Puffy, Not Fluffy

• Conventional pancakes combine beaten eggs with milk and flour to create a relatively thick batter, which yields fluffy, doughy pancakes. German apple pancakes, or their apple-free cousin the "Dutch baby," use the same ingredients but in very different proportions. It's a thin batter, mostly egg, with just enough milk or cream to give them a soft texture and enough flour to help them puff and set. In the heat of the oven the edges puff like a souffle and form a crisp crust, while the rich center remains soft and custardlike.

Getting Heated

• Any heavy-duty baking pan will work, as long as it won't shatter when the batter is poured in. Metal, enameled and ceramic baking dishes are usually fine, but avoid tempered glass. Preheat your oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Put enough butter into your baking pan - usually 1/3 to 1/2 cup -- to cover the bottom liberally, and slide it into the oven to melt. Add sliced tart apples, sweeteners such as maple sugar or brown sugar, and your favorite warm spices. Put the pan back into the oven to caramelize the apples, while you beat the pancake batter.

Batter Up

• Most recipes for these pancakes use approximately equal quantities of eggs and milk or cream, varying with the cook's preferences. There's relatively little flour, which means these pancakes can be freely adapted for use with gluten-free flour mixes. The end result will be slightly denser, but otherwise little altered. Remove the pan from your oven once the apples are caramelized, and pour in the batter. Start by going around the outside of the pan, so the apples will be surrounded by a ring of crisp crust, then fill in the middle. The pancake should bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until the edges are puffed and golden and the middle is just barely set. Turn the pancake out onto a serving platter, and cut it into wedges.

A Few Basic Tips

• Most recipes recommend using a tart apple such as Granny Smith to provide a foil for the sweetness of the batter. It's not much sweeter than a conventional pancake covered in syrup, but feel free to cut back on the sugar if you wish. Recipes are usually scaled for a 10- or 12-inch skillet, so try to use a baking dish with a comparable surface area. Larger pans, such as a 9-by-13-inch cake pan, can be used but they'll need more time for the center to cook. Start them at 425 F so the edges will puff and become golden; then, after roughly 15 minutes turn the oven down to 325 F so the middle can finish cooking.