Who out there is a savory breakfast person like me? Whenever we go out to eat for breakfast, I walk into a place and get taken away by the sweet scent of pancakes or waffles being served to my fellow morning brunchers. Then, as the waitress comes to take our order, the stack of pancakes I was going to order turns into a bacon, egg and cheese dish almost every single time. That’s why I wanted to take a traditional dutch baby (a sweet pancake) and make it savory by cutting out the sugar and adding a ton of Tillamook Cheese.
A Dutch Baby, as mentioned above, is typically served sweet and you’ll find them loaded with berry compotes, sugar, and chocolate but the base is pretty easy to master: eggs, flour, milk. It’s like an eggy crepe but instead of cooked over a flat griddle, you cook it in a cast iron so that the bottom gets a crisp base and the sides of the pan help the dutch baby puff up.
I’ve removed the sugar from this recipe and added in a ton of cheese and a bunch of savory spices, like paprika, cumin, and fresh garlic. I made these savory cheddar Dutch Baby’s in mini cast irons, but you can cook this recipe in one cast iron. Just make sure to preheat your oven with the cast irons inside so that the bottom gets perfectly crispy.
The mini cast irons are a delightful way to serve breakfast and this quick dish would be perfect to serve during the holiday season with guests in town.
YOU’LL NEED THESE COOKING TOOLS ON HAND TO RECREATE THIS RECIPE
- 3 Large eggs at room temperature
- 2/3 cup whole milk at room temperature
- 1 Teaspoon minced garlic
- 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/8 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/8 teaspoon cumin
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 2 Tablespoons of Tillamook Unsalted Butter
- ¾ cup of Tillamook Sharp Cheddar Cheese
- 2 strips of Bacon cooked and diced
- Asparagus thinly sliced
- Microgreens
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Heat oven to 450 °F and put your mini cast iron pans on the middle rack into the oven while it’s still cold to preheat the cast iron. *Put the cast irons on a cookie sheet to easily move them in and out.
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In a small bowl, combine your flour, salt, paprika, cumin and pepper in a bowl.
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In a separate bowl, whisk together your eggs, milk, and garlic.
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When the oven has preheated, carefully remove the hot pans from the oven and add your butter equally to each pan. Make sure to swirl the butter around to coat all the edges of each pan.
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Combine the wet and the dry mixture, whisking it thoroughly. Pour the batter equally into each mini cast iron and top with cheese and bacon before placing it back into the oven on the middle rack.
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Bake at 450°F until the edges have puffed up, about 8-12 minutes depending on your oven.
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Remove from the heat and let set on the counter for a few minutes, the center of the Dutch baby will slowly deflate.
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Top with asparagus and microgreens and enjoy eating it out of the mini cast iron!
A Dutch Baby is essentially an eggy pancake. In this savory version, we omitted the sugar and added tons of Tillamook Cheese. You can eat these warm or serve them room temperature. The butter is essential for easy removal, so don’t skimp on the butter when cooking.
