Poffertjes

{Poff-err-chyus|

Dutch people and Holland dwellers are the luckiest people in the world.
Why? 
Because they've had Poffertjes. (Yes, it deserves to begin with a capital.)
For those of you poor, unfortunate souls who haven't had the delight of tasting these, just look at them!
I'm not going to even attempt to describe how they taste. 
You'll just have to make them yourself ;)
In Holland, cafés, hotels, bed and breakfasts and each and every home serves Poffertjes. 
Of course, as with everything nowadays you can get frozen Poffertjes. But NOTHING beats them fresh and homemade.
I stumbled upon my blog-soulmate 'What Should I Eat For Breakfast Today?' and gasped when I saw that they had a recipe for Poffertjes. My dad knows how to make them and he has his mum's recipe... in Dutch. 
I remember asking him to translate it for me years ago, but he was cooking at the same time and he got distracted after the first couple of lines...
So after seeing this recipe I planned that the next Sunday, instead of having our usual Dutch pancake day, I would make Poffertjes. 
My dad and I had just gotten back from a bike ride, which was unusually grueling due to really strong winds. I was tired and ravishing, especially after daydreaming about my Poffertjes all throughout the ride.
These were perfect. Warm... Crispy on the outside... Soft on the inside... Buttery... Sugary... Perfect.
So Poffertje-coinnoisseurs and newbies alike, read the recipe, cook and bask in their glory.

Our special Poffertje pan

Poffertjes
From What Should I Eat For Breakfast Today?


Note: Following my dad's advice, I dissolved the yeast in warm water and left it for about an hour while we went biking. I also added sugar (about the same as the amount dry yeast) to the mixture, which helps it to ferment. I ended up using much less milk, probably only about 3/4 - 1 cup because a lot leaked out of the bowl in which I had kept it during the mise-en-place. The batter was definitely thin enough without the extra milk, so I would suggest you add it slowly and mix. Add more at the end if the batter is too thick. 
Also, you traditionally use a special squeezy bottle to pour out the mixture. (A regular squeezy bottle works the same). We couldn't find one, so we just poured it out of a regular bottle. I recommend holding the toothpick in one hand and a small fork in the other to help flip the Poffertjes. Once you've flipped the Poffertje, press down on it gently to allow it to cook through.

• 250g flour
  
• 1 egg
  
• 250ml milk
  
• 250ml water
  
• 15g fresh yeast or 1 sachet of dry ones
  
• 50g salty butter, melted
  
• pinch of salt
  

Dissolve the yeast in 3 tablespoons of warm milk. In a bowl mix the flour, yeast, milk and water, until you reach a pouring batter (it shouldn’t be too watery). Stir in the melted butter, salt and beaten egg, then cover the bowl with a tea towel and leave in a warm place for about 30 minutes.

If you have a special frying pan for Poffertjes, pour about 1 tablespoon of dough into each recess, wait until the dough starts to bubble and switch it on the other side with the usage of a toothpick. Fry until golden brown. On an ordinary frying pan make a very small pancakes out of 1 tablespoon of dough each.
Top each Poffertje with a bit of butter and dust with powdered sugar. The recipe recommends adding fresh strawberries, too. The traditional topping is butter & sugar, but if you have strawberries, give it a go! Or use some good jam with chunks of fruit in it.
Lessons Learnt: How to make and fry Poffertjes!

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