Recipe · Vegetarian · Eggless
Mini Dutch Pancakes (Poffertjes) in an Appe Pan
Mini Dutch pancakes (poffertjes) made in an appe or paddu pan with a quick eggless batter. Soft, puffy and ready in 30 minutes, no poffertjes pan needed.
Poffertjes are small, puffy Dutch pancakes, traditionally served warm with a knob of butter and a snowfall of powdered sugar. They are cooked in a special pan with round dips, which most Indian kitchens do not have. The appe pan (paniyaram or paddu pan) does exactly the same job.
This quick version uses an eggless batter of maida, curd and milk, raised with baking powder and a little soda, so there is no waiting for dough to rise. Each batch takes about 4 minutes, and you turn the pancakes with a toothpick just as you would turn paddu. They come out slightly rounder than the Dutch ones, which is part of the fun.
Serve them as an evening snack or weekend dessert with Nutella, chocolate sauce or sliced banana. In Mangalore, where the paddu pan is a kitchen regular, they are one of the easiest cafe desserts to try at home.
Mini Dutch Pancakes (Poffertjes) in an Appe Pan
You'll need
Appe pan (paniyaram or paddu pan), non-stick or well-seasoned cast iron · 2 mixing bowls · Whisk · Wooden skewer or toothpick · Squeeze bottle or zip bag (optional) · Small sieve, for dusting
Ingredients
For the batter
For cooking and serving
Method
- Mix the dry ingredients. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the maida, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt so the raising agents are evenly spread.
- Mix the wet ingredients. In a second bowl or a jug, whisk the curd until smooth. Whisk in the milk, the cooled melted butter and the vanilla.
- Make the batter. Pour the wet mix into the dry and whisk gently, just until no dry flour remains; a few tiny lumps are fine. The batter should be thick but pourable, about like idli batter, falling from the whisk in a slow ribbon. If it is stiff, add milk 1 tablespoon at a time.
- Rest the batter. Leave the batter for 5 minutes; small bubbles will appear on the surface. Spoon it into a squeeze bottle or a zip bag with one corner snipped off, if using.
- Heat and grease the pan. Heat the appe pan on medium for 2 minutes, then turn the heat down to low-medium. Brush each cavity with about 1/4 teaspoon melted butter.
- Fill the cavities. Fill each cavity about three-quarters full, which is 1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons of batter depending on your pan. Do not overfill, or the pancakes spill over and stick together.
- Cook the first side. Cook for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes, until bubbles appear on top, the edges look set and the underside is golden brown when you lift one with a skewer.
- Flip and finish. Turn each pancake over with a skewer or toothpick, the same way you turn paddu. Cook for 1 to 1 1/2 minutes more, until golden on both sides and a toothpick pushed into the centre comes out clean. Lift them onto a plate and cover with a cloth. Grease the pan again and repeat with the rest of the batter.
- Serve warm. Pile the pancakes on a plate, add a small knob of butter and dust generously with powdered sugar through a sieve. Add Nutella, chocolate sauce or banana slices if you like, and eat while warm.
Tips for getting it right
- Keep the heat at low-medium. Appe pan cavities are deep, so on high heat the outside burns before the centre cooks.
- Treat the first batch as a test. If the bottoms brown in under a minute, lower the heat; if they take more than 3 minutes, raise it slightly.
- Fill only three-quarters full. The batter puffs as it cooks, and the extra room lets the pancakes turn into neat rounds.
- Cook the batter within 20 to 30 minutes of mixing. The baking soda starts working as soon as it meets the curd, and batter left too long gives flatter pancakes.
- Use a squeeze bottle or zip bag for filling. It is faster and neater than a spoon, and every pancake comes out the same size.
Variations
- Chocolate poffertjes: replace 2 tablespoons of the maida with 2 tablespoons cocoa powder and add 1 extra tablespoon sugar.
- Choco-chip centres: drop 2 or 3 chocolate chips into each cavity right after filling.
- Half atta: replace half the maida with whole wheat flour (atta) for a nuttier, slightly denser pancake, adding 1 to 2 tablespoons extra milk.
- Cinnamon sugar: toss the hot pancakes in 3 tablespoons sugar mixed with 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (dalchini) powder.
Storing and reheating
Poffertjes taste best warm, straight from the pan. Leftovers keep in an airtight box in the fridge for up to 2 days. Warm them in the appe pan on low for 1 to 2 minutes, turning once, or microwave for 15 to 20 seconds. Do not store the batter, as it loses its lift.
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