Breakfast for Dinner: German Oven Pancakes

“Do you want to have breakfast for dinner?” I asked Nick yesterday.

“What does that mean?”

“It means we have things that we would normally have for breakfast … like pancakes, bacon and eggs … but at dinnertime.”

“Ok,” he said with a shrug.  

One of Nick’s best qualities is that he is incredibly easygoing.  Very little fazes him.  He gets that quality from his dad.  He’ll let me go on and on about something and then look at me and say, “Mom, are you done?”  Half the time he probably is completely zoning me out, which, of course, just causes the conversation to go on longer, but he lets me say my piece with nary a word.  So breakfast for dinner it was.  Both kids like sausages and bacon, so it’s definitely something we should have done a long time ago.

When I was unpacking a box of cookbooks yesterday, I spied one I hadn’t used … The Food Nanny Rescues Dinner.  I flipped through it, looking to see if I could find a good recipe for our breakfast for dinner, and fell on the page for German Oven Pancakes.  Although I have a recipe I like and have made many times before, it couldn’t hurt to try a new version.  The ingredients are all the same, but the quantities slightly different.

The cookbook is written by Liz Edmunds, a mom of seven, who consults with families on how to have successful mealtimes, giving her time-honored suggestions in how to involve the whole family, have theme nights, and how to make meal planning, prep and serving easy.  Two things I especially like about this cookbook: 1) she has anecdotes, history and tidbits with all the recipes.  I’ve always liked the personal touch this gives a cookbook and 2) I like that the cookbook is geared towards making adult food more kid-friendly, as opposed to the other way around.

I love the ease of making German Oven Pancakes.  Melt a little butter.  Mix a few simple pantry ingredients together, pop it into the oven for 20 minutes and breakfast (or dinner, in this case) is served.  I like to add a dusting of confectioners’ sugar right before serving, and did so with this version as well.  There is very little sugar in the recipe, and I think it adds just the right touch of sweetness to the finished dish.

This recipe tasted nearly identical to the one I usually make, with the biggest difference between ingredient measurements.  Rounding out the meal with bacon, sausage and a big bowl of fresh fruit, it was a perfect high taste, low fuss meal that everyone can agree on.

P.S.  Completely unrelated, but would love your help … if you had to bring a souvenir that is very American to someone abroad, what would you bring?  Needs to be easily accessible and easy to tote along during travel.  Thoughts?

German Oven Pancakes
Recipe courtesy of The Food Nanny Rescues Dinner

4-6 servings

1/4 cup (1/2 stick butter)
3 eggs
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.  Put the butter into a 10-inch ovenproof skillet and place it into the oven.  (As an alternative to a skillet, use a 9-inch round baking dish.)

Meanwhile, mix the eggs, flour, milk and salt in a blender.  (I mixed in a bowl)

When the butter has melted, carefully pull out the oven rack and quickly pour the egg mixture into the skillet.  Bake 15-20 minutes or until the pancake is puffed up and lightly browned.  It will flatten slightly after it comes out of the oven.

Cut the pancake into wedges and serve on individual plates.

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