Smoked Salmon Savoury Dutch Baby

If you've come here from my video, this is the one. I said it should be your Christmas morning breakfast, and I stand by that. It feeds four, it looks like an event when it comes out of the oven, and it still leaves room for lunch and a few chocolates.

The idea came from Jamie Oliver. Years ago I remembered him talking about having smoked salmon for breakfast on Christmas Day, and it stuck with me. Then one December I was doing a brand deal with a cast-iron company and needed something worth making in their pan. While I was researching I came across Dutch babies. They're usually sweet, but I wondered what would happen if I took one savoury: Parmesan, garlic and herbs baked on top, with smoked salmon and a lemony dill crème fraîche piled into the middle.

That first one went viral, and it's been a tradition in our house ever since. It also started a whole series of Dutch babies, because once you see how well the base takes whatever's in your fridge, it's hard to stop. If you're reading this at another time of year, it makes a great weekend brunch, and half the recipe is a good lunch or dinner for two.

Before Christmas morning

• The pan: A 26cm (10in) cast-iron pan is ideal. Any heavy ovenproof frying pan will work, but it needs to hold its heat. The sizzle when the batter hits the butter is what starts the rise.
• Room temperature: Take the eggs and milk out of the fridge early, or at least let the batter stand while the oven heats. Cold batter gives a flatter result.
• Hands off: Don't open the oven while it bakes. The rise comes from steam, and a rush of cooler air will knock it back.
• The handle: The pan comes out at 230°C, so keep an oven glove on the handle the whole time. It's very easy to forget and grab it.
• Timing: A Dutch baby waits for no one. Get everyone to the table before it comes out, because it starts to settle within minutes.

Serves 4 | Prep 10 mins, plus 20 mins standing | Cook 20 mins | Total 50 mins

Ingredients

For the Dutch baby

• 4 eggs, at room temperature
• 180ml (¾ cup) milk
• 90g (¾ cup) plain flour (all-purpose flour)
• ¼ tsp salt
• 20g (¼ cup) Parmesan, finely grated
• 15g (½oz) mixed fresh parsley, dill and tarragon, finely chopped
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• Pinch of salt
• 40g (3 tbsp) butter

To serve

• 50g (3 tbsp) crème fraîche
• 2 tsp fresh dill, finely chopped
• 1 tsp finely grated lemon zest
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• ¼ tsp salt
• 200g (7oz) smoked salmon

Method

Step 1: Heat the oven and pan

1. Put a 26cm (10in) cast-iron frying pan on the middle shelf of the oven, leaving plenty of room above it for the Dutch baby to rise.
2. Preheat the oven to 230°C (210°C fan) / 450°F / gas mark 8.

Step 2: Make the batter

1. Put the eggs, milk, flour and ¼ tsp salt in a stick blender jug, or a jug blender.
2. Blend until smooth and frothy, about 30 seconds.
3. Leave the batter to stand while the oven and pan heat up, at least 20 minutes. The closer it gets to room temperature, the better the rise.

Step 3: Make the herb topping

1. Put the Parmesan, chopped herbs and garlic in a small bowl.
2. Add the pinch of salt and mix well.

Step 4: Bake the Dutch baby

1. Once the oven is fully up to temperature, carefully take out the pan. The handle will be extremely hot.
2. Add the butter and swirl it around the pan until melted and foaming.
3. Pour in the batter straight away.
4. Scatter the herb topping evenly over the top.
5. Return the pan to the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes, until well puffed, deep golden and crisp at the edges. Don't open the oven door during this time.

Step 5: Make the dill crème fraîche

1. While the Dutch baby bakes, mix the crème fraîche, dill, lemon zest, half the lemon juice and ¼ tsp salt in a small bowl.

Step 6: Fill and serve

1. Take the Dutch baby out of the oven. The middle will sink a little as it cools; that's the space for the filling.
2. Arrange the smoked salmon in the centre.
3. Spoon over the dill crème fraîche.
4. Squeeze over the remaining lemon juice.
5. Cut into wedges and serve straight away.

Good to know

Make ahead: Blend the batter the night before and keep it covered in the fridge. Take it out when you turn the oven on, then give it a quick blend before pouring.

Storage: It's best straight from the oven. Leftovers keep in the fridge for a day and are fine cold, but it won't puff up again.

Half quantity: For two, use 2 eggs and halve everything else. Bake it in a 20cm (8in) pan and start checking at 12 minutes.

What is a Dutch baby made of?

Very little, which is part of the appeal. The batter is eggs for structure and richness, milk for a smooth, creamy texture, just enough flour to give it body, and a pinch of salt. Butter gives the golden crust, and I add it to the hot pan rather than to the batter.

A sweet Dutch baby usually gets sugar and vanilla. A savoury one opens things up to cheese, herbs, garlic and spices. Here that means Parmesan and soft herbs baked on top, but spinach, tomato and feta work just as well. You can also use wholemeal flour for a bit more body. You blend it, pour it and bake it.

How is it different from a pancake?

The texture is the big difference. Pancakes are made from a thicker batter and cooked on the hob, so they come out soft and even. A Dutch baby uses a thinner batter poured into a very hot pan and baked at high heat. It rises dramatically, the edges go crisp and the middle stays tender and almost custardy.

It also tastes richer and more buttery than a pancake. And rather than making a stack of individual pancakes, you bake one big Dutch baby and cut it into wedges at the table, which is exactly why it works for a family breakfast.

Why does my Dutch baby taste eggy?

Eggs are what make it rise and give it that custardy middle, so some egginess comes with the dish. If yours tastes more like an omelette than you'd like, a few things help:

• Adjust the ratio: Use slightly smaller eggs, or add a little more flour and milk in proportion.
• Add aromatics: Chopped chives, parsley, dill or tarragon, a pinch of nutmeg or a little paprika all balance the egg.
• Richer dairy: Whole milk, or milk with a splash of cream, and good butter make it taste savoury rather than eggy.
• Cheese: Parmesan, a sharp Cheddar, Gruyère or a little goat's cheese adds depth.
• Toppings: Sautéed mushrooms, caramelised onions or roasted vegetables turn the base into a backdrop for the filling.

Dutch baby vs Yorkshire pudding

They look like cousins, and the batter is close: eggs, flour and milk. The Dutch baby is American despite its name. It's usually traced to a café in Seattle in the early 1900s, and "Dutch" is thought to be a corruption of "Deutsch", as it was based on a German pancake. Yorkshire pudding goes back to 18th-century England. The story goes that it was served first to fill people up before the more expensive meat arrived.

The method is where they split. A Dutch baby bakes as one large round in a buttered cast-iron pan. Yorkshire puddings go into individual tins with smoking-hot oil or beef dripping. A Dutch baby usually has more egg, so it comes out denser and more custardy. Yorkshires are lighter, crisper and hollow in the middle, ready for gravy. A Yorkshire is always savoury, while a Dutch baby can go either way.

Why it keeps coming back

What I like about this is how much it gets out of so little. It's a basic batter and a very hot pan, and the salmon and crème fraîche turn it into a proper celebration. It fits the way Christmas morning actually works: most of the prep is done before anyone's awake, it comes out of the oven looking impressive, and everyone eats from the same pan. It started as a one-off for a brand deal, and now it's the thing I make every year.

Russell