There is nothing more magical than pulling a pan of lofty popovers from the oven just as everyone is sitting down for dinner, and making them couldn’t be simpler. The 5-ingredient batter comes together in seconds, and 30 minutes later, they’re done! Read on to learn the tips for making foolproof popovers every time.
These past few weeks, while planning for the holidays ahead, I’ve found myself thinking about my mother’s popovers, something she made often for big family gatherings.
She always timed them just right: as we all sat down to eat, our plates full, she’d set two bowls, each lined with a tea towel, brimming with just-baked popovers at each end of the table.
In swooped the hands, around went the butter. They were heaven: piping hot, light as air, custardy.
On a whim recently, I made my mother’s popovers for a family dinner. Her recipe, I’ve since learned, is similar to many of the popover recipes on the web, but her method follows that of Yorkshire pudding: she preheats her muffin tin with a generous amount of butter in each well before pouring in her popover batter. Traditional Yorkshire pudding calls for heating the muffin tin with meat drippings.
As you can imagine, the children, faces pressed against the oven glass door, were instantly transfixed seeing the batter “pop” to such dramatic heights. And upon tasting them, they were smitten. As they tore into them, releasing steam, smearing them with butter, they kept wondering aloud: What did these magical, poofy buns remind them of? Finally one of them exclaimed: Waffles! And they all concurred.
I don’t entirely agree with this assessment, but they did nail the batter: flour, eggs, milk, salt, butter. With a little sugar in the mix and syrup for serving, they might be on to something.
Having made many batches of popovers over the past few weeks, I’ve learned how to achieve lofty popovers every time. I’ve made a few small changes to my mother’s recipe, namely I don’t let the batter rest for 30 minutes, and I don’t preheat the pan with butter. These steps, I’ve found, are not actually critical for making the popover batter “pop.” Here’s what is:
Cheese popovers: Add about ½ cup very finely grated extra-sharp cheddar cheese, Parmesan or other grating cheese after the flour. This will make the popovers a bit more custardy, but delicious all the same. A bit of chili powder, Tabasco sauce or chipotle powder works well with the cheddar.
4 Tips for Lofty Popovers Every Time
Because popovers rely on steam to rise — as opposed to baking powder, baking soda, or yeast — you want your batter warm when entering the oven. This King Arthur Flour article says it best: “The warmer your batter going into the oven, the more quickly it’ll produce steam: simple as that.”
- Use room-temperature eggs. If you forget to bring your eggs to room temperature, you can plunge them into a bowl of hot tap water for 10 minutes. Truly: I don’t think I’ve ever used room-temperature eggs when a recipe has called for it, and I’ve never noticed a difference. With popovers, I have.
- Use room-temperature milk. If you forget to bring your milk to room temperature, you can heat it briefly in the microwave or stovetop — just till it’s warm to the touch, 75ºF or so.
- Hot oven. You’ll want to start with your oven at 425ºF at a minimum. Some recipes call for 450ºF, but I find in my oven, that temperature browns the popovers a little too much for my liking. Every oven is different, however, so you may find 450ºF works better for you.
- Bread or all-purpose flour: For especially lofty popovers, bread flour is your gal! I achieve great loft with all-purpose flour as well, but I achieve the greatest heights when I use bread flour. That said: it’s not all about height. All-purpose flour might be my favorite for flavor and texture reasons, though I’ve never done a side-by-side taste test, so I can’t say for sure. I suggest: use what you have on hand, and take notes. You can’t go wrong with either. As most of you know, I am partial to King Arthur Flour.
The Difference Between Popovers and Yorkshire Pudding
As noted above: it’s the baking method. The batter of popovers and traditional British Yorkshire pudding is nearly identical. Yorkshire pudding calls for preheating the pan with meat drippings before pouring the batter over the top.
The Easiest Popovers Recipe | So delicious!
FAQ
What goes good with popovers?
What is the secret to good popovers?
Why do popovers fail?
How do you make a good popover?
There are three secrets to great popovers: Make sure the pan is hot before you pour in the batter, fill each section not more than half full and no peeking while they’re in the oven! Watch how to make this recipe. Generously grease aluminum popover pans or Pyrex custard cups with softened butter. You’ll need enough pans to make 12 popovers.
How do you make mini popovers?
These savory and miniature popovers are unbeatable! Use a mini popover pan to create the small-sized portions. The batter is made from eggs, milk, cheese, flour, and more. Bake the popovers for roughly 35 minutes. Once baked, the popovers are a perfect golden brown. Next, brush them with melted butter or dip them in a soft butter spread.
How do you make a popover in a pan?
Generously grease aluminum popover pans or Pyrex custard cups with softened butter. You’ll need enough pans to make 12 popovers. Place the pans in the oven for exactly 2 minutes to preheat. Meanwhile, whisk together the flour, salt, eggs, milk, and melted butter until smooth. The batter will be thin.
How do you make a popover tin?
In a medium bowl, whisk together the milk and eggs. Add the flour, salt and powdered sugar and whisk briefly to incorporate the dry ingredients. There may still be small lumps throughout the batter, which is fine; do not overmix. Fill each cup of the popover tin with 5 tablespoons of the batter.