My mother was born and raised in Southern Bavaria in a little town called Straubing. She married my father who is also German/American and was in the Air Force stationed in Germany at the time. They came to the United States bringing with them, much of their German culture and traditions. One of the favorite things mom would make for my brothers, sister, and me, is this Bavarian Style German Pancake (Pfannkuchen), sometime also call “Eier Pfannkuchen” meaning egg pancake. It can be filled with red or black current jam, berries, jelly, or Nutella and then folded in half and sprinkled with granulated sugar. Powdered sugar can be used; however, I like the texter that the granulated sugar gives to the pancake plus, that’s how mom made it. These pancakes can also be filled with savory ingredients like ham, cheese, and asparagus. Here’s how to make it:
Start by mixing together with a whisk in a medium sized bowl, 4 eggs, 2 cups of milk, 2 Tbl. sugar, and a 1/2 tsp. salt. Whisk together well and to the mixture gradually whisk in 1 1/2 cups of all purpose flour (250g.), until well blended and smooth. You can make individual crepe like pancakes; however, the tradition is to make one large pancake and fold it over.
Next, take a large nonstick pan and coat the bottom and sides with butter using the stick of butter and rubbing it all over a warmed pan. It is best to use butter and not oil because butter adds better flavor. Heat the pan over low heat and add all of the batter to the pan. It takes a while for the batter to cook so be sure the temperature is on low so not to burn the pancake. As the pancake cooks, lift the edges and tilt the pan so the batter will run off to the bottom of the pan to help it to firm up. Keep lifting and tilting the pan as the pancake cooks and puffs up.
Once the top of the pancake starts to firm up, invert a plate over the top of the pancake so that you can flip it out of the pan onto the plate and then slide it back into the pan so the other side can cook for just a few minutes.
After the second side has cooked for a few minutes to set the other side, place the plate on it again, and flip it back over into the pan with the browned side on the bottom. The second side of the pancake should not be browned, just cooked until it’s set and not runny.
Once you flip the pancake over with the light side up, remove from the heat and fill with you favorite filling, in this case, I used a German red current jam.
Fold the pancake in half and move to a plate and sprinkle with granulated sugar. It is important not to let the pancake get too brown on the first side because it may crack when you fold it in half. If it does crack, no problem, don’t worry, it will still taste delicious.
Once you flip it over, put it on a serving plate and sprinkle it with granulated sugar, it’s now ready to serve. I served it with some good quality breakfast sausage or it can be served by itself. Enjoy and happy cooking!
Prep Time: 5 min Cooking Time: 20-30 min
Difficulty: Easy Servings: 4
Ingredients:
4 eggs
2 cups milk
2 Tbl. Sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups flour
Red current jam (or you favorite flavor) or berries, jelly, or Nutella
Granulated sugar to sprinkle on top of the pancake before serving