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Whole grain puff pancakes are a fun and easy breakfast that the whole family will love! Light, airy, and perfect for topping with your favorite fruit or syrup, puff pancakes are a delicious treat and a filling meal.
Puff pancakes, also called Dutch babies, are a favorite in my house.
Don’t get me wrong, we love whole grain pancakes and homemade waffles, but with a big family, that means a lot of hands-on cooking time.
Puff pancakes have all the delicious flavor of other breakfast favorites, but they are so easy to make and perfect for a crowd!
I’ve made more homemade puff pancakes with all-purpose flour than I can count. I recently discovered how delicious they are made with whole grain flour, and I’m hooked!
The fun and fluffy pancakes are made in a cast iron skillet and make a perfect breakfast topped with your choice of fruit, syrup, and more.
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Puff pancakes are quick and easy to make. Like I said before, they are perfect for a crowd! Rather than flipping dozens of pancakes, I can make a couple of puff pancakes in just a couple of minutes of active time.
- This easy breakfast can be served in so many different ways! Just like pancakes, Dutch babies taste great with a wide variety of fruit, chocolate, butter, and syrups.
- This recipe is my favorite Dutch baby recipe because the pancakes are made with whole grain flour! If you’ve never tried it before, you’re going to love it.
Ingredients
- Whole grain flour: You can use freshly milled whole grains or a whole grain flour of your choice.
- Eggs: Whisked eggs give puff pancakes their light, airy texture. Room temperature is best.
- Butter: You’ll melt some in the cast iron before adding your pancake batter. I like to have extra to serve on top as well.
- Whole milk: 2% milk or half and half will also work.
- Vanilla extract
- Sugar: Just a little for a touch of sweetness!
- Cinnamon: I love the flavor cinnamon adds. Feel free to get creative with other spices, such as nutmeg or cardamom.
- Salt
How to Make Whole Grain Puff Pancakes
Step 1. Add butter to a 10″ cast iron skillet and place in the oven. Preheat to 400°F.
Step 2. While the butter is melting, whisk the eggs.
Step 3. Add flour to the eggs and continue whisking.
Step 4. Then add in milk, sugar, cinnamon, vanilla, and salt.
Step 5. Once the butter starts to “bubble up,” remove the cast iron from the heat and swirl it around to fully coat the bottom and a little up the sides.
Step 6. Add the batter and place back in the oven for 18-20 minutes or until golden brown.
Recipe Tips
- Make sure your batter is nice and smooth with no clumps of flour. You can mix it in a blender if needed to achieve this.
- This pancake batter is very thin. This is essential for it to rise properly.
- Don’t open the oven door while your puff pancake is baking. This can affect the steam, which may lead to it not rising properly.
- This recipe is for a 10″ cast iron skillet. If you use a different size, you may have to adjust the baking time. Deviating too much on the size may prevent the pancake from baking properly.
- Always spoon and level your flour – don’t pack it into the measuring cup.
- If you mill your own whole grain flour, I highly recommend investing in a quality grain mill. It makes a world of difference in the texture of whole grain baked goods.
How to Serve Puff Pancakes
Puff pancakes are such a fun addition to an elaborate brunch, and they’re an easy breakfast for busy days!
To serve whole grain puff pancakes, I like to cut them into quarters like a pizza. You can serve the slices with butter and syrup, honey, chocolate chips, fresh fruit, and/or fruit compote.
For fruit, in-season is always the best choice! In the fall, I love serving puff pancakes with baked persimmons or persimmon pulp.
If you want to make another dish to complete your breakfast, I usually opt for something savory to balance the sweetness. A sausage egg breakfast skillet, maple moose sausage patties, and cast iron breakfast casserole are great choices.
Frequently Asked Questions
This usually happens when the oven isn’t hot enough or the pan isn’t properly preheated. Make sure your oven is up to temperature and preheat the cast iron skillet well. It may also happen if your ingredients are too cold, so you might have better luck if you bring the eggs and milk closer to room temperature before mixing.
There isn’t one! German pancake, puff pancake, and Dutch baby are all names to describe the same delicious, fluffy breakfast food.
More Breakfast Favorites
- Cinnamon Sugar Bagels
- Sourdough French Toast Casserole
- Best Pumpkin Bread Recipe
- Chocolate Chip Brioche French Toast
If you tried these Whole Grain Puff Pancakes or any other recipe on my website, I would love for you to come back and leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!
Whole Grain Puff Pancake
Equipment
Ingredients
- ½ cup whole grain flour
- 3 large eggs
- 2 tbsp butter
- ½ cup whole milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp pure granulated sugar
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ¼ tsp sea salt
Instructions
- Add butter to a 10″ cast iron skillet and place in the oven. Preheat to 400°F.
- While the butter is melting, whisk the eggs.
- Add flour to the eggs and continue whisking.
- Then add in milk, sugar, cinnamon, vanilla extract, and salt.
- Once the butter starts to "bubble up," remove the cast iron from heat and swirl it around to fully coat the bottom and a little up the sides.
- Add the batter and place back in the oven for 18-20 minutes or until golden brown.
Notes
- Serve with butter, syrup, fresh fruit, compote, or chocolate chips.
- Make sure your batter is nice and smooth, with no clumps of flour. You can mix it in a blender if needed to achieve this.
- This pancake batter is very thin. This is essential for it to rise properly.
- Don’t open the oven door while your puff pancake is baking. This can affect the steam, which may lead to it not rising properly.
- This recipe is for a 10″ cast iron skillet. If you use a different size, you may have to adjust the baking time. Deviating too much on the size may prevent the pancake from baking properly.
- Always spoon and level your flour – don’t pack it into the measuring cup.
- If you mill your own whole grain flour, I highly recommend investing in a quality grain mill. It makes a world of difference in the texture of whole grain baked goods.
We made a double batch for the whole family last weekend. They were a huge hit!
I love to hear that, Thanks!
Thank you for such a simple recipe! We all loved it!