Just look at all that butter pooling up in the middle.

We’ve been trying to eat less bread around here (well, I have, anyway) so breakfasts are mostly eggs and yogurt and Chex cereal. But some days you just need a Dutch baby. All that warm, puffed-up, buttery deliciousness can make a cold winter morning much more cozy.

And it’s always fun to see the look on a small child’s face when you tell her you’re having a Dutch Baby for breakfast. A what? I don’t know where the name originated, but one source suggests that Dutch might actually be from the German deutsch. Which is fine, although I like the image of boys and girls in pointed hats and wooden clogs tucking into these before heading out to skate the canals.

Do your best to eat your Dutch Baby as soon as it comes out of the oven. It’ll still taste good deflated, but it’s better puffy. We like syrup around here, but you could sprinkle a little lemon juice and powdered sugar on yours. Berries would be delicious, too.

Ingredients

4 tablespoons butter
3 eggs
3/4 cup milk
3/4 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Place the butter in a 10″ cast-iron ovenproof skillet or heavy glass baking dish. Put the pan in the oven so the butter can melt while you make the batter.

Using a blender, mix the eggs until foamy. Add the milk, flour, salt, and vanilla and blend only to combine.

When the butter has melted, roll it around to coat the pan. Pour the batter into the hot pan and put it back in the oven.

Bake for 25 minutes or until puffed and golden. Serve right away with lemon, butter, powdered sugar, berries, or syrup.