Tiny, cloud-light yeasted pancakes the size of a coin, cooked in a dimpled cast-iron pan and served in a heap under a melting knob of butter and a snowfall of powdered sugar.
An 18th-century Dutch treat said to have originated in monasteries, now sold from dedicated street and fairground stalls.
Impossibly fluffy and tender inside with a faintly crisp shell, gently sweet and yeasty. The butter soaks in while the powdered sugar dissolves into each warm, poppable bite.
Yeast fermentation produces carbon dioxide that, trapped in the thin batter and set fast by the hot dimpled iron, gives poffertjes their signature airy, spherical puff.
Variations
with advocaat, with Grand Marnier or rum, with fruit and whipped cream, savory versions with cheese
On the Palate
Where Poffertjes Dutch sits in the Dutch flavor cloud
Ingredients
Serves 4
How it's made
8 steps · 20 min active · 60 min waiting
- 13 min
Whisk buckwheat and wheat flours with a pinch of salt and the yeast.
- 25 min
Stir in warm milk and an egg to make a smooth, thin batter.
- 360 min
Cover and let the batter rest until bubbly and risen, about one hour.
- 45 min
Heat the poffertjes pan and brush each dimple with melted butter.
- 55 min
Pour or pipe a little batter into each hollow until just filled.
- 65 min
When the edges set and bubbles appear, flip each one with a fork or skewer.
- 73 min
Cook briefly on the second side until golden and puffed.
- 82 min
Pile onto a plate, top with a pat of butter, and dust heavily with powdered sugar.
