What a HOOT!

Years ago, my mother-in-law was trying to explain this breakfast that she made frequently when my husband was young.  She called the dish "Hootenanny Pancakes."  I had never heard of them before.  Luckily she found a recipe for me.  It has become a favorite breakfast at our home.  Over the years I have figured out the secrets of the Hootenanny and now I will share them with you...

My son calls this dish "castle walls."

 Hootenanny Pancakes are just a version of a popover.  The basic recipe is as follows:

Hootenanny Pancakes

1 cube butter
1 cup milk
1 cup flour
6 eggs
1 tsp. salt

Optional ingredients:
1 T. pure vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
pinch of ground nutmeg

The optional ingredients will not really add a lot of calories, but it will give the finished dish a richer, almost French Toast type of flavor.  Sometimes I add them, and sometimes I don't.  It is up to you.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.  Place butter in a 9 x 13 baking dish.  Melt the butter in the oven until slightly browned.

Combine and blend in blender: milk, eggs, and vanilla.  Slowly add the salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.  Add the flour blending constantly.

Pour into baking dish and bake for 20 minutes.  Serve immediately with syrup.

Melt the butter in the pan until slightly browned.

Ingredients ready to go.

Wet ingredients

Spices

THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT TRICK!!!!!

It is impossible to time the finishing of the browned butter and the pancake batter exactly perfectly.  To ensure the greatest lift and the fluffiest pancake, blend the batter on HIGH for 30 seconds right before pouring it into the heated pan with the browned butter.  

Browned butter

Leave the pan in the hot oven.  Pour the batter straight into the pan. 

20 minutes.  DO NOT open the oven door during baking. 

The heat of the oven is what makes the castle walls rise.  Do not open the oven door to check on the progress.  This will deflate the lift of the pancake.  The flavor will not be affected, but the look will.

I tried to take photos through my oven door every five minutes, but they didn't really turn out that well at all.  Anyway, here is the finished product!

This is the finished pancake. 

The "walls" begin to fall immediately after removal from the oven.

With pure maple syrup and milk.

With fruit syrup.....MMMMMMMM!

If you would like a printable recipe, leave me your e-mail and I will send it to you.

I will be linking this recipe to these and other great linky parties.  To see a complete list click the Linky Party page above or click here.