of dough.

At this point, add your vanilla if you want to use it, and begin to add milk to the batter, 1/4 c at a time. Again, beat the mixture thoroughly each time to incorporate the liquid. Keep adding a little bit of milk at a time until the batter is about the consistency of eggnog. It will be thinner than your regular pancake batter. Make sure it is watery enough that it will spread evenly and thinly in a pan.

Add the bananas and cinnamon (to taste) to the batter and mix until combined. These pancakes aren't sweetened, and if you think that'll be bland, you can add a tablespoon of sugar at this point as well.

Heat a large, nonstick skillet on medium heat and add a little oil. Pour enough batter into the pan so that a thin even layer of batter covers the bottom. It will seem a bit like making crepes. After about a 60-90 seconds (they cook quickly, be careful!) you'll need to flip the pancake. Run the spatula around the sides to loosen the edges, the slide the spatula under and flip the entire thing with a quick wrist motion. This can take a little practice, since the pancake is large and thin, but a quick, decisive motion will get it over easily. The bottom of the pancake should be golden brown.
Cook for an additional 60-90 seconds and remove the pancake from the pan.
Repeat the cooking process with the remaining batter.
Serve with syrup and other pancake fixings. This particular pancake is awesome with Nutella (as long as you're not deathly allergic to hazelnuts... )



The Result
A Dutch pancake is kind of like a very thick crepe. The consistency is a bit of a cross between regular pancakes and crepes, although the taste is significantly egg-ier than either. Because it's thinner than a regular pancake, it's easy to think that it won't be very filling; however, don't underestimate them! Neither BM or I could finish two medium-large pancakes.
On the other hand, maybe because they're so much thinner and have relatively little flour involved, I didn't feel as bloated or stuffed as I would have with regular pancakes. The natural sweetness and the kick of the cinnamon really work with the neutral pancake base.

The Verdict
Super easy to make, it would take between 10-20 minutes from start to finish to serve two people. Every thing you need is likely to be hanging around your kitchen, it's a great idea for a last minute brunch.

• Guilt: Low. No sugar, involves fruit? What is there to feel guilty about?

• Servings: As needed. The one egg per person rule works very well for this recipe, and the rest of the measurements can be adjusted accordingly.
  

• Leftovers: Who eats pancakes for leftovers? N/A

• Taste: 4.5/5 (Oh so close to that perfect score...)

The good: Easy, quick, cheap, and super tasty. Use whatever you've got on hand.

The bad: People will constantly call them crepes.