German Pancake Recipe: Lori's gefüllte Flinsen (Crepes) (2024)

FAQs

What's the difference between a crepe and a German pancake? ›

Traditional German pancakes are cooked in a skillet on the cooktop, and are not as thick as American pancakes, and not as flat as crêpes. They are not the same as oven-baked Dutch baby pancakes (also ironically called German pancakes).

What are German Pancakes? German pancakes, often called Dutch Baby pancakes are baked pancakes made from eggs, milk, flour and vanilla. The pancakes are baked in a metal or cast iron pan, puff up in the oven and then fall as they cool.

Why Didn't My Dutch Baby Puff Up? Like popovers and Yorkshire pudding, the thing that gives Dutch babies their signature puff is steam. In order for that steam to work the pancake into its signature peaks and valleys, you need two things: enough air in a well-developed batter and a piping-hot pan and oven.

The main difference is that pancake batter has a raising agent in it, such as baking powder or baking soda, and crepe batter does not. This means that pancakes are thicker and fluffy while crêpes are thin and flat.

How are German Pancakes different than American Pancakes? German pancakes use a whole lot more eggs and no added leavening agent. German Pancakes are also baked in the oven to a golden perfection.

Crêpes are usually one of two varieties: sweet crêpes (crêpes sucrées) or savoury galettes (crêpes salées).

A Dutch baby pancake, sometimes called a German pancake, a Bismarck, a Dutch puff, Hooligan, or a Hootenanny, is a dish that is similar to a large Yorkshire pudding.

More About the Origin

This was a family-run restaurant that belonged to Victor Manca and was situated in Seattle, Washington. And although these pancakes are typically obtained from the German pancake dish, it's believed that one of Victor Manca's daughters coined the name Dutch baby.

They are puffier and thinner than American pancakes because the batter is baked until it puffs up like a popover. Their texture is more similar to a crepe—soft and thin in the middle, but with crispy, puffed edges.

What makes a German pancake rise? ›

What makes a Dutch baby rise? The magic that makes that Dutch baby pancake rise to its signature heights is simple: Steam!

Why did my Dutch baby fall? If your Dutch baby does not rise, a few factors may be the culprit. The ingredients were too cold, the mixture wasn't mixed well (either too much or too little), the pan wasn't hot enough, or you needed more butter.

Whole Milk & Water: Crepe batter needs liquid. Using all water created a limp and lacking crepe, while using all milk created a heavy crepe. For the best texture, use a mix of both. Eggs: As they do in pancake batter, eggs provide structure and bind all the ingredients together.

From too many eggs to mistaking baking soda for baking powder, there's a lot that can go wrong. Adding too much milk made for a crepe-like pancake while baking soda resulted in a metallic taste.

What's healthier: crêpes or pancakes? A single crêpe has less fat and calories than pancakes because they don't have the baking powder and, so, are less dense. However, they're not less calorific if you're stacking up double the amount of crêpes vs pancakes, so bear this in mind before you get carried away.

German pancakes and Dutch babies are essentially the same thing, but the dish is said to have originated in Germany, not the Netherlands. The term “Dutch baby” was coined by an American restaurateur whose use of “Dutch” was a corruption of the word “Deutsch” (“German” in German).

As mentioned above, Swedish pancakes, once cooked, are a bit thicker than crepes, and they are traditionally served with jam and/or sugar, whereas crepe recipe are more often served with both sweet and savory fillings.