German apple pancakes

Ingredients:

Dough:

• 1 and 1/4 cups sifted flour
• 2 tablespoons of sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 and 1/4 cups milk
• 1 egg category SV
• 1 tbsp melted butter or margarine
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tbsp vanilla sugar for sprinkling

Apple mixture:

• 3 Golden Delicious apples medium size (about 600 g)
• 2 tablespoons sugar, mixed with 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon and 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 2 tbsp (30 g) butter or margarine
• 1/4 cup water

Preparation:

1. For the pancake batter: In a small bowl, sift the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Make a well in the center.
   
   In a 1-liter measuring cup, combine the milk, egg, melted butter, and vanilla extract until smooth. Pour into the dry ingredients and whisk until creamy. Cover and let stand while you prepare the apples.
2. For the apple mixture: Cut each apple into quarters, peel and core, and cut each quarter crosswise into 1/4-inch slices over a large bowl.
   
   Add the sugar mixture and lemon juice and mix well. In a heavy 12-inch skillet, melt the butter over medium heat until it begins to foam and then settles. Add the apple mixture and cook, stirring frequently, for 2 minutes. Pour in the water, reduce the heat to low, cover the pan, and cook for 5 minutes.
   
   Remove the lid, increase the heat to medium, and cook, uncovered and shaking the pan frequently, for 1.5-2 minutes, just until the juices evaporate. Transfer the mixture from the pan to a 1-liter measuring cup and let it sit.
3. Preheat oven to 65 - 90°C.
   
   To make the pancakes: Generously oil the bottom and sides of a 10-inch omelet pan, or spray it with vegetable cooking spray, and heat over medium heat for 1 minute. Remove the pan from the heat, pour in 1/3 cup of pancake batter, and rotate the pan first one way, then the other, until the batter coats the bottom in a thin, even layer.
   
   Place the pan on a hot trivet, then use your hands to spoon 1/2 cup of apple slices onto the batter, distributing them as evenly as possible. Pour another 1/3 cup of batter over the apples, covering them as evenly as possible. Gently tilt the pan to distribute the batter more evenly if necessary.
4. Place the pan over medium heat and cook the pancake, uncovered, for 1 minute. Reduce the heat to low and cook, uncovered, for another 2 minutes, until the pancake is dry around the edges and holes begin to appear on the surface.
   
   Spray a small, thin spatula with cooking spray, gently run it around the edges to loosen the pancake from the skillet, then shake the skillet over the heat a few times until the pancake moves freely.
   
   Quickly spray a large, flat, round plate with cooking spray and transfer the pancake to the plate, same side up (as in the pan).
5. Using an oven mitt to avoid burning your fingers, invert the pan onto a plate, then flip it again so the pancake is facing down. Place the pan over medium heat and cook the pancake, uncovered, for 2 minutes. Transfer to a large, round, ovenproof plate, cover with foil, and place in a warm oven. Cook the remaining pancakes in the same manner, greasing the pan before each pancake.
   
   After making each new pancake, place it on top of the previous pancake, cover it with foil again, and place it in a warm oven. Before serving, place each pancake on a warm plate and sprinkle with vanilla sugar.
   
   Cooking in the oven under the grill: Position the oven rack 6-7 inches below the broiler and preheat the grill. Cook as directed, but make sure the pan handle is ovenproof. Once the pancake has browned in the pan for 3 minutes on the stovetop, transfer it to the broiler and cook for 3-3.5 minutes, until well browned.
6. Carefully loosen the crepe with a spatula, transfer it, same side up, to a large round plate, cover with foil, and keep warm. Prepare the remaining 3 crepes in the same way. Sprinkle with sugar and serve.
   
   It is very important to use To make these large pancakes, you need a well-seasoned frying pan with sloping edges. Otherwise, the pancakes will stick and be difficult to flip or remove. German experts can flip apple pancakes without batting an eye, but amateur cooks may have trouble.
   
   The fastest (but also most labor-intensive) way is to fry the pancakes on both sides in a frying pan. A slower, but practically safer, way is to grill them in the oven, as this eliminates the need to flip them. Although these pancakes are not very sweet, they are served as a dessert. Germans eat them plain, but you can sprinkle them with vanilla sugar, drizzle them with lemon sauce, or serve them with vanilla ice cream.