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Hootenanny is the perfect breakfast for busy moms with hungry kids! No bread needed, but this breakfast recipe has a total French toast vibe the kids love. Plus, it’s fun to watch it bake up into crazy shapes!
I asked my daughter if she’d like to help me make some Hootenanny for breakfast the other morning.
I got the usual look…
That basically means something along the lines of “Mom. You’re crazy.”
Or, maybe “How did I end up stuck with the wackadoo for a mother?”
It could also mean “Yep. She’s finally lost her mind.”
Whatever. Children can be so judgemental.
Hootenanny is just another term for a German Pancake (or Dutch Baby)!
Hootenanny is definitely the more fun name for this crazy shaped breakfast dish, but most people know these as either German pancakes or dutch babies.
If you’ve never had the pleasure of devouring a slice of this for breakfast, it tastes like a cross between pancakes and french toast. We like it because it’s so much easier than either of those (stir together and bake!).
Plus, the kids absolutely LOVE it, thanks to the crazy shapes it puffs up into while baking.
Bonus: This recipe uses pantry staples like flour, eggs, milk, and butter!
This comes in super handy when you’re craving french toast, but don’t have bread on hand!
It calls for basic ingredients that you’re sure to have around and the kids will love watching it poof up in crazy shapes.
Tip: The hootenanny will NOT bake up the same if you don’t melt the butter/heat the pan in the oven. Something about the batter hitting an already hot dish helps it to puff up nicely. It will settle a bit as it cools – this is normal.
This is the perfect kind of morning treat. Nobody has time to be flipping pancakes or soaking bread in eggs or dealing with a waffle maker at 7am. (Although my best waffles and homemade biscuits are kind of worth the extra effort.)
Top this off with some fresh fruit and a drizzle of maple syrup. You can’t go wrong!
More kid-friendly breakfast recipes:
- Blueberry Baked Oatmeal
- Sausage Gravy
- Chocolate Glazed Donuts
- Cinnamon Roll French Toast Casserole
- Old Fashioned Donut
Hootenanny
Ingredients
- 6 tablespoons butter
- 6 large eggs
- 1 cup milk
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup flour
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
- Place the stick of butter in a 9x13 baking dish and put it in the oven to melt while you prepare the batter. Keep an eye on the butter and remove the pan from the oven if it starts to brown, but work quickly so that the pan does not cool.
- Beat the eggs, milk, salt, cinnamon, vanilla, and nutmeg until frothy.
- Whisk in the flour until well combined.
- Pour over the melted butter in the baking dish. Do not stir.
- Bake for 25 minutes or until the center is set and the edges are browned.
- Slice into 8 pieces and serve with maple syrup, fresh fruit, or powdered sugar.
Tips & Notes:
Nutrition Information:
This recipe was originally published in November 2011. It’s been updated with new photos in April 2020.
adapted from Food.com
Chickalee says
This turned out CRAZY looking and we got a great laugh out of it! My very picky nephew gobbled it up! It tastes great!
Plan Q Lille says
Hey! This post could not be written any better! Reading through
this post reminds me of my good old room mate!
He always kept talking about this. I will forward this post to him.
Pretty sure he will have a good read. Many thanks for sharing!
jan says
MAKING THIS RIGHT NOW AND IT LOOKS REALLY GOOD. ALSO ADDED SUGAR TO MINE
Karly says
@jan,
Hope you enjoyed it! 🙂
Dania Parkinson says
I made these yesterday and they turned out beautifully. I made them today and they are more like a cake. I did the exact same thing. Oven wasn’t opened during and they didn’t have any of the formations like it does in the picture today and looks like a cake. Thoughts?
Karly says
@Dania Parkinson,
Hmm, that’s really strange! The only thing that I can think of is that you didn’t beat the eggs enough today? I’m sorry, I’m really not sure what would cause that!
Meg says
Have you ever tried making the batter the night before and then baking it in the morning?
Karly says
@Meg,
I haven’t tried that. Not sure how well it would work, but it’s worth a shot.
Diane Gilbert says
Just made this for breakfast!!! It’s a keeper!!
Denise says
This is same as a recipe I make which is called German Pancakes. They are delicious!
Alana says
Made this tonight, and it was delicious! So good, in fact, that the dog tried to snag the last piece off a saucer on the counter. 😐 Saucer safe, dog safe, but we had to toss the last bit.
Family (and pooch) approved!
kathy says
This looks delicious! I want to save this to my recipe box (on your site) but can’t find a save button. maybe b/c it’s an older recipe? Is there any way to get a save button on here? I’m at work righ tnow and want to make it this weekend.
I did “share” so hopefully I can find it on my fb wall, but I really like the idea of putting recipes of yours that I want to try in my recipe box!
Thanks!
Kathy
Karly says
@kathy,
Just updated it to the new format for you! 🙂
rachel says
So what kind of flour should you use???
Karly says
@rachel,
All-purpose.
kate says
I made this, but gluten free. Loved it! The recipe I had been using called for 9 eggs and I wanted to make one using less eggs so was happy to find your recipe.
For those who want to turn it GF, in place of flour I used 1/2 cup tapioca starch, 1/4 cup white rice flour and 1/4 cup brown rice flour. My whole family loved it and couldn’t even tell it was GF.
Nick Malfatti says
I have made your recipe twice now exactly as printed and both times my hootenanny has turned out looking like a brick. A big brown brick, dense as heck and not tasting very well at all. I’m making sure not to over beat the eggs and spices and make sure I whisk the flour in so I keep air in the mixture and yet every time I end up with a pile of yuck.
Here’s a picture: http://i.imgur.com/3rDHvOv.jpg
It’s pretty bad. Any ideas what I might be doing wrong?
Karly says
That is so strange! I honestly have no idea what could be the problem. Generally, it’s a case of bad baking powder or something, but this doesn’t even use any leavening agent. I’m sorry, but I just don’t know what could be the issue. 🙁 I’ve made this so many time without issue and have a lot of other readers that this worked out for as well. If you try again, beat the eggs a little longer, although honestly, I just whip them until they’re a bit frothy, the same way I would for scrambled eggs.
Cari says
It’s definitely a problem with the flour. Maybe it’s old or maybe it’s not all-purpose flour- cake flour or whole wheat flour probably won’t rise up. I made this but poured the butter over the top instead, and it turned out perfect.
Jennifer @ Not Your Momma's Cookie says
Just made this. So amazing!! It was puffy and beautiful and yummy 🙂 I did do a super light spray of non-stick cooking spray and had no problems with sticking.
catherine says
i’ve never heard this dish referred to as a hootenanny–just dutch babies or yorkshire puddings (when made without sugar and preferably drippings from the roast (or butter or oil), but no matter what you call them, they’re AMAZINGLY delicious!
i actually just made my first one–with a slightly different recipe that i’ve seen in many recipes and easy to remember–1/4 cup of milk and 1/4 cup of flour for each egg. i used 3 tbs of butter–2 for the pan, and 1 melted for the batter. oh, and skim milk–which is all i had, and which i’ve hard said that it makes the baby puff better. i also let the eggs and milk come to room temp–and then i let the batter sit while the skillet heated in the oven.
it came out perfectly puffed and delicious…BUT, like another poster, it stuck to the bottom of the pan. i’m wondering if i needed more butter in the pan. the recipe i used said to melt all the butter in the pan, coat the pan, and pour the extra in the batter right before putting it in the over. i elected to melt 1/3 of the butter and put it in the batter, leaving 2 tbs for the pan. i used a heavy le creuset frying pan, since i don’t have a seasoned cast iron skillet, and i figured le creuset IS cast iron.
any ideas as to why it stuck?
Mandy says
Your pictures are so beautiful! My 11 yr old daughter made this today. YUM!!!