How to Make a Rhubarb Puffed Oven Pancake

This rhubarb puffed oven pancake is a favourite quick breakfast or fancy brunch recipe at our house. With a few everyday ingredients including freshly picked, you’ll be ready impress your brunch guests.

Also read: Rhubarb Bread Pudding, Three Cheese & Sausage Breakfast Bake, How to Make Rhubarb Mimosas

I LOVE these pancakes and would vote for them instead of regular pancakes any day of the week! Not only are they delicious (I love the little burst of tangy rhubarb) but they’re so easy to make, you simply mix and bake. No flipping pancakes for me!

Recipe for Rhubarb Puffed Oven Pancake

9 Tips for Perfect Rhubarb Puffed Oven Pancake

This Rhubarb Puffed Oven Pancake recipe makes a delicious and tasty rhubarb dish. It uses everyday ingredients and is full of magic everyone will enjoy, especially with a rhubarb mimosa on the side. To ensure you get the full display of magic, here are 9 tips for puffy success.

1. Be prepared.

Channel your inner girl guide. Be prepared. This pancake recipe moves fast.

Measure out your dry ingredients, eggs, milk and vanilla and rhubarb separately first. Since you’re going to heat up your pan, you want to be ready to mix and pour the batter at just the right time.

2. Get enough puff: start with heat.

To get started, preheat your oven with your oiled baking dish inside the oven. Get the pan and oven nice and hot while you prep your batter.

Here’s why. The hot oil stops the pancake from sticking and the hot pan makes the batter puff and crisp up around the edges as soon as the batter hits the heat. The rest of the pancake batter will cook through during the 25 -30 min cooking time, but without the hot pan you can’t initialize the puff-magic.

4. Whip those eggs for a fluffy puffy pancake.

Whip your eggs well before adding in your milk to add air bubbles to the batter. These air pockets will expand in the heat of the oven, helping the batter to rise and create a tall puff. The heat then firms up the protein in the eggs to help the pancake hold it’s shape. Whip those eggs and you will have a lovely, light and fluffy  pancake, instead of dense and cakey one.

Side note – if, for whatever reason, your pancake doesn’t get as puffy as you’d like – it’ll still taste great! Just try again making sure you follow all these tips and give it enough time in the oven – without peeking!

5. Mix the batter Goldilocks style – just enough.

Now mix your wet and dry mixtures together. Whisk well, ensuring there are no clumps of flour left along the sides/bottom. Use a silicone or rubber spatula to completely stir along the sides. Some tiny lumps are ok, but try to incorporate as much flour as you can, unmixed flour will weigh the batter down during the puffing process.

Mix it just right. Mix well, but easy does it. Too much mixing takes the puff out of this pancake.

7. Keep the pan hot.

Pull out your hot baking dish. Toss the sliced rhubarb (if using frozen rhubarb, thaw and squeeze out extra moisture first) in the pan. Quickly pour the batter over top. Get it back in the hot oven. Set your timer and no peeking!

The egg-filled batter hits the hot pan. It immediately starts to crisp and cook. The mixture will climb the sides of the pan as the eggs rise. Your pancake needs to finish it’s rising work in this super hot environment. Even once the eggs have reached their maximum peak they still need the heat to finish cooking in the middle.

8. No Peeking!

If you open that nice hot oven during this moment of chemistry magic to just have a quick peek, you can make your puff pancake “fall”. This means it can collapse from the dramatic change in temperature. All your hard work and “puff” is gone.

9. Serve puffy pancake immediately.

Once your pancake is golden brown and well puffed along the edges it’s time to eat. Serve immediately. Don’t let it sit to cool or it’ll glue itself to the dish. Slide a knife along the edge to loosen the pancake. Flip it out or lift it out with a wide spatula. Cut into 3-4 wedges to share.

Serve with syrup, fruit sauce, a dollop of whipped cream or yogurt or a squeeze of fresh lemon and icing sugar.

Recipe created by Getty Stewart for the rhubarb cookbook. Recipe enjoyed and article written by Katie Anderson, dedicated food friend of GettyStewart.com. Katie is often found feeding 2 hungry boys, seemingly 100 times a day. Whether in the kitchen or the garden, bright colours and strong flavours are her driving force (read: sunshine and good coffee). Sign up to get seasonal tips and recipes straight to your inbox, check out my books and guides, or watch my latest videos on YouTube!