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:
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.
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 Easiest Popovers Recipe | So delicious!
FAQ
What do the English call popovers?
What makes a popover a popover?
What does a popover taste like?
What are popovers in America?
What is a popover pastry?
Traditionally, popovers are an American deviation of the famous British Yorkshire pudding. They’re a popular light, buttery pastry made with just flour, salt, eggs, milk, and butter. (Although I like to add a little powdered sugar to make them slightly sweet.)
What are popovers?
What Are Popovers, Exactly? Traditionally, popovers are an American deviation of the famous British Yorkshire pudding. They’re a popular light, buttery pastry made with just flour, salt, eggs, milk, and butter.
What are the different types of popovers?
See our step-by-step guide to making popovers, and try all of our popover variations: Basic Popovers, Gruyere-Thyme Popovers, Dark Chocolate Popovers, Chive Popovers, Bacon and Black Pepper Popovers, and Orange Popovers . If eggs and milk are cold, before combining, submerge whole eggs in warm water 10 minutes and heat milk until just warm.
What are perfect popovers?
Perfect Popovers are crispy on the outside, light and airy on the inside. Made from a simple batter of eggs, milk, flour, and butter, this is a classic recipe for popover rolls that rise up tall but are hollow and buttery delicious inside. All my tips and tricks are included to easily give you perfect popovers every time.