This easy German Pfannkuchen basic recipe is absolutely sure to succeed. And the result: heavenly! The whole family will be happy about the easy pancake batter. No matter whether for brunch or lunch: The egg pancake recipe always fits!
Taste and Occasion
You might ask yourself, what's so special about German pancakes? Well, to me they are the perfect mix between the super fluffy but smaller American pancakes and the typically thin French crêpes. I've grown up with this German pancake recipe and fall in love with it over and over again.
And how do you make these pancakes? Quite simply! The classic dough is made from flour, milk and eggs. It can be varied and refined wonderfully. Basically, pancakes taste sweet and hearty.
The only difference is the topping and, of course, the amount of sugar or salt. If you follow a few easy tips, the pancakes are guaranteed to bring back wonderful childhood memories 😉 . After all, who didn't like to stand in the kitchen and watch mummy put the pancake batter spoon by spoon into the pan smoking hot butter?
For "my" basic recipe you only need 20 minutes; the result is enough for about 4 people. Depending on how hungry you are, what is served with it and whether it should be a main course or a dessert. So it's similar to classic waffles, French crêpes or Kaiserschmarrn.
Although the recipe is easy, I will give you some important hints below. Of course, they apply not only to the basic pancake recipe, but also to alternatives.
Ingredients
You make good pancakes from flour, eggs, milk and possibly sugar. Some of the milk can be replaced by carbonated mineral water. It is also important for fluffy pancakes that there are no lumps in the dough.
If lumps appear in the dough despite stirring, you can "save" them by pressing them through a sieve. I prepare the dough with whole eggs. With separated eggs and beaten egg white it becomes even airier. You can also add a pinch of baking powder.
How to make German Pfannkuchen
Now it's time for the real magic. Let me begin with the first steps of the best German Pfannkuchen recipe: Beat the eggs with the sugar until the mixture is frothy. Then, stir in the milk.
Mix the flour with a pinch of salt to a dough - preferably with a hand mixer. The dough will be smooth and without lumps. Let the dough rest for about 15 minutes.
But which pan is perfect for making pancakes? A cast-iron pan makes stylish turning in the air rather difficult 😉 - so if you want to turn the pancake impressively in the air, you should use a lighter pan. The best is a non-stick coating. In addition, a plate for easy turning.
Heat a small pan (medium temperature) and add some butter. If you don't want your pancakes to stick together, better use a proper amount of fat in the pan. Pour about one-eighth of the dough into the coated pan with a soup spoon and spread it evenly in the pan with a rotating movement.
As soon as it can be released from the bottom, turn the pancake to the other side with a spatula. Both sides should be baked golden yellow. If your pancake gets too hard, you may have baked them in the pan for too long - or, strange as it sounds, you used too many eggs in the batter.
Bake the remaining pancakes according to the same pattern, stirring the dough briefly each time beforehand. Eat the finished pancakes either directly - or cover them with a kitchen towel or keep them warm on a plate in the oven at 122°F / 50 °C. If you bake the pancakes in oil, they won't stick together so much.
You can store the pancakes in the refrigerator or in the freezer. If you want to freeze pancakes, you should separate them with baking paper.
Top Tip
You should let the pancake batter rest or swell for some time before using it. Firstly, the ingredients combine better. And allowing the dough to rest results in the flour swelling a little before baking. Which leads to thick pancakes.
Recipe Card
German Pfannkuchen (Pancakes)
Equipment
- Small Pan
Ingredients
For the Dough
- 200 grams (1 ⅔ cups) all-purpose flour
- 400 milliliters (1 ¾ cups) milk, possibly half of mineral water
- 3 eggs, medium-sized
- 2 tablespoon sugar , Amount to taste
For Baking
- 50 grams (⅕ cup) butter , rough amount; alternatively oil/clarified butter
Instructions
For the Dough
- Beat the eggs with the sugar until frothy. Stir in the milk. Mix the flour with a pinch of salt to a dough - preferably with a hand mixer. The dough will be smooth and without lumps. Let the dough rest for about 15 minutes.
For Baking
- Heat a small pan (medium temperature) and add some butter. Pour about one-eighth of the dough into the coated pan with a soup spoon and spread it evenly in the pan with a rotating movement. As soon as it can be released from the bottom, turn the pancake to the other side with a spatula. Both sides should be baked golden yellow.
- Bake the remaining pancakes according to the same pattern, stirring the dough briefly each time beforehand. Eat the finished pancakes either directly - or cover them with a kitchen towel or keep them warm on a plate in the oven at 122°F / 50 °C.
Ingredient substitutions
Variations
The most popular sweet pancakes are made with Nutella, applesauce or the traditional way with sugar and cinnamon. A very easy variation is to add chopped fruit to the dough. There are no limits to your creativity. How about apple pancakes? Or filled with curd or pudding?
By the way: If at the end of the day there should still be something left of your German Pfannkuchen (there should be 😉 ), you can make "Flädle" for a "Flädlesoup" and freeze it well. This is a typical German soup recipe with small stripes of leftover pancakes. Absolutely delicious!
Similar Recipes
Looking for a healthier version of delicious pancakes? Check out my recipe for oatmeal pancakes with no eggs, flour or sugar if you like!
I REALLY would love to make your recipes, but I’m REALLY over doing all the conversions. Any chance you can offer both in your recipes? Otherwise I guess I should unsubscribe. Thank you for sharing, they sound and look wonderful. MaryJo
Hi MaryJo, thanks for your comment - we do offer units both in metrics and US. There is a small link under each ingredients section, when you click on "US Customary" you'll see all amounts in cups, ounces, spoons etc.. I can't promise we did it for 100% of our recipes, but for all new recipes and at least 90% of all recipes.
Can you let me know if this works for you? We want to offer a unit system that works, and you're the first commenting on it, so your feedback would be really helpful.
Thanks and all the best from Bavaria
Jan
Thank you for sharing your recipes. It's been a long time since I've made pfannkuchen.
Schuss.
~Cati