Popovers are kind of amazing. How does a simple batter of flour, milk and egg turn into something so sky-high and airy? Every time I open the oven door on a tray of popovers and see those golden brown crowns towering over the pan, I can’t quite believe my eyes – how does that happen? Pulling one apart, I’m greeted with rising steam. The outside is crackly crisp, the insides egg-y soft around a hollow center that serves as a perfect cup for a pat of melting butter.
Popovers are yet another nostalgic recipe from my childhood, a special treat my mother and grandmother used to make for pot roast dinners on winter Sunday afternoons, or holiday meals. They seem old-time-y to me now, out of fashion and rare, found only in cloth-lined bread baskets at quaint bed and breakfast inns in the Berkshires or Vermont.
Maybe they’ve fallen out of favor because people think popovers are tricky to make. But they’re really not. The batter whisks together in less than 2 minutes from ingredients so basic I’d be shocked if you didn’t have them on hand right now. Then, follow a few important tips: First, use a non-stick pan or you’ll risk deflating the popovers as you’re wrestling them out of their cups. Second, preheat the pan for a few minutes before pouring the batter in. And third, no peeking when the popovers are in the oven. They need to cook for exactly 30 minutes, undisturbed.
Popovers can do more than just wow you from the bread basket. Their hollow insides make them the perfect receptacles for stuffing. Eggs and cheese are a perennial favorite for us, usually with some kind of vegetable like spinach, broccoli or asparagus. Or skip the eggs and load up on veggies, without or without cheese, or some kind of sauce such as a Mornay, bechamel, or marinara. Or shredded cooked chicken with any of those things. Or even a meat filling such as taco or Sloppy Joe.
Making this ahead and what to do with leftovers:
- Popovers must be served hot in order to best enjoy that great texture contrast between the crisp outside and eggy inside. Ideally they should be eaten straight from the oven. If that’s not possible, let them cool completely before storing in a large zip-lock bag. When ready to eat, reheat them in a 350 degree oven until they’re hot and crisp, 10 or 15 minutes. I don’t recommend freezing popovers; they get soggy during thawing.
Popovers
Ingredients
- 1½ cups whole milk at room temperature
- 3 large eggs at room temperature
- ¾ teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt (or a scant ½ teaspoon of Morton’s)
- 1½ cups (6 1/3 ounces or 180 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1½ tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus additional very soft butter for greasing the pan
Directions
- Step 1 Heat the oven to 425 degrees.
- Step 2 Generously grease a non-stick, 6-cup popover pan with softened butter.
- Step 3 Measure the milk into a large liquid measuring cup (4-cup or larger). Whisk in the eggs until blended, then whisk in the salt, then the flour. Beat with the whisk until the mixture is completely smooth with no lumps. Whisk in the melted butter until it’s fully incorporated.
- Step 4 When the oven reaches 425 degrees, put the popover pan in the oven for exactly 2 minutes. After 2 minutes, remove the pan to a rack. Working quickly, use a pastry brush to pick up the butter that will have melted down into the bottom of the cups, and brush it up the sides to the tops of the cups to re-coat them. Pour the batter into the cups, dividing it evenly.
- Step 5 Put the pan back in the oven and cook for 30 minutes without opening the oven door. No peeking!
- Step 6 When the popovers are done, pierce the top of each popover with the tip of a sharp knife to release steam and keep them from getting soggy. Carefully remove them from the pan and serve hot.
