‘The Popover Experiment’ – Recipe No. 3 …. Chewy Outside – Fluffy & Moist Inside (2024)

‘My Yellow Farmhouse Popovers’ – Chewy Outside – Fluffy & Moist Inside

++ UPDATE – – It’s ironic, sometimes, how something small may turn into something rather special. I had a huge urge for popovers, so I started preparing some about 9:00 tonight. A really good neighbor/friend who NEVER comes over late showed up…. with some problems. Let me tell you – two of these popovers, smothered in butter, and a glass of red wine – plus a good chat – seemed to be exactly what was needed!!

This is the final recipe of ‘The Popover Experiment’. I hope my little experiment enticed you to not only make popovers, but also to try a bit of experimenting on your own.As it turns out, these particular popovers – which I’m calling ‘My Yellow Farmhouse Popovers’ – are my favorites. My neighbor Frank, who’s sometimes a bit hard to please, said these are his favorites too. And I quote…”.. best popover yet. Nice buttery flavor, crispy on the outside and smooth & chewy on the inside.” Thanks Frank !!

I adapted this popover recipe from one featured onFLEUR de SEL, one of my favorite blogs.(The original recipe comes from Neiman Marcus.) FLEUR de SEL‘spopovers look yummy, so check out her recipe as part of your own ‘Popover Experiment’. (Mine look a bit “weird” compared to hers!) http://fleurdeselsf.com/2013/10/08/popovers-with-strawberry-butter/

If you’ve been following ‘The Popover Experiment’, you know I sometimes mess up when it comes to lowering the oven temperature approximately half way through the baking time…. well…. I did it AGAIN. The original recipe calls for the temperature to be lowered to 375F, yet, once again, I set the temperature at 350F. No matter, the popovers turned out great. I also changed the cooking time at 350F down to 20 minutes. The popovers looked done after 20 minutes at 350F – a nice dark, golden brown – so I took them out!

Tip !!If using older popover pans without nonstick coating, butter each section.

Tip !!If using muffin tins or ramekins, butter each section. You’re going to have too much batter for a six-cup muffin pan, so use a 12-cup pan. Fill each section 1/3 full, and fill any empty sections with water. The popovers won’t be as big as those made in the new style popover pans but they’ll be wonderful.

Yield – 6 popovers, if using a popover tin. 8 to 10 popovers,if using ramekins/muffin tin.

Ingredients & Method

+ Grease pans – recipe contains NO BUTTER !!

+ Oven at 450F for…. 15 minutes Then lower heat to 350F…. for 20 – 25 minutes

  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 3/4 cup whole milk (You can try 2% if you wish but I recommend whole milk.)
  • 2 cups flour
  • 3/4 tsp. salt
  • 1/2 tsp. baking POWDER

‘The Popover Experiment’ – Recipe No. 3 …. Chewy Outside – Fluffy & Moist Inside (1)Put some verywarm water in a small bowl and place in the 3 eggs. Allow the eggs to sit in the water while you organize your ingredients.

Warm up 1 3/4 cups milk a bit in the microwave and set aside. (You don’t want the milk HOT, you’re just trying to take the chill out.)

In another bowl, stir together 2 cups flour, 3/4 tsp. salt & 1/2 tsp. baking POWDER.

‘The Popover Experiment’ – Recipe No. 3 …. Chewy Outside – Fluffy & Moist Inside (2)Remove the eggs from the warm water and break into a small bowl.(I suggest using a small bowl because the small size helps incorporateair into the eggs.) Beat eggs on HIGH speed for 3 minutes. The eggs will become foamy with a light lemon color.

Pour the well-beaten eggs into a large bowl. With the mixer now set on LOW, stir in the warmed milk. Mix the eggs and milk briefly. With the mixer again set on LOW, gradually combine the flour/salt/baking powder mixture.

Raise the mixer speed to MEDIUM and continue to beat for 2 minutes longer. By this time the batter will have become slightly thicker & nice and smooth.

‘The Popover Experiment’ – Recipe No. 3 …. Chewy Outside – Fluffy & Moist Inside (3)Fill the 6 GREASED sections of your popover pan equally – they’ll be about 3/4’s of the way full.

Now this is important – and I didn’t remember to do it!

++ Place a baking sheet on the lower shelf below the popovers. (To help with clean up, you might want to cover the baking sheet with aluminum foil.)

If you don’t place the pan on a baking sheet, you’ll end up will some lovely spills on the bottom of your oven – like I did !

Place your pan – set on a baking sheet – into the center of a 450F preheated oven. Bake for 15 minutes. Lower the temperature to 350F and bake for another 20 minutes. ++ Don’t be surprised if there’s a lot of steam coming out your oven vent when you bake these popovers. ++ If you popovers don’t look browned enough – bake for another 5 minutes. Ovens vary, so always be prepared to be flexible!

Pierce popovers with a sharp knife once you remove them from the oven so the steam can vent, then remove them from the pan. (I like to lay the popovers on their side to cool.) These are excellent at room temperature but, of course, they’re always best eaten right out of the oven.

‘The Popover Experiment’ – Recipe No. 3 …. Chewy Outside – Fluffy & Moist Inside (4)Here’s an idea for a lovely fruit butter you can spread on your nice, warm popovers. Believe me, I sure had a Happy Tummy when I was eating a few of these.

Beat 1 stick softened butter until light & fluffy. Add 1/4 cup preserves. I used cherry preserves but you could use strawberry or blueberry or even orange marmalade. Enjoy!!

+

‘The Popover Experiment’ – Recipe No. 3 …. Chewy Outside – Fluffy & Moist Inside (5)

‘The Popover Experiment’ – Recipe No. 3 ….  Chewy Outside – Fluffy & Moist Inside (2024)

FAQs

What is the secret to popovers? ›

Preheating your oven to the correct temperature is probably the most important thing you can do to ensure popover success. The hotter your oven, the higher your popovers will rise. Which makes sense: the faster liquid in the batter turns into steam, the more chance your popover has to expand before its crust sets.

What is the science behind popovers? ›

The container forms the steam released in the oven heat into one giant bubble. This steam is contained with gluten from flour proteins, starch, and protein from eggs. So the popover literally 'pops' with steam, but the steam doesn't escape because the stretchy protein holds it inside the batter.

What is the consistency of popover batter? ›

Whisk again:

Whisk flour and salt into egg mixture just until batter is the consistency of heavy cream with some small lumps remaining. See those air bubbles? They are what will cause the popovers to rise.

Why aren t my popovers airy? ›

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.

What is the biggest causes of popover failures? ›

Until last night…
  • Preheat your popover pan.
  • NEVER open the oven door while baking.
  • Use room temperature ingredients.
  • Use the freshest eggs possible.
Jun 22, 2016

What makes popovers dense? ›

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.

Why does popover batter need to rest? ›

The flour needs some time to absorb into the liquid, which not only thickens the batter a bit, it also allows the gluten molecules to relax which makes for a lighter, not chewy popover. The resting period also makes the batter more velvety and helps allow air bubbles to release.

What do Brits call popovers? ›

Yorkshire Pudding/ Popovers

Yorkshire Puddings are a staple in England with a Roast Dinner. Here in the US we know them as Popovers which are the same thing as the modern Yorkshire Pudding, except using a different pan.

What country invented popovers? ›

Popovers -- being traditionally an American invention in contrast to the French crepes and British Yorkshire pudding, which is again from essentially the same batter -- have traditionally been baked in heavy cast-iron pans. Popover pans look like muffin pans except that the cups are deeper.

What causes popovers to fall? ›

When these airy baked goods aren't cooked enough, too much steam stays trapped inside. That moisture condenses once they're removed from the oven, causing them to collapse. The perfect popover, however, is easy to master. First, make sure your ingredients are at room temperature.

What type of batter are popovers made of? ›

Flour, milk, eggs, salt, and butter: what a simple combination of ingredients for such a sublime treat!

Should popover batter be room temp? ›

How to make popovers. Before we get started: all of your ingredients should be at warm room temperature. To warm ice-cold eggs from the fridge, place them in a cup of hot tap water for about 10 minutes.

Should popover batter rest overnight? ›

There's just one thing that will make the popovers better, and that's time. The batter needs time to rest before baking so that it creates a more tender popover in the end. So, cover the batter and pop it into the refrigerator for at least an hour, but preferably overnight.

Are popovers supposed to be eggy? ›

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).

How is Yorkshire pudding different from 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.

How do you stop popovers from deflating? ›

An additional trick for keeping popovers crisp is to gently poke a hole in the side of each one with a sharp knife when you remove it from the pan to allow extra team to escape without deflating the crust dome.

Is it necessary to poke the popover when it comes out of the oven? ›

Or the interior – intended to be a soft, gooey, scrambled-egg-like substance – is too undercooked to eat. Tips to avoid these popover pitfalls vary: Use a popover pan instead of a muffin pan, poke them with a knife after baking to dry them out, start with a cold oven, heat up the pan before pouring in the batter.

What is the best grease for a popover pan? ›

Grease the cups of a nonstick (6-cup) popover pan very generously with softened butter or the cups of a cast-iron pan generously with vegetable shortening.

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