Popovers are a light airy "Bread Roll" coming from the fact that when they are cooked; the batter swells or "pops" up and over the top of the cooking pan. Popovers were re-named in America after crossing the Atlantic from England. A recipe dating back two centuries, Yorkshire pudding, is the 18th-century English batter pudding version that is seasoned with meat drippings and often eaten with gravy.
There are many schools of thought when making popovers as to amounts of eggs or adding a leavening agent like baking powder, but one of the most consistent tips in popover recipes is keeping the door closed when baking. This is to keep the heat in and help the rising process. Another key element is preheating and seasoning the cooking pan with oil ( or butter ) to create a crispy exterior crust and help prevent sticking.
Like many "wet" flour batters the popover batter greatly benefits from resting for at least 10 minutes up to 60 to let the flour absorb some of the liquid. Also the recipe calls to warm the milk and have the eggs at room temperature to help expedite the process. Whole milk is the preferred milk in most recipes, skim and low fat milks don't give consistent results for a successful end result.
Another key to crisp popovers that don't deflate is to cut a small slit in the side of the popover when you remove it from the oven. This helps the steam escape, and if you notice the batter is still a little under cooked at this point you can put them back in the oven for 5 minutes.
POPOVER RECIPE (6 popovers)
- 1 3/4 cups whole milk or half-and-half, warmed
- 2 cups Flour (bread flour if possible)
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 3 each eggs, room temperature
- 2 tablespoons melted butter
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce ( or Dijon mustard)
- oil for pans
- Oil popover or muffin pan and place in 425 degree oven
- Blend together warm milk, eggs, flour , baking powder and worcestershire sauce
- Pour in batter to preheated pan(say a quick prayer to the pudding gods)
- after they come up and are big and beautiful (15 minutes), reduce the temp to 375 and cook for another 20 minutes.
- Remove from oven, then remove popovers from the pan and cut a slit in the side of the popover to let the steam escape. This helps them stay crisp and prevents deflation.
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