My family loves this ham and cheese Dutch baby pancake! It’s a cross between an eggy pancake and Yorkshire pudding, loaded with delicious ham and melty cheese. We serve it family-style, straight from the oven, golden brown and puffy.
Dutch baby pancakes are such a fun breakfast or, in the case of this savory version, dinner! Our ham and cheese Dutch baby is super simple to make and tastes incredible. The batter is very similar to our apple Dutch baby. We simply omit the sugar and spices and replace them with tangy mustard and ground black pepper.
I love a slice with one of our favorite salad recipes. I really cannot wait for you to try this one. My family loves it! You can serve it family-style, slice, and serve it almost like a pizza. It’s fantastic.
Key Ingredients
- Eggs: There are no leaveners added to a Dutch baby pancake batter, so it’s the eggs that do the heavy lifting when it comes to puffing up in the oven.
- Flour: I use all-purpose flour for this recipe, but your favorite 1:1 gluten-free flour blend should also work in this recipe.
- Milk: I use whole milk, but you can substitute reduced-fat milk or your favorite unsweetened plant-based milk.
- Dijon Mustard: I love spicing the batter with a bit of mustard, which works nicely with the ham and cheese. Whole-grain mustard is a nice option, too.
- Spices: You’ll need salt, pepper (I’m generous), and a pinch of nutmeg.
- Ham and Cheese: Use what you love. I keep things classic with sliced ham and Gruyere cheese. Other cheeses work wonderfully, too. Consider sharp cheddar, fontina, Swiss, or Parmigiano-Reggiano.
- Butter: We will cook our Dutch baby in a cast iron (or oven-safe) skillet. So, before adding the batter, you need to melt some butter in the skillet. This adds flavor and color and prevents the pancake from sticking to the skillet. I use salted butter, but unsalted is fine.
How to Make a Ham and Cheese Dutch Baby
The trick to making the best Dutch baby pancake is to heat the pan before adding the batter. This means the moment the Dutch baby batter hits the pan, it starts to puff and creep up the sides.
So, when the pan is hot, we pour in the batter and pile ham and cheese into the middle of the pancake. Then, we slide it into the oven.
After about 20 minutes, the pancake is puffed and golden brown. We always seem to find ourselves eating the Dutch baby out of the pan, but this would be excellent served with a tangy salad on the side. A few favorites include our fennel and arugula salad, Caesar salad, and some fresh greens with our balsamic vinaigrette or honey mustard dressing.
Ham and Cheese Dutch Baby
-
PREP
-
COOK
-
TOTAL
This extra-large Dutch baby pancake has tall, puffy sides and a ham and cheese center. The batter is savory and seasoned with salt, pepper, Dijon mustard, and a pinch of nutmeg. I love serving it alongside a green salad tossed in a simple, tangy vinaigrette.
Since ovens can vary slightly in temperature, checking after 15 minutes of baking is a good idea. If the sides are puffed and beginning to turn brown, you might want to reduce the oven temperature a few minutes earlier than stated below. We look for the tips of the sides to be dark brown but not burned.
3 to 4 Servings
You Will Need
3 large eggs
1/2 cup (65g) all-purpose flour
1/2 cup (120ml) milk
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
Pinch fresh ground nutmeg
2 ounces (56g) ham, thinly sliced
2 ounces (56g) Gruyère or Emmental cheese, coarsely grated
3 tablespoons butter
Fresh herbs or thinly sliced scallions for serving
Directions
1Position an oven rack in the lower third of the oven and make sure there is enough room above it for the pancake to rise above the skillet. Preheat the oven to 425°F (218°C).
2Whisk the eggs, flour, milk, mustard, salt, pepper, and the nutmeg until well blended. You can also use a blender.
3Melt 3 tablespoons of butter in a 10-inch heavy skillet over medium heat. Swirl the melted butter around the pan. When it is bubbling, pour in the batter. Pile the ham and cheese into the middle of the skillet, leaving about 1 inch of batter uncovered around the edges so that the batter puffs up the sides of the pan while baking.
4Slide into the oven and bake until puffed and golden, 16 to 20 minutes.
5Turn the oven temperature down to 300°F (148°C) and cook for an additional 5 minutes to fully set.
6Serve family-style topped with fresh herbs or sliced scallions.
Nutrition Per Serving
Serving Size
Quarter of pancake
/
Calories
284
/
Total Fat
19g
/
Saturated Fat
10g
/
Cholesterol
188mg
/
Sodium
512mg
/
Carbohydrate
14g
/
Dietary Fiber
1g
/
Total Sugars
2g
/
Protein
14g
