How to Make Popovers

Popovers are light and fluffy pastries that almost burst from the pan as they cooking. Trapped steam inside of them puffs the pastries up while the outside turns a beautiful – and tasty – golden brown. Perfect with butter in jam in the mornings or alongside a good cut of meat for dessert, popovers are a simple and easy dish that anyone can make at home.

The following recipe makes 6 popovers.

Ingredients

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 teaspoon salt.
• 2 tablespoons butter, cut into six pieces, or non-stick cooking spray.

Optional Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons melted butter
• 1-2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon rosemary, basil, thyme, black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 ounces chopped semi-sweet chocolate
• 5 ounces grated cheese (gruyere, cheddar, manchego, pepper jack)
• 6 tablespoons crumbled, cooked bacon
• 1/4 cup minced chives or roasted shallots

Steps

1. Preheat the oven to . Popovers get their shape because the high heat quickly puffs up the steam inside the pastry, so you oven needs to be hot.
   
2. Place a small piece of butter at the bottom of each well in a muffin pan. You do no need a popover pan to make them, as a regular muffin dish will work fine. You can also use 6-ounce custard dishes.^[1]
   
   • Non-stick cooking spray can substituted for butter.
3. Whisk the eggs, milk, and salt together. You can also use a food processor if you prefer.
   
4. Whisk in the flour until it is completely mixed. You do not want to overmix, as this leads to a course and chewy popover. Simply whisk it until there are no more chunks of flour, then stop.
   
   • You should see little air bubble – this is what will cause the popover to rise later.
5. Place the muffin pan in the oven for 2-3 minutes to warm. To make popovers “pop” you need to preheat the pan. This heats up the batter and causes it to grow rapidly in the first 20 minutes in the oven.
   
6. Divide the batter into each cup. Put an equal amount of batter in each popover pan, muffin dish, or custard cup and put them in the oven.
   
   • Some cooks suggest quickly whisking the batter before pouring so that it is frothy and airy as it goes into the pan.^[2]
   • Be careful-- the dish will still be hot from the oven.
7. Bake for 20 minutes at . Quickly get the batter back into the oven after pouring the batter and cook it for 20 minutes.
   
8. Do not open the oven. This is the golden rule of popovers! The high heat inside the oven creates steam the shoots the popover sky high, but even quickly opening the oven lets out enough heat to deflate them. Resist the temptation to check your pastries and leave the oven closed.^[3]
   
9. Turn the heat down to and bake for an additional 10 minutes. After the first 20 minutes, the popovers will have a crispy shell and will retain their form. Lower the heat and cook them for an additional 10-20 minutes, or until they outsides are golden brown.
   
   • It is safe to open the oven door during this second cooking period.
   • If you have 2 pans of popovers in, rotate them now so that they heat evenly.
10. Remove the popovers and turn them out on a wire rack to cool. The outside will be crispy and the popover won’t collapse or crumble, so quickly pull them out of the oven and set them aside to cool.
    
11. Use a knife to cut a slit in the bottoms. This allows the steam to quickly escape the pastry and keep it crispy when you serve it.^[4]
    
12. Serve while still warm. Popovers are best right out of the oven, so eat them right away whenever possible.
    

Variations

1. Add melted butter for a richer pastry. Melt 2-3 tablespoons of butter and whisk it into the batter with the milk and eggs for a rich, buttery popover.
   
   • Let the butter cool slightly after melting it – otherwise it might cook the eggs slightly.
2. Top your popovers with shredded cheese before cooking. Simply sprinkle shredded cheese, such as gruyere or cheddar, on top of the batter before it goes in the oven, then cook normally. The final popover will by topped with crispy, delicious cheese.
   
3. Try sweet popover recipes. Simply add 1-2 tablespoons of sugar with the flour and whisk it into the batter, then add whatever other sweet ingredients your heart desires. Some ideas include:^[5]
   
   • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract and 2 teaspoons orange zest
   • ½ teaspoon vanilla and 1 ounces chopped semisweet chocolate.^[6]
   • Brush the tops of cooked popovers with melted butter, then sprinkle with ground cinnamon and sugar.^[7]
4. Try out savory popover recipes. Popovers are a fantastic addition to dinners in place of rolls or bread, and can be customized to fit your meal. Try mixing and matching the following variations, adding them to your batter with the flour:
   
   • ¼ cup chives, chopped finely
   • ¼ cup roasted shallots or garlic, chopped finely^[8]
   • 1 teaspoon rosemary, thyme, or basil, minced
   • 4 pieces cooked bacon, finally chopped

Tips

• Refrigerate any leftovers for up to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave for a quick snack.

Warnings

• No matter how tempting, do not open that oven!

Related wikiHows

• How to Make a Fruit Trap
• How to Cook Food in a Bad Oven
• How to Produce Thick and Glossy Meringue

Sources and Citations

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