Photo: Brent Hofacker (Shutterstock)
March brings plenty of things to celebrate—more daylight, warming weather, Women’s History Month, Pi Day, apparently college basketball is a thing? For many of us, it’s the month we can again start to imagine weekend getaways and rooftop cocktails. March 17—St. Patrick’s Day—is one of the first true party days of the year. Regardless of the day of the week it falls on, buttering up a hunk of raisin-studded Irish Soda Bread and washing it down with a Guinness at 8 a.m. just seems right.
This year, I’d like to encourage you to save the soda bread for second breakfast, because I’ve crafted an audacious recipe that is guaranteed to start you off on the right foot (which you will then slowly place in front of the other).
The Guinness Dutch Baby is a fun and visually impressive breakfast that features some wonderfully complementary flavors. If you’re unfamiliar with a regular Dutch Baby (also called a German Pancake, among other things), it’s almost like it’s the descendant of a Yorkshire pudding and a popover, but the Ancestry DNA results came back with a 14% custard match. Trust me: It’s good. The batter is simple and it all goes in a cast iron skillet at once, so unlike your average pancakes, you don’t have to pour one at a time, sullenly flipping while the first ones get cold and clammy. Once the batter hits the high oven heat, the magic begins–or more accurately, erupts. Suddenly, the edges of the pan begin to puff and ripple, and 15 minutes later you have a very exciting puffy pancake in the shape of a bowl. It’s perfect for filling with whipped cream, fruit, or a generous layer of powdered sugar.
The beauty of this unconventional baby is the beer. Not just because it’s lightly scandalous, but because stouts display nuanced, complex flavors, with notes of chocolate, coffee and caramel. (So why aren’t we baking with them more?) While spirits and liqueurs can add a sting to some recipes, beer adds an interesting flavor with less punch. In this recipe, you’ll find each bite has a mellow caramel flavor with a seductive malty finish. Although you can garnish this with a dollop of whipped cream or maple syrup, I actually preferred my subsequent three slices with just powdered sugar.
Guinness Dutch Baby
Ingredients:
3 eggs¾ cup of Guinness Extra Stout (or any stout or porter)2 tablespoons turbinado sugar¼ teaspoon salt1 cup all-purpose flour3 tablespoons of unsalted butterIn a blender or food processor, add the first five ingredients, in order. Blend for about 20 seconds and scrape down any stuck flour. Blend for another 20 seconds, until smooth.
Rest, covered, in the fridge for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, place a cast iron skillet in the oven and preheat at 450℉.
After your oven and pan have preheated for about 20 minutes, take the batter out of the fridge, remove the lid and have a rubber spatula ready.
Carefully remove the blazing-hot skillet from the oven. Add the butter to the hot pan. It will immediately sputter and start melting. Give the pan a little swirl and return it to the oven for 20-30 seconds. You want the butter to be hot and browning but not burning. With oven mitts, take the skillet out of the oven and pour in all of the batter, scraping out the last bits with the rubber spatula.
Immediately return the skillet to the oven for 15 minutes or until significantly puffy and the top edges are browned. Top with a heavy dusting of powdered sugar.
