Fladle Uberbacken(Swabian Pancakes)

Fladle uberbacken (Swabian for baked pancakes, more or less) is one of Southwestern Germany’s hidden treasures, a brunch-and-dessert hybrid that turns thin pancakes into something almost like a pancake bread pudding. The Swabian region around Stuttgart loves pancakes (called Fladle in the local dialect, Pfannkuchen elsewhere) and this preparation shows off how versatile they can be.

The technique is two-stage. First you make a stack of thin German pancakes, the kind that are closer to crepes than American flapjacks. Each one gets a smear of warm applesauce mixed with raisins, then rolled jelly-roll style and cut in half. The cut pancake rolls stand on their edges in a buttered baking dish, where they get drowned in an egg-milk-sugar custard studded with sliced blanched almonds, dotted with butter, and baked until golden.

The finished dish has crisp edges where the pancakes peek above the custard, soft jammy interiors from the applesauce, and a tender almond custard binding everything together. It’s halfway between a French toast bake and a clafoutis, with a personality entirely its own.

Chef Tips

• Make the pancakes as thin as possible. Thicker pancakes make the dish heavy and don’t roll up neatly. Crepe-thin is the goal.
• Let the pancakes cool slightly before filling and rolling. Hot pancakes tear.
• Use a sharp knife dipped in warm water to cut the rolled pancakes in half cleanly without squishing.
• Stand the cut pancake spirals upright in the dish so the swirled cross-section faces up. It looks beautiful and bakes more evenly.

Variations

• Swap the applesauce for cherry or apricot preserves for a fruitier, less autumnal version.
• Add a teaspoon of cinnamon and a splash of rum to the applesauce for a more festive flavor.
• Sprinkle the top with cinnamon sugar and powdered sugar after baking for a sweeter, more dessert-leaning finish.