Austrian Pancakes For Breakfast

 

Austrian Pancakes – Shredded Pancakes for Breakfast

A new tasty delight has entered the recipe box at our house. Friends recently told me they had eaten something called Austrian Pancakes at a restaurant. They raved about the treat and I was curious. So of course, as we do these days, I did a google search. There are many variations and recipes for this breakfast dish. I found a couple that looked good to me. The only part I wasn’t fond of was the soaked raisins. I was a fan of the idea of soaking them in brandy or rum, but I don’t like raisins in baked goods. So for my taste test, I left them out. You can decide what is the right answer for you on the raisin issue.

After you bake the fluffy pancake, it is torn into shreds or pieces and tossed back into the pan to reheat briefly. Dust with powdered sugar and dig in!

 

The History of the Recipe

Austrian Pancakes are rich in eggs which attracted me to them in the first place. It’s the season of egg abundance here and some of my neighbors are on vacation. This means I have more eggs around than I normally do. Baking and adding eggs to many dishes helps me use up the eggs. This is also a good recipe for using duck eggs because the eggs are rich and large, making the dish even more delicious!

The story behind the Austrian name for the dish, Kaiserschmarren, stems from the food being favored by the Austrian Kaiser Franz Joseph I. The schmarren part means torn, mess, shredded and sometimes the dish is referred to as shredded pancakes. Another name I found was Emperor’s Mess and I soon found that to be the appropriate name.

I adapted the recipe to fit our methods of cooking and the following is what I came up with. Prepare to enjoy the Shredded Pancakes, Kaiserschmarren, or Austrian Pancakes! Why limit yourself to pancakes for breakfast? With this yummy,  protein filled recipe, serve Austrian Pancakes for supper, as a desert, or on a brunch buffet.

Austrian Pancakes    3 – 4 servings

Prep time 20 minutes  Cook time 20 minutes  

2.5 cups flour

pinch of salt

2 cups milk

2 Tablespoons rum

1/4 cup raisins

6 eggs, separated

3.5 Tablespoons melted unsalted butter  (but heck I just used a half stick. After all if you are going to eat this recipe you might as well!) 

powdered sugar 

Serve with a fruit compote

 

How to cook the Austrian Pancake 

Measure out all the ingredients, and separate the egg yolks and egg whites. Whisk the egg whites and set aside.

Soak the raisins in the rum for about 10 minutes.

In a large mixing bowl, add the flour, milk, pinch of salt, egg yolks and melted butter. Using a hand mixer, mix completely. Drain the soaking raisins if using them. Add to the batter.

Add the egg whites and fold them into the batter.

Preheat the large cast iron skillet. Really, give it time to get hot. Believe me, it will make this easier. Melt a small amount of butter in the skillet and turn the heat down to medium. Pour all of the batter into the skillet and let it start to cook on one side. It’s about to get messy in there. Remember that one of the names was Emperor’s Mess? Here’s what happens. As you think it might be cooked on one side, start to turn sections of it. The whole thing isn’t going to flip nicely like a regular pancake. Turn sections and cook. When its mostly cooked through, remove the pieces to a tray and cut and break into pieces. Return the pieces to the frying pan for an additional minute or so.

 

Next I placed all the pieces in a large bowl and sprinkled with powdered sugar. I transferred the pieces to a serving plate to make them look a little nicer, added sliced fruit and some additional powdered sugar.

 

And then I ate it.

Looking for more delicious ideas for breakfast or anytime? 

Schneiderpeeps has a recipe for Baked French Toast that is to die for!