Poffertjes

Ingredients

Batter

• 150 gbuckwheat flour
• 150 gplain flour
• 7 ginstant yeast
• 1 tspsugar
• ½ tspsalt
• 400 mlwarm milk
• 2eggs
• 30 gbutter, melted

To cook

• butter, for the pan

To serve

• a thick slice of cold butter
• icing sugar, generously

Optional

• stroop, or a splash of advocaat or rum

Equipment

• a poffertjespan, or an æbleskiver pan

Directions

1. Warm the milk to blood temperature, no hotter. Milk hot enough to feel warm on the wrist is right; anything hotter kills the yeast and the batter never rises. Whisk the buckwheat flour, plain flour, yeast, sugar and salt together.
2. Add the warm milk gradually, whisking, then the eggs and the melted butter. The batter should be smooth and thin, roughly like single cream and thinner than a pancake batter.
3. Cover it and leave it in a warm place for an hour, until the surface is covered in bubbles and it has risen visibly. Stir it very gently once before cooking, and do not beat it. Knocking the air out now undoes the whole hour of rising.
4. Heat the poffertjes pan over a medium heat and brush a little butter into each hollow. Get the pan properly hot before the first batch, because a lukewarm pan gives pale flabby poffertjes.
5. Fill each hollow about three-quarters full, using a squeeze bottle or a small jug. Cook until the edges set and the surface is covered in small holes, about 1 minute 30 seconds.
6. Wait for the holes to open across the top before turning. A thin skewer is the right tool. Cook the second side 1 minute until golden. They should be pale golden, puffed and hollow, and soft rather than crisp.
7. Turn them out onto a plate, twenty or thirty at a time, which is a normal portion. Put a thick slice of cold butter on top of the hot poffertjes and let it melt over them. Dust them heavily with icing sugar, far more than seems reasonable. Poffertjes stalls at the Christmas markets and on the Dam are an institution, and they are eaten standing in the cold.

Technique

• Buckwheat is traditional and many modern recipes use plain flour alone, which is milder.
• The batter can be made the night before and left in the fridge.
• They must be eaten hot and never keep.

Substitutions

• An æbleskiver or takoyaki pan in place of a poffertjespan.
• All plain flour, accepting a milder flavour.

Variations

• With advocaat poured over, which is a Dutch adult version.
• With stroop, the thick Dutch syrup.
• Made with all plain flour, which is the common modern version.

History

Small yeasted buckwheat pancakes cooked in a dimpled iron pan and served under butter and icing sugar at fairs and markets.

Frequently asked questions

What is Poffertjes?

Poffertjes is a dessert from Netherlands: tiny puffed pancakes with butter and icing sugar. Small yeasted buckwheat pancakes cooked in a dimpled iron pan and served under butter and icing sugar at fairs and markets.

How long does Poffertjes take to make?

Poffertjes takes 20 min plus 1 hr rising of preparation and 20 min of cooking. The recipe makes about 50. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Poffertjes?

Yes, within limits. An æbleskiver or takoyaki pan in place of a poffertjespan. All plain flour, accepting a milder flavour.

What is the most important thing to get right in Poffertjes?

Warm the milk to blood temperature, no hotter. Milk hot enough to feel warm on the wrist is right; anything hotter kills the yeast and the batter never rises. Whisk the buckwheat flour, plain flour, yeast, sugar and salt together.