My husband, Andrew, is part Finnish. He’s super proud of this fact and will tell anyone who will listen. He has a Finnish flag decal on his car and before our front porch was redone he flew the Finnish flag outside our home. See, super proud. We haven’t had the chance to visit Finland yet but it’s definitely towards the top of our ever growing list. For Christmas a few years ago we were gifted a binder full of recipes that belonged to his very Finnish grandmother. No surprise that the binder is filled with plenty of pickled things, dark rye breads, fish, and sweet treats. My favorite recipe that we’ve made from her notes is Pannukakku, a Finnish pancake.
Various styles of pancakes are enjoyed all over the world, and pannukakku refers to a Finnish style of pancake. It’s kind of a combination of French toast, custard, and pancake. It comes out of the oven with crispy sides that rise above the edges of the pan and a creamy center. ( I won’t even mention the pool of melty butter on top.) Very similar to a Dutch baby and very delicious.
Weekends, especially holiday weekends call for pancakes. This weekend I made Pannukakku instead of my usual buttermilk pancakes. It was the perfect breakfast on a dreary January morning. Add some coffee, fresh fruit and maybe a bit of powdered sugar…yum!
Finnish Pannukakku
This recipe can be made in 2 9-inch cast iron skillets or in one 12- inch skillet. You can also cut the recipe in half. Leftovers are great reheated or served at room temperature. Recipe adapted from a newspaper article by Lee Bailey’s Weekend Cook.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup of all purpose flour, sifted
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 4 eggs
- 1 cup whole milk
- 4 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces ( only use 2 tablespoons if making in 1 pan)
Optional Additions:
- 1/4 teaspoon Cardamon (added to batter)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (added to batter)
- powdered sugar (topping)
- fresh fruit (topping)
- maple syrup (topping)
- fresh lemon (topping)
Directions:
- Preheat your oven to 425F. Pop your empty cast iron skillet or another heavy metal pan into the over for 5-10 minutes.
- Mix flour, sugar and salt in a medium bowl. (Cardamon if using)
- Whisk together your eggs, milk and vanilla extract (if using) in a seperate bowl or large measuring cup.
- Slowly stir your wet ingredients into your dry using a rubber spatula. Scrape the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Take your pan out of the oven and add your cut up butter.Swirl the pan to coat it with butter as it melts.
- Pour your batter into the pan quickly and promptly return it to the oven. Bake for 20-25 miutes, until golden brown and puffy.
- Remove from oven and allow to sit for 10 minutes or so. The pancake will shrink down a bit and that is normal.
- Cut into wedges and top with garnish of choice.
I hope you enjoy this version of a pancake. If you try it or if you have a pancake recipe I should try let me know!
