GF/ DF Dutch Baby for an Allergy Friendly Holiday Brunch, by Christy Wilkens

Christmas morning -- or, let’s face it, almost ANY morning in December -- is a whirlwind of activity, chaos, and mess.

And yet, the children do insist upon being fed.

Here’s one of our family favorites that can be ready in less than 40 minutes, start to finish, with only about 10 of that as hands-on prep time. (It’s even fast enough for a weekday breakfast to celebrate the feast of your favorite saint.) And the best part? It’s not some weird complicated concoction -- just an allergy-friendly variation on a crowd-pleasing classic Dutch Baby, also known as a German pancake or pannekuchen. 

This one is gluten-free and can be made dairy-free. We use butter, but Earth’s Balance orlard work beautifully.

The kids love to watch this rise in the oven while yodeling “Paaaaaanne-KUCHen!” repeatedly and vociferously comparing the height achieved to all previous attempts. While the gluten-free version doesn’t get quite as high as one with traditional flour, it still results in a very satisfying loft and a pancake with a decadent, custardy mouthfeel.

The pancake itself has no sugar, so go crazy with the toppings! Use whatever you can imagine, but the most traditional are syrup (regular or sugar-free), applesauce, or lemon juice with powdered sugar. Berries and dairy-free whipped cream are also a gorgeous and tasty choice. Whatever you would put on a regular pancake, that’ll do well here!

Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free Dutch Baby

Ingredients

Pancake

1 ½ cup blanched almond flour

⅓ cup arrowroot or tapioca starch

1 can (13.5 fl oz) full fat coconut milk

9 large eggs

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp vanilla

½ cup (8 tbsp) Earth Balance buttery spread, lard, or salted butter (if you use unsalted butter, add ¼ tsp salt to the batter)

Toppings

Pure maple syrup

Walden Farms sugar-free pancake syrup

Unsweetened applesauce

Lemon juice

Powdered sugar

Berries

Non-dairy whipped cream

Serves 8

Instructions

Place a 12 inch cast iron skillet or other high-heat baking dish into a cold oven. Set the temperature at 450° F and let the pan preheat along with the oven. (This is the secret to a good crust and a high rise!)

In a large blender jar, combine coconut milk, eggs, almond flour, arrowroot flour, cinnamon, and vanilla. When the skillet has preheated for at least 15 minutes, blend the ingredients on high speed for about 30 seconds.

Open the oven and add the butter (or fat of your choice) to the empty pan. Close the oven just long enough to let it melt. Swirl the pan to coat the bottom.

Quickly pour your blended ingredients into the hot pan. Bake to 22-25 minutes. Serve immediately (so as to garner the maximum possible number of oohs and aahs) with toppings of your choice.

Allergen info

Ketogenic. Free of sugar, gluten, grain, soy, corn. Dairy-free option.