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Filled with smoky ham, nutty Gruyère, and fresh chives, this savory Dutch baby recipe is simple enough for a lazy weekend but special enough for guests.
The inspiration for this savory Dutch baby recipe comes from Tasting Paris: 100 Recipes To Eat Like A Local by Clotilde Dusoulier, the voice behind the Paris-based cooking blog Chocolate & Zucchini. I spent a lot of time in Paris in my early twenties, so flipping through the book makes me a little wistful for those days.
In France, this type of oven-puffed pancake is called a pascade. Clotilde describes it as halfway between a crêpe and a cheese soufflé, crisp on the outside and comfortingly tender inside. I took her recipe and, keeping with the French theme, added Dijon mustard, chopped ham, grated Gruyère, and chives. The result is a savory pancake that’s just as good for brunch as it is for lunch or a light dinner. Serve it with a simple salad or fresh fruit, or add roasted asparagus or another seasonal vegetable to make the meal a little more substantial.
“Ridiculously easy……..this recipe epitomizes a perfectly delicious breakfast!”
What You’ll Need To Make a Savory Dutch Baby
- Eggs: The base of the batter; they give the Dutch baby its dramatic puff and tender, custardy center.
- Dijon Mustard: A small amount adds subtle tang without making the pancake taste mustardy.
- All-Purpose Flour: Gives the pancake just enough structure to puff while keeping the center tender.
- Whole Milk: Provides the liquid for the batter and helps create a tender, custardy interior. If you don’t have whole milk, a combination of heavy cream and skim milk works just as well.
- Gruyère Cheese: Melts beautifully into the pancake, adding a nutty richness that pairs especially well with the ham.
- Fresh Chives: Bring a mild oniony flavor and a little freshness and color to the pancake. Snip them with kitchen shears for quick prep.
- Unsalted Butter: Helps the pancake develop crisp, golden edges and adds richness to the batter. Using unsalted butter gives you better control over the seasoning, especially since both the ham and Gruyère can be fairly salty.
- Ham: This is a great place to use leftover baked ham, but good-quality deli ham works well, too. Cut it into small pieces so it distributes evenly throughout the pancake.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
How To Make a Savory Dutch Baby
Make the batter: Whisk together the egg, mustard and seasoning. Mix in the flour and then gradually whisk in the milk, followed by the cheese and chives. Adding the flour before the milk makes it easier to whisk out any lumps and get a smooth batter.
Assemble, bake, and serve: Melt the butter in the ovenproof pan, swirling to coat the bottom. Scatter the ham evenly over the butter, then pour the batter on top. Bake until puffed and golden, without opening the oven door—the rush of cool air can cause the pancake to deflate before it’s fully set. It will collapse quickly once out of the oven, which is perfectly normal. Slice and serve warm.
Savory Dutch Baby with Ham & Cheese
Ingredients
- 3 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- Heaping ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 cup all-purpose flour, spooned into a measuring cup and leveled-off
- 1¼ cups whole milk (or substitute ¼ cup/60 ml heavy cream + 1 cup/240 ml skim milk)
- ⅔ cup grated Gruyère cheese
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh chives
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 5 slices (4 oz) thinly sliced ham, finely diced
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C) and set an oven rack in the middle position.
- In a large bowl, whisk the eggs with the mustard, salt, and pepper. Whisk in the flour. Gradually add the milk, whisking until the batter is smooth. Stir in the cheese and chives.
- Melt the butter in a 10-in (25-cm) cast iron or nonstick ovenproof pan over medium heat. Remove from the heat and swirl the butter around. Sprinkle the ham evenly around the pan. Pour the batter over the ham, then use a fork to be sure the ham is evenly distributed. Carefully transfer the pan to the preheated oven and bake for about 25 minutes. It will appear puffed straight out of the oven, but will quickly collapse. Cut the pancake into thin wedges and serve. (Remember that the pan is hot; I usually place a dishtowel or oven mitt over the handle as a reminder.)
Notes
- The pancake is best served fresh out of the oven. However, leftover slices can be reheated in the microwave.
- The edges of many Dutch babies will remain puffy after coming out of the oven. In this version, it will puff up a bit in the oven to about 1½ in (4 cm) high all over, then settle to about ½ in (13 mm) high as it cools.
Nutrition Information
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Followed recipe and made it gluten free by using gluten free flour and added 1/2 tsp baking powder. I did not have a 10” cast iron pan and used my 12” and it worked fine. Delicious!
Hi Jenn,
My family LOVES this recipe. I’m hosting a brunch this weekend. Can it be made in a larger dish, 9×13? Would you just double the recipe for that size dish?
Thank you 🙂
Hi Gina, I do think it would work but I’d probably multiply by 1.5 (just use 5 eggs).
Made your pancake yesterday for lunch – deliciously gorgeous. Definitely be making it again. Thanks.
For a good crepe recipe try deliaonline.com
Here in the Uk we call her St Delia, she has helped a lot of us learn how to cook.
Really enjoy your web site as well Jenn and anxious to try this pancake, just made a Dutch Baby and it was delicious.
How wonderful that you mentioned Deliah Smith. I bought her “Complete Cookery Course” in 1982, I’m absolutely sure that’s why my now husband married me (38 years and counting) I have now lived in the USA for 38 years, but I still use my tattered cookbook and the online website. Wishing you and yours a healthy, and happy 2022! Fiona Stephan
Wow, thank you so much for this recipe! It was a last-minute decision on my part to try this for brunch and we all loved it. I subbed cheeses that I had on hand (mozza & gran padano) and left out the ham; it was still perfect! Served with a light salad and miscellaneous toppings on the side… our guests were visibly wowed.
This goes on the table much quicker than crepes, which have always been my go-to for impressing at brunch and, of course, has a fancier feel than serving a sheet pancake. Even the children loved it! This is going into rotation in our home. Thank you, thank you, thank you, Jenn!
I have a 10.5-inch non-stick pan ovenproof pan, would that work? Would I need to make any adjustments?
Sure, that should work without any adjustments. Hope you enjoy!
I don’t have a 10 inch oven proof frying pan so I scaled recipe to 2/3rds and used a pyrex pie dish. I melted butter in microwave with 1 Tbs chopped shallots and then followed recipe. Wonderful.
Hi Jenn
I hope this note finds you and your family well and enjoying life more with fewer restrictions!
As you are my “go to” chef for recipes when I want to impress (always😜) I was surprised when I couldn’t find a basic (& fabulous) French crepe recipe? I know you spent a lot of time in France and naturally assumed yours would be fabulous:)
I had lunch at a quaint French bistro yesterday, enjoyed a shiitake, asparagus, chèvre crepe that was simply delicious. and I was hoping to replicate it at home.
Do you have or know of a tried and true great recipe for a crepe? If it’s tucked in one of your cook books which I don’t have, just let me know which one….happy to purchase it!
Thank you!
Anita
Hi Anita, So glad you like the recipes! As of now, I don’t have a proven recipe of my own for crepes – I’m sorry! I’ll have to add that to my list of recipes to potentially develop. In the meantime, this one looks good and gets positive reviews. (Please keep in mind that I haven’t tried it myself.) Thanks for the suggestion as I’m always looking for new inspiration!
We’ve made this numerous times as written and truly love it. At the moment, we have some fabulous bacon that arrived as a gift and I wonder if cooking the bacon and adding it in place of the ham would work, or not??
Sure, Merry, that will work!
Made this for brunch today and everyone LOVED it. So simple to prepare as well. Thanks for another winning recipe!