Fried Halloumi & Greek Yoghurt Savoury Dutch Baby

This was episode 12, the last of the first season of my Savoury Dutch Babies. If you have not met one before, a Dutch baby is a big oven-baked pancake that puffs up like a Yorkshire pudding, and it turns out to be a very good bowl for almost anything.

For the finale I went Greek: slices of halloumi fried until properly golden, cool yoghurt with garlic, and a salad dressed with lemon and za'atar. Salty, sharp, hot and cold all at once.

The batter is the same one I use every time. The only real rule is patience with the oven door.

Three things that make it rise

• Room temperature batter: Make the batter first and let it stand while the oven heats. Cold batter gives a flatter Dutch baby.
• A properly hot pan: Give the pan a good 10 minutes in the oven before the butter goes in.
• Leave the door shut: Fifteen minutes, undisturbed. Opening the oven lets the heat out and the pancake sinks.
• Colour on the halloumi: Fry it in a hot pan and do not move it until it is deep golden. Pale halloumi is squeaky; golden halloumi is the point.

Serves 2 | Prep 15 mins | Rest 20 mins | Cook 15 mins | Total 50 mins

Ingredients

For the Dutch baby

• 4 large eggs
• 180ml (¾ cup) whole milk
• 90g (¾ cup) plain flour (all-purpose flour)
• ¼ tsp fine sea salt, plus a pinch for the cheese mix
• 40g (3 tbsp) butter
• 40g (1½oz) halloumi, taken from the block below
• A few sprigs of flat-leaf parsley
• 1 garlic clove

For the halloumi and yoghurt

• 250g (9oz) halloumi (40g of it goes into the batter topping)
• 1 tsp olive oil, for frying
• 50g (3 tbsp) Greek yoghurt
• 1 garlic clove
• Salt and black pepper, to taste

For the salad

• 1 baby gem lettuce, leaves separated
• ½ red onion, thinly sliced
• 30g (1oz) olives, halved
• A handful of baby tomatoes, halved
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 lemon
• 2 tsp za'atar

Method

Step 1: Make the batter

1. Preheat the oven to 230°C (210°C fan) / 450°F / gas mark 8, with a shelf in the middle and enough room above it for the Dutch baby to rise.
2. Put the eggs, flour, milk and salt in a jug and blitz with a stick blender until smooth and aerated. A stand blender works too.
3. Leave the batter to stand while the oven heats. The closer it is to room temperature, the better the rise.

Step 2: Mix the topping for the batter

1. Finely chop the parsley, mince the garlic and finely chop or grate 40g of the halloumi. Mix in a small bowl with a pinch of salt.

Step 3: Bake the Dutch baby

1. Put a 25cm (10in) ovenproof frying pan or cast iron skillet in the oven for 10 minutes, until very hot.
2. Take the pan out and add the butter. Let it bubble and melt completely, then pour in the batter.
3. Scatter the halloumi and herb mix over the middle and return the pan to the oven for 15 minutes, until puffed and golden. Do not open the oven door during this time.

Step 4: Fry the halloumi

1. While the Dutch baby bakes, slice the remaining halloumi.
2. Fry in the 1 tsp olive oil in a hot frying pan for 1-2 minutes on each side, until deep golden. A griddle pan or grill works too.

Step 5: Make the yoghurt and salad

1. Grate the garlic clove into the yoghurt, season with salt and pepper and mix.
2. Put the lettuce leaves in a bowl and dress with the olive oil, a squeeze of lemon juice and the za'atar.
3. Add the red onion, tomatoes and olives and toss.

Step 6: Serve

1. Spoon most of the yoghurt over the base of the Dutch baby.
2. Add the salad, leaves first, then top with the fried halloumi.
3. Finish with the remaining yoghurt, black pepper and a pinch of salt.

Notes

• Make ahead: The batter keeps overnight in the fridge. Bring it back to room temperature before baking.
• Extras: Thinly sliced cucumber is good in the salad, and a little lemon zest lifts the yoghurt.

Why this one closed the series

Hot, crisp pancake against cold yoghurt and a sharp, herby salad, with halloumi doing the job bacon usually does. It looks like a lot of effort and it is really three small jobs done while the oven does the hard part.

Russell