Poffertjes are very small Dutch puffy pancakes about 5 cm (2 inches) wide that are mostly flat, but puff up a little bit.
They are made from white wheat flour, butter, milk, eggs, yeast and salt. Traditionally, buckwheat flour was used, but now a mixture of wheat and buckwheat flour is more common, or simply just wheat flour. You can also buy a package mix to make them from — you add water, eggs and sugar to it.
You mix all the ingredients, and let the batter rise for an hour. The batter will be liquid but thick.
They are baked on top of stoves in metal pans that have shallow indented cups in them. Traditionally, the pans were copper, but now they are made of cast-iron, non-stick or cast-aluminum pans. The pan resembles a Danish Aebleskiver pan, but because poffertjes are smaller, there’s far more cups in the pan, about 15 per pan. Some models of electric sandwich griddles sold in the Netherlands will have inserts for making poffertjes.
While the poffertjes are cooking, they are turned before the bottom is completely finished to allow the top to cook.
The are served hot with butter and icing sugar. Many people like to drizzle a liqueur on them as well.
In restaurants, they may be cooked on very large dedicated griddles with upwards of 500 (much smaller) cavities in them, and rather than being served one by one, several of them are served in a small pile on your plate, topped with whipped cream, fresh fruit or fruit sauce, icing sugar, etc.
They are also served at fairs.
Cooking Tips
Allow 12 to 20 per person.
Language Notes
Poffertjes means “small puffs.”