Desperation in the Kitchen: Oven-Puffed Apple Pancake

I'm going to let ya'll in on a secret.

I cannot make a pancake to save my life. Can.not.do.it

I can make amazing crepes, and French toast, and pretty much any other breakfast food.

Pancakes?

Nope.

I don't know what it is: maybe I just don't have the touch. Maybe I don't let my skillet heat up. Maybe I just suck at making pancakes. Here's something I don't suck at though.


Oven-Puffed Pancake!

Here's what you need:

*1 cup whole milk
*4 large eggs
*3 Tablespoons sugar
*1 teaspoon vanilla
*1/2 teaspoon salt
*1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
*2/3 cup flour
*4 Tablespoons butter
*3 medium-size apples, peeled and sliced (don't ask what kind, they came off my neighbor's tree)
*3 Tablespoons light brown sugar
*powdered sugar, optional

Here's what you do
*Preheat oven to 425 degrees

*Whisk together the milk, eggs, sugar, vanilla, salt and cinnamon

*Add flour and mix batter until smooth

*Take adorable pic of flour-spotted daughter

*Cut up your butter and place in the bottom of a 9x13 casserole.

*Stick it in the oven for about 5 minutes until the butter melts

*Arrange your apples however you want in the melted butter. Some people are all artistic about it. I am not.

*Bake that lovely mess in the oven until the butter starts to brown for about 10 minutes or so.
*Then, pour your batter over the hot mess.

*Sprinkle some brown sugar on the batter

 

*Bake for 20 minutes or so until it puffs up. Sprinkle with powdered sugar, if you want.

 

*Watch it disappear.