The Biggest Fattest Fluffiest Popover Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What makes popovers puff up? ›

What makes popovers pop? Unlike cake or bread, popovers use neither baking powder/baking soda nor yeast to provide leavening. Steam is the engine that makes them rise — and rise, and rise!

The room temperature of the batter, the heat of the pan, and high heat the oven are all what create the steam initially to get the batter to rise, then the bake at 350°F sets the batter and creates the crispy outside. Once cooked, we want to pierce the popover rolls with a knife and get them out of the pan.

Usually, the batter consists of a simple egg, milk, and flour mix but if you add too much flour, the batter will be too dense and your popovers won't have the power to rise.

If you add more flour, the batter will be heavier and the popovers won't rise quite as high. The lower the rise, the more dense the bread filling and the smaller the hollow center.

Let batter rest for 15 minutes while you preheat the oven. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F and place rack in the bottom third position (to make room for tall popovers and to ensure the tops don't burn!) and another rack in the top position.

Why do popover batters contain so much liquid? It allows the popovers to be leavened with steam, creating the characteristic large cavity in the center. It also allows gelatinization of the starch during baking, which is indicated in part by the soft, gel-like texture in the inside walls of a baked popover.

Too cold and you won't get the popovers to steam internally quickly enough. But be aware that you shouldn't make it too hot. If your milk and/or butter is hot enough to cook the eggs while mixing, the batter won't rise. Best to use all warm ingredients in the 40-50 degrees celsius (100-120 fahrenheit) range.

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 try to use cold ingredients, the popovers won't “pop” right and will be dense and heavy, instead of airy and majestic. Since the dish calls for only five ingredients – eggs, milk, butter, flour and salt - it's pretty simple to get them to room temperature with a little forethought.

We like to serve Popovers with butter, honey butter, or preserves. The recipe states that pricking the popovers with a knife the last 5 minutes of baking allows steam to release so the popovers aren't tough. However, once you prick the popovers they deflate immediately.

What is the difference between Yorkshire and popovers? ›

Chef's Notes. The difference between popovers and Yorkshire puddings is that Yorkshires use the beef fat (the drippings from a beef roast). These popovers are a bit lighter in flavor and you can also prepare them before the roast is even done.

Oh, the dilemma that so often stems from baking popovers — those hollowed rolls with a contrasting crunchy, flaky exterior and moist, eggy interior. They are the American relative to the British Yorkshire pudding, an evolution of the latter that disregards the use of beef drippings in the pan (and instead uses butter).

Yup! The best way to reheat popovers is to preheat your oven to 350 or 400F and toss them in for several minutes (5-10 minutes). This will also make them firmer if they've gotten too soft while sitting. You do not need to put them back in a popover pan, just tossing them in on a cookie sheet will work fine!

Moisture-rich ingredients, such as eggs, heat during cooking and turn the water in the whites and yolks to steam. One part water transforms into 1,600 parts steam, a significant volume increase that helps raise the structure of baked goods, especially those that rely on steam like popovers and cream puffs.

A popover is a light roll made from an egg batter similar to that of Yorkshire pudding, typically baked in muffin tins or dedicated popover pans, which have straight-walled sides rather than angled.

A leavening agent is a substance that causes dough to expand by releasing gas once mixed with liquid, acid or heat. Rising agents give baked goods optimal volume, texture and crumb and can include baking soda or baking powder, whipped egg whites or cream, active or instant dry yeast, and even steam.

Popovers are best served immediately. They will, unfortunately, begin to collapse after a few minutes outside of the oven. One way to help prevent this is to puncture the top and/or side of the popover with the tip of a small, sharp knife to help release some of the steam trapped inside.

Popovers are leavened with steam to create a large cavity inside. The oven heat sets the outside to trap the steam and allows it to expand. The inside also remains moist while the outside gets crisp.