A breakfast that you can make ahead?! Yes please! We used to go to a pancake place that would serve the typical dutch baby, a puffy pancake that would collapse as it left the oven. It came steaming out of the oven LOADED with butter, cholesterol, and sugar. I’ve re-created this idea to make an easy breakfast without ANY oils, refined flours, or sugars! The batter I made for this apple pancake is not an egg batter but tofu! Yes, tofu can be used in place of eggs when wanting a soft, fluffy texture. I wasn’t sure how it would come out, to be honest with you, but I thought I’d give it a whirl. Thumbs up from the kiddos and the hubby, so I thought I’d share it with you too!
We recently picked 179 pounds of apples, so guess what? Apples will be featured on the blog A LOT in weeks to come. It’s one of my favorite fruits. They’re crunchy, sweet, and juicy. They can be added to soups, breads, breakfasts, and salads, as well as being the perfect snack on their own or with some peanut or almond butter. Heck, they’re awesome as a dessert with just cinnamon sprinkled on them!
To make this oil free, I added lemon juice (feel free to use orange, I think it would be great too!) to the pan when I was sautéing the apples. The juices in the apples get released and begin to caramelize as the apples cook and combine with the cinnamon and maple syrup. There’s no need to add anything else. I use crispin apples for just about everything. I love their crunch and tartness, and feel they’re great for apple sauce, pies, and just munching on (those are the green apples shown above).
The tofu I used was silken firm, the kind that’s shelf stable. Silken tofu is softer than traditional tofu, and can be used as a cream or egg base in dishes. It’s a great source of protein, provides calcium, and is cholesterol free and low in fat (no saturated fat). For this recipe make sure to use the firm variety. The soft wouldn’t hold its shape as well. If you don’t have silken, a soft version of traditional tofu could probably work fine as well (and is higher in calcium). This breakfast would make a great do-ahead meal for a holiday brunch, as it reheated perfectly throughout the week for fast weekday breakfasts. I doubled it and made it in 2 pie plates. Serve it with maple syrup, a sprinkle of cinnamon, or apple sauce (recipe coming soon).
Ingredients:
- 2 large apples, peeled, cored, and sliced thin, about 4 cups
- 2 1/2 tsp cinnamon, divided, plus extra for dusting
- 1/4 cup maple syrup, divided (or 1 1/2 tbsp maple syrup for apples and 2 1/2 tbsp date paste* to batter)
- 1 1/2 tbsp fresh lemon or orange juice
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 130 g of oat flour, about 1 cup oat flour, plus 1 tbsp
- 1/2 tsp lemon or orange zest (depending on which juice you’re using)
- 1 cup almond milk
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 12-oz pack of silken firm tofu, drained
Instructions:
- Toss apples with citrus juice (lemon or orange) and 1 tsp cinnamon
- Add apples to pan and add 1 1/2 tbsp maple syrup. Sauté until softened, but not mushy, about 5-7 minutes.
- Mix dry ingredients together and blend along with remaining ingredients in a blender, like a Vitamix. Could use date paste to replace maple syrup*.
- Taste the batter (yup-when it’s vegan-you can do this!) and see if it has enough sweetness for you. If it doesn’t, add a little more maple syrup or date paste (don’t go crazy, as the apples will add sweetness too).
- Spray a pie pan with cooking spray, and place cooked apples onto the bottom. Pour batter onto apples
- Bake at 425 for 30 minutes, or until knife inserted comes out clean.
- Sprinkle with additional cinnamon, and serve with maple syrup, additional cinnamon, apple sauce, or extra sautéed apples.
Nutritional Benefits:
- Vegan & Gluten Free-decreases inflammation in the body
- Oil free, no saturated fat, cholesterol free, and low in calories-great for heart health and diabetes
- Good source of plant-based calcium, 9% DV
- Good Source of plant-based protein, 6 g, good for healing and repairing tissues
- Source of fiber-important for digestive health, regulates blood sugar levels, reduces risk of many forms of cancer, increases satiety
- 2 large apples, peeled, cored, and sliced thin, about 4 cups
- 2½ tsp cinnamon, divided
- ¼ cup maple syrup, divided (or 1½ tbsp maple syrup for apples and 2½ tbsp date paste* to batter)
- 1½ tbsp fresh lemon or orange juice
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 130 g of oat flour, about 1 cup oat flour, plus 1 tbsp
- ½ tsp lemon or orange zest (depending on which juice you're using)
- 1 cup almond milk
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 12-oz pack of silken firm tofu, drained
- Toss apples with citrus juice (lemon or orange) and 1 tsp cinnamon
- Add apples to pan and add 1½ tbsp maple syrup. Sauté until softened, but not mushy, about 5-7 minutes.
- Mix dry ingredients together and blend along with remaining ingredients in a blender, like a Vitamix. Could use date paste to replace maple syrup*.
- Taste the batter (yup-when it's vegan-you can do this!) and see if it has enough sweetness for you. If it doesn't, add a little more maple syrup or date paste (don't go crazy, as the apples will add sweetness too).
- Spray a pie pan with cooking spray, and place cooked apples onto the bottom. Pour batter onto apples
- Bake at 425 for 30 minutes, or until knife inserted comes out clean.
- Sprinkle with additional cinnamon, and serve with maple syrup, additional cinnamon, apple sauce, or extra sautéed apples.
Zandria says
This looks really good!
179 pounds of apples is a lot! Do you have issues with them going bad before you can eat them all? Do you store them in a covered container in the basement?
Garden Fresh Foodie says
Zandria-I make sauce, dehydrate, and store them in our basement to use throughout the winter! Lots of apple dishes!
Betsy says
Dear Garden Fresh Foodie! We love your APPLE DUTCH BABY recipe. I’ve made it at least 5 times in the past 3 months since discovering your recipe. It’s like an apple pie – only waaaaay better. It’s sweetness level is just so subtle, and I love anything with cinnamon (which I doubled) and maple syrup-y. Thanks for sharing a wholesome vegan recipe!!!!! You’ve converted this non-tofu eater!
Garden Fresh Foodie says
So glad you liked it Betsy!! When I read your comment to my kids, they said, “Mom, you haven’t made that for us in a while!”, so it’s on the menu for this weekend!
Manisha says
This is a recipe that I keep coming back to- it makes a great breakfast or healthy dessert with coconut milk ice cream on the side!
Garden Fresh Foodie says
So glad you love it Manisha! You’ve made me want to make it again!
Eleonora says
Hello,
I’m not from USA ,so I don’t understand How much silk tofu do I need, 12 oz pack, how much in grams?
Garden Fresh Foodie says
Hi! It equals a typical package here which is 349g. Hope you like it!!