I decided to try something new for breakfast this weekend - German pancakes!  I've heard about this delicious, spongy treat but I decided to finally give them a whirl with my new favorite ingredient, Ova Easy egg crystals.  My pancakes weren't very pretty (see note below about opening the oven too early), but they tasted amazing and were a wonderful, protein-rich start to my morning. [caption id="attachment_1121" align="alignleft" width="150"] German Pancake[/caption] [caption id="attachment_1122" align="alignleft" width="150"] baking the pancakes[/caption] [caption id="attachment_1123" align="alignleft" width="150"] German Pancakes sprinkled with sugar[/caption]          

 Ingredients:

4 Tbsp Ova Easy egg crystals dissolved in 6 Tbsp water (equivalent to 6 fresh eggs)

1 cup milk, fresh or reconstituted from powder

1 cup bread flour

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)

3 Tbsp butter, fresh or from powder

Powdered sugar

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  In a large bowl, mix together eggs, milk, flour, and cinnamon. Beat well, batter will be light and frothy. Put butter in cast iron skillet or medium baking dish, and place dish in oven. When butter has melted, carefully remove dish from oven and tip from side to side to completely cover the bottom. Pour in the egg mixture. Bake for 25 minutes, until puffy and golden brown.  Remove from oven and dust with powdered sugar.

Tips and notes:

All purpose flour may be substituted for the bread flour, but the high protein content in the bread flour allows for a higher rise during baking. Add 1 Tbsp vital wheat gluten to your cup of all purpose flour to mimic the effects of bread flour.

I baked my pancakes in individual ramekins instead of one large dish. If you choose to do so as well, split the butter evenly between ramekins and reduce total baking time by 5 minutes.

Don't open the oven while your pancakes are cooking. I made this mistake - I don't have a window in my oven door and I wanted to take a peek - and it caused them to rise unevenly.

Lemon juice and powdered sugar are the traditional toppings for German pancakes, but these would also be great with maple syrup, fresh fruit, or honey. Experiment and find out what you prefer!

Contributed by Kate Wilt