You say Pannukakku, I say Kropsu
Written By:
Kristina Vanni
“Tomato, tomahto…potato, potahto.” Growing up, my first memory of Finnish cuisine came in the form of a mouth-watering oven pancake we would look forward to for special weekend breakfasts. The kitchen would be filled with the aroma of this rich and buttery treat, and it was always fun to spoon the sweet and tart lingonberry jam on top. My mom kept a handwritten recipe for “kropsu” in her recipe box, a treasure passed on to her by one of my dad’s cousins in the Upper Peninsula. Since I didn’t grow up speaking Finnish (and still struggle mightily to learn it today), this was the only word I knew for the decadent dish from my cultural background.
Fast forward many years later, while sitting around the kitchen table at our relatives’ farm in Finland, I learned that this term, “kropsu,” is actually quite unique. I was in the process of researching Finnish cuisine and going through my checklist of the most important dishes to make sure I was building an archive of classic recipes. I knew about the tradition of making pea soup on Thursdays, followed by a serving of rich pannukakku for dessert, so I asked my cousins if they could share their best version of pannukakku. My cousin Marja-Liisa smirked and said, “It’s right there,” pointing to my recipe for kropsu. That’s when I learned that the word kropsu is a local dialect term for this oven pancake used in the South Ostrobothnia region, where my extended family lives.
It is my understanding that a significant portion of the immigration to the United States came from this region in the same era when my family arrived, so this piqued my curiosity. I started to wonder how many fellow Finnish-Americans also only knew this dish as kropsu, or if your family used the word pannukakku. No matter what you call it, this dish is one that is certainly worth adding to your recipe box as well.
I like to start with a heavy-bottomed 9×13-inch pan, preferably cast-iron. You can certainly use a standard baking pan if that is what you have on hand, but I find a sturdy pan that conducts heat well leads to a delectable, golden-brown crust on the bottom of the kropsu that really makes the dish. The first secret to the perfect kropsu is putting this pan in the oven while it preheats. Essentially, you want the pan to get very hot before you even begin. You can use this time to get all your ingredients in order because in the next steps, you will want to move swiftly. This is when I will whisk together the eggs, sugar, salt, milk, and flour in a large bowl and set it aside.
Once the pan is very hot, reach your hand into the oven and drop a stick of butter into the pan. It will immediately sizzle and begin to brown, which is exactly what we are looking for. Stay close, because you want the butter to melt and release that nutty aroma, but you certainly don’t want it to burn. When the butter is melted, remove the pan from the oven, give it a quick swirl to coat the bottom and prevent sticking, and then pour the remaining browned butter into the mixing bowl with the rest of the batter. Whisk it all together and immediately pour the batter back into the hot pan. Pop it back into the oven and then sit back and wait. The pancake will puff up and become browned and bubbly on the surface over the next 30 to 40 minutes. While I anxiously await that first bite, this is when I brew some coffee. There’s nothing like diving into that first square of kropsu, dusted with a delicate snowfall of powdered sugar and glistening pearls of lingonberry jam, to make you feel instantly connected to Finland.
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Finnish Oven Pancake – Kropsu or Pannukakku
2 eggs
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups whole milk
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsalted butter
Powdered sugar and lingonberry jam, to serve
Place a heavy 9-by-13-inch pan in the oven and turn the oven to 400 degrees. The pan needs to get very hot.
In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, and salt until blended. Add the milk alternately with the flour and stir to combine.
Add the stick of butter to the pan and let it melt in the oven. Watch carefully to make sure the butter doesn’t burn.
Using heavy oven mitts, remove the pan from the oven and carefully pour the melted butter into the flour mixture and stir, then pour the mixed batter into the hot pan and return the pan to the oven.
Bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until the pancake puffs up and is nicely browned.
To serve, cut the pancake into squares, dust with powdered sugar, and serve with lingonberry jam.
