One of the many reasons I love living in New England is the plethora of weekend trip options. Just drive an hour and a half and you could be in the mountains, on the beach, in the countryside, or in a city. We took advantage of that fact back in October and had a fun weekend trip up to Vermont. We had a great time hiking, eating, and just generally enjoying the over abundance of fall. Much as I love Boston, everything just feels better in Vermont. And one thing Vermont does better than most places is produce fantastic high quality maple syrup. We came back to Boston with a couple bottles of syrup and I’ve been desperate to make good use of it. And what’s a better use than pancakes? Nothing, right?? Well, maybe not, because this right here?
This is a pan-CAKE. Part pancake, part cake, it’s all parts delicious. It’s also ridiculously easy. No more standing over the stove making batch after batch of individual pancakes. Nope, not with an oven baked pancake. Just spend a couple minutes mixing the ingredients by hand and then bake all at once. This would be a perfect easy breakfast to pull together for guests. In fact, I made this when my parents were in town a few weeks ago and served it with some cut up fruit and baked bacon. Minimal effort but maximum taste- that’s my kind of meal!
Oven-baked pancake
Makes: 4 servings (if serving with something else)
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 1½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¾ cup milk, room temperature*
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus 1 tablespoon for pan
- 1 cup fresh or frozen berries**
- Confectioners’ sugar, for serving
- Maple syrup, for serving
Directions
Place the oven rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Put a 10-inch cast-iron skillet in the oven as it preheats. In a large bowl, combine the flour, 3 tablespoons granulated sugar, baking powder, and salt. Whisk well to combine.
In a separate bowl, add the room temperature milk, egg, and the (slightly cooled) melted butter. Whisk together and then add to the flour mixture. Whisk until just combined.
Remove the skillet from the oven and add the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter. Use a pastry brush to swirl the butter around the bottom and sides of the pan until fully melted. Pour the batter into the pan and spread evenly. Cover the batter with an even layer of berries and then sprinkle the remaining teaspoon of sugar evenly over the top.
Bake until the pancake is golden brown and fully cooked, about 25-27 minutes***. Remove the skillet from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes. Dust with confectioners’ sugar and serve with maple syrup.
Notes
Adapted from Martha Stewart
*I have had success with 1% and whole milk, so use whatever you have.
**I’ve made this with frozen blueberries and with frozen raspberries. Both were delicious.
***Ovens vary, so I’d recommend checking it at 20 minutes.