This Hootenanny recipe makes a big, puffy, golden oven-baked pancake in a single 9×13 dish, using six eggs, flour, milk and butter, with no flipping and no standing at the stove. It balloons up in the oven, then settles into a custardy center with crisp, buttery edges, and it’s ready in about 30 minutes from start to finish.
Hootenanny Recipe: What It Is
A hootenanny pancake is an oven-baked pancake in the same family as the Dutch baby and the German pancake. There’s no baking powder. The batter is thin, like crepe batter, and it rises because the eggs make steam when it hits a very hot, buttery pan. The result is dramatic: tall, ruffled edges that fall as it cools, a soft, eggy middle, and a flavor somewhere between a crepe and a popover.
The word “hootenanny” has been used in American folk music circles since at least the 1940s for an informal gathering with singing. I couldn’t find a reliable source for how the pancake got its name, so I won’t invent one. What I can tell you is that it’s a good dish for a crowd, since the whole pan comes out of the oven at once.
Hootenanny Recipe Ingredients
- 6 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup milk, at room temperature
- 2 tablespoons sugar (optional, for a sweeter pancake)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, for the pan
Room-temperature eggs and milk matter here. Cold liquids cool the hot pan and the pancake rises less. To warm them quickly, set the eggs in a bowl of warm tap water for 5 minutes, and microwave the milk for 15 to 20 seconds.
How to Make the Hootenanny Pancake
- Heat the pan and oven. Put the butter in a 9×13-inch baking dish (metal or ceramic) and set it in the oven as it preheats to 425°F (220°C). Let the butter melt and sizzle for about 5 minutes. The dish needs to be hot when the batter goes in.
- Blend the batter. While the pan heats, whisk or blend the eggs, milk, flour, sugar, vanilla and salt until completely smooth. A blender takes about 20 seconds and gives the smoothest result. If you whisk by hand, make sure there are no flour lumps.
- Rest the batter for 5 to 10 minutes while the oven finishes heating. This lets the flour hydrate, and it produces a more tender pancake.
- Pour. Carefully pull out the hot dish, swirl the melted butter to coat the bottom and sides, and pour the batter in at once. It should sizzle on contact.
- Bake for 18 to 22 minutes without opening the door, until the pancake is puffed, deeply golden and set in the middle. Opening the oven early can make it collapse.
- Serve right away. It deflates within a couple of minutes, which is normal. Dust with powdered sugar, squeeze on lemon, and cut into squares.
Hootenanny Recipe Card
Hootenanny Pancake (Oven-Baked)
A puffy, golden oven pancake baked in a 9×13 dish, with crisp edges and a custardy center.
Prep: 10 min | Bake: 20 min | Total: 30 min | Serves: 6
Course: Breakfast | Cuisine: American | Calories: about 250 per serving, before toppings (estimate)
Ingredients
- 6 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup milk, room temperature
- 2 tablespoons sugar (optional)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter
Instructions
- Put the butter in a 9×13-inch baking dish and place it in the oven while it heats to 425°F (220°C), about 5 minutes, until melted and sizzling.
- Blend or whisk the eggs, milk, flour, sugar, vanilla and salt until completely smooth. Rest 5 to 10 minutes.
- Remove the hot dish, swirl the butter to coat, and pour in the batter.
- Bake 18 to 22 minutes, without opening the oven, until puffed and deep golden.
- Serve immediately with powdered sugar, lemon, syrup or fruit.
Notes
- Use room-temperature eggs and milk for the highest rise.
- The pancake falls as it cools. That is normal.
- Contains wheat, eggs and dairy.
Toppings, Sweet and Savory
| Style | Toppings |
|---|---|
| Classic | Powdered sugar and a squeeze of lemon |
| Fruity | Fresh berries, sliced bananas or peaches, and a spoonful of yogurt |
| Warm and cozy | Cinnamon apples cooked in butter, maple syrup |
| Crunchy | A spoonful of apple granola over fruit |
| Savory | Skip the sugar and vanilla; top with grated cheese, herbs, crisp bacon or sautéed mushrooms |
If It Doesn’t Puff
It’s flat. The dish wasn’t hot enough, or the eggs and milk were cold. Preheat the dish with the butter for a full 5 minutes, and use room-temperature ingredients. It’s rubbery or eggy. Too many eggs for the flour, or it was underbaked. Measure carefully, and bake until the center is set. It collapsed immediately. Some deflation is normal, but a very sad pancake usually means the oven door was opened early. It stuck. Not enough butter, or the dish wasn’t coated. Swirl the melted butter up the sides before pouring. It burned on the bottom. The oven runs hot, or the dish is dark metal. Move the rack up one level.
Swaps, Leftovers and Brunch Planning
For dairy-free, use plant milk and a plant-based butter or oil. For gluten-free, a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend works. You can halve the recipe in a 10-inch cast-iron skillet, with 3 eggs, ½ cup each of flour and milk, and 2 tablespoons of butter, and bake it the same way.
Leftovers keep in the fridge for up to 2 days (refrigerate within 2 hours, since it’s an egg dish) and reheat in a 350°F oven for about 8 minutes. They won’t puff again, but they’re still good. For a brunch table, it goes well next to banana waffles or Bisquick crepes, with a slice of coffee crunch cake for something sweeter.
Questions About This Hootenanny Recipe
Is a hootenanny pancake the same as a Dutch baby? They’re very close. Both are egg-leavened oven pancakes. Dutch babies are usually baked in a skillet, and this one is made in a 9×13 dish to feed more people.
Can I make the batter ahead? You can blend it up to a day ahead and refrigerate it, then let it come to room temperature before baking.
Can I use a glass dish? Yes, but preheat it with the butter gradually, and don’t put cold batter into a very hot glass dish if it’s been stored in the fridge, since extreme temperature changes can crack glass.
What if I don’t have a blender? A whisk works, as long as you break up all the lumps. Strain the batter through a sieve if needed.
If you make this, tell me which dish you used and how high yours rose. Those details help other cooks more than any rule I can give.