This light and fluffy popover recipe is exactly what you need with your Sunday roast or Thanksgiving dinner! Serve with gravy for the ultimate comfort side dish.
What is a popover?
The name comes from how these light pastries puff up while baking and kind of pop up and out of the baking pan. The mark of success in a good popover recipe is to have golden crowns with a high pop and for them to stay like that for as long as possible.
Popovers are like soufflés, they look fantastic when they come out of the oven but as time goes by they may deflate a bit. This is perfectly okay and doesn't affect the taste, but it's nice to hear some gasps from the dinner table if the popovers are giant.
What do I need for my popover recipe?
- Eggs
- Milk- Whole is best for maximum flavor and fat content.
- Flour- All purpose will work fine.
- Butter
- Salt and pepper
What is the secret to a well risen popover?
Popovers need a hot oven and they have to begin cooking instantly for the steam to get trapped on the inside to make them "pop" That means a metal pan is essential and it has to be preheated in the oven until it becomes very hot. The batter must also be warm, adding cold batter to the hot pan will do nothing for the popovers except cool down the pan and all that preheating will have been for nothing.
My popover recipe process begins by placing the pan in the oven as it preheats to temperature and then make the batter while you wait. Once the pan is hot enough, quickly brush it with melted butter and add the batter to about 3/4 of the way up the muffin tin.
Quickly get the popovers into the oven and do not open the door for a look. This is important because a lot of heat is lost when the door is opened and cold air can be drawn into the oven and your popovers won't like that.
You can also use this recipe for an authentic popover recipe, the difference being the height. A real popover pan has higher walls created to help the batter get as much height as possible.
What do I serve my popovers with?
Popovers are especially tasty served with a big dinner such as a Sunday roast or Thanksgiving. They should sit proudly on a plate loaded with turkey, potatoes, veggies and lots of gravy! This Salisbury Steak would be perfect for popovers or even some corned beef and cabbage!
Can I make my popover recipe ahead of time?
You can but they may not look as amazing as they do when they first come out of the oven. To reheat, It's best to place them back in the oven for about 10 minutes before you plan to serve them.
Never microwave them as they'll first turn soggy and then as they cool they'll turn hard and crispy.