Old Dutch poffertjes (Dutch mini pancakes)
Dutch poffertjes or small mini pancakes, as you might call them, are a treat that is famous in the Netherlands. You can make them yourself or buy from a special “poffertjes vendor”. You eat them with some butter and icing sugar.
Old Dutch poffertjes
We must all have them; recipes that you have know so long or have taken completely for granted but when asked about them you go “Uuuhhhh… I actually never made that!!” I had that realization when Nurit of FamilyFriendlyFood asked me if I had a recipe for poffertjes…
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Eh… well no, and when I thought about it: I had never made them myself! When we were little my parents did have a poffertjespan and they made them on regular basis as we loved those little pancakes, but that was sort of the last time that I had tasted homemade poffertjes. During the summermonths in one of the town that I used to live close by, there is always a typical “OudHollandsche Poffertjeskraam” and we would go there every summer, at least once. The poffertjes there are fantastic and now that I have made them myself I might actually ask them for their recipe next summer!
Anyway, I did look up a Dutch recipe for Nurit and send it to her via email at which point we started to think about blogging about this together. How fun is it that we can virtually cook together?? You should really check out Nurit’s blog (no longer online).
Poffertjespan
For making Dutch poffertjes the first thing you need is a poffertjespan, which is a cast iron plate with “holes” (not actual holes of course, but some kind of dents) in them to support the poffertjes and to give them their round shape.
Old Dutch or old French??
I was shocked to read just a few minutes ago that poffertjes actually originated in France!!
They were first baked around 1795 in a monastery where they made the holy bread (sorry I have absolutely no idea how those are called in English!! I’ll look it up!). There was a shortage in wheat flour and an abundance of buck wheat flour so they started experimenting and that is how the first poffertjes came to be.
Market people and sales vendors who bought products from the monastery took the recipe and during the french revolution they marched with the army of Napoleon to the Netherlands and sold the poffertjes at year markets and fancy fairs. And that is how the “Dutch” poffertje came to be Dutch. I actually don’t think you can find them in France anymore. Have never seen them there!
Baking my first poffertje
So how did I do with baking my first ever poffertjes? I found the process slightly more difficult than I had anticipated. The batter needs to rise for about 45 minutes but then becomes quite thick so getting small amounts in the holes was hard and by the time I was at the 6th hole, the others were already starting to go to brown.
So I ended up with baking them for a little bit too long. Turning them quickly also requires some practice so that didn’t help either. I did think the taste was very good and I can see how they would work great if you bake them a little shorter and serve them a little warmer. lol..
I was so busy trying to turn them and then getting them out of the pan, that by the time I had them all the first ones were already beginning to cool down. Plus I then forgot to put the butter on top so the butter didn’t particularly melt very well. Poffertjes are traditionally served with butter and icing sugar, but you can vary with them to your liking. Rum in the batter is a very well known variation here and the list is quite frankly endless.
Danish version
I decided that it would be a fun comparison test to make the Danish version and also try a ready made batter for poffertjes.
You can buy premade mixes here in the supermarket. You just have to add milk, shake it and your batter is ready. But there is nothing more fun than making your own, so here is the recipe for the poffertjes!
Dutch poffertjes (mini pancakes)
Equipment
- Poffertjespan
Ingredients
- 125 gr flour
- 125 gr buckwheat flour
- 2 eggs
- butter
- 300 ml luke warm milk
- 7 gr dried yeast
- vanilla sugar
For serving
- butter
- icing sugar
How to make Dutch poffertjes (mini pancakes)
- Mix the dry yeast with some of the luke warm milk en stir until dissolved.
- Place buckwheat and the flour together in a bowl and make a small circle in the middle. Add the yeast mixture into it. Add the milk and stir until you have a smooth batter.
- Add the eggs, salt and vanille sugar and stir through. Leave to stand and rise for about 45 minutes.
- Heat the poffertjespan and add a bit of butter into each hole. Fill halfway with batter and first bake one side until you can see the top dry out a little. Turn the poffertjes around with a small fork and bake the other side until cooked and golden brown.
- Serve the poffertjes with butter and icing sugar
Nutrition Information per portion
Disclaimer
The nutritional values above are calculated per portion. The details are based on standard nutritional tables and do not constitute a professional nutritional advice.
