Perfect Popover Recipe - With Tips! - That Skinny Chick Can Bake (2024)

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posted by Liz Berg

on August 20, 2012 (updated 12/10/22)

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A perfect Popover Recipe makes a special dinner or brunch treat. With a few simple tips, this recipe never fails! They’re ideal for the holidays.

My mom loved making popovers and gifted me with a popover pan a couple of decades ago. Learn How to Make Popovers with the recipe for classic popovers compliments of Marion Cunningham.

Perfect Popover Recipe - With Tips! - That Skinny Chick Can Bake (1)

Table of Contents hide

1 Why You Must Make

2 Expert Tips

3 Frequently Asked Questions

4 You May Also Like:

5 Perfect Popovers

Why You Must Make

  • This fabulous popover recipe was developed by Marion Cunningham, a food writer and cookbook author. Her Fannie Farmer Cookbook (affiliate link) was in my childhood kitchen.
  • You’ll never need to hunt down another recipe as these are as delicious as my mom’s version which was probably from the New York Times Cookbook.
  • When Christmas rolls around you can make Yorkshire puddings, a version of popovers made with beef fat from your holiday roast!

Perfect Popover Recipe - With Tips! - That Skinny Chick Can Bake (2)

Expert Tips

My mom was a huge fan of popovers. In fact, she gave me both of my cast iron popover pans. But Marion gives us alternatives for those who don’t own this specialized bakeware.

  • If you don’t own a cast iron popover pan, muffin tins or custard cups will do in a pinch.
  • These popovers are a cinch to whip up; just add milk, eggs, salt, flour, and a bit of melted butter to your blender, process till smooth, then divide the batter evenly between the buttered popover cups.
  • For the most accurate flour measurement, spoon the flour into the measuring cup, then sweep the excess from the top using an offset spatula or other kitchen utensil with a flat side.
  • PRO-Tip: If your batter looks lumpy, pass it through a strainer.
  • Let the batter rest as you preheat the oven. This will allow the gluten strands to relax and the moisture to disperse.
  • Fill custard cups with 1/3 cup batter and muffin tins with 1/4 cup batter. Any excess can be divided among the cups.
  • I veered from the recipe directions by preheating my popover pan in the oven, then brushing it with melted butter before pouring in the batter, just like I do with our holiday Yorkshire puddings.
  • PRO-Tip: Preheating the pan before adding the batter jump-starts the baking and gives a better rise to the popovers. This is especially beneficial if you’re using a cast iron pan.
  • Using warm milk in the batter (125° F) also encourages a good puff. A cold batter will take longer to produce the steam needed for leavening.
  • PRO-Tip: Whip the batter right before baking. Otherwise, precious air bubbles needed for a good rise will be lost.
  • PRO-Tip: Yorkshire puddings are basically popovers made with roast drippings. They’re the perfect accompaniment with your holiday prime rib.
  • Bake on a rack in the lower third of the oven so the tops don’t get too brown.
  • For the best results, start your popovers at 425º for 15 minutes, then reduce the oven to 350º and bake for another 15 minutes. Do not open the oven door.
  • Popovers are at their puffiest right out of the oven. You can hold them at room temperature for a few minutes, or wrap them airtight, freeze them for up to a month, and reheat them in a 350º F oven for 10 to 15 minutes, and they´ll taste good, but never as good as when freshly baked.
  • PRO-Tip: If not eating immediately, pierce each popover with a knife to release the steam. This will prevent moisture from building up inside as they cool.
Perfect Popover Recipe - With Tips! - That Skinny Chick Can Bake (3)

Frequently Asked Questions

What are Popovers?

A popover is a muffin-sized bread with a hollow, moist interior made with eggs, milk, flour, and butter. The liquid in the batter creates steam to leaven the bread in the oven. Special popover pans with extra deep cups are used to bake popovers.

Why Are They Called Popovers?

The name comes from how the popovers bake, puff, and fall or pop over the cups in the popover pan.

Are Yorkshire Puddings the same as Popovers?

Yorkshire puddings use a similar batter, but they’re baked in beef drippings that are placed in the bottom of each cup of the popover pan. It’s a popular accompaniment to British roast beef.

How Long Do Popovers Last?

They are best served freshly made but can be stored airtight at room temperature for up to 3 days. Gently rewarm to serve. They can also be frozen in an airtight container for up to 3 months.

What Should You Serve with Popovers?

Popovers are delicious when served with butter, jam, preserves, or apple butter.

You May Also Like:

  • Prime Rib Roast
  • Holiday Lettuce Salad
  • Christmas Yule Log
  • Yeast Roll Knots
  • More Easy Bread Recipes

Stay in touch through social media@Instagram,Facebook, andPinterest. Don’t forget to tag me when you try one of my recipes! And if you love the results, please give it a 5-star rating in the recipe card.

Perfect Popover Recipe - With Tips! - That Skinny Chick Can Bake (4)

Prep Time10 minutes

Cook Time45 minutes

Total Time55 minutes

Yield10 servings

Perfect popovers from Baking with Julia by Dorie Greenspan. Recipe by Marion Cunningham.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup flour
  • 1 cup whole or 2% milk, at room temperature
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 3 large eggs, at room temperature
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Instructions

  1. Position a rack on the lowest rung of the oven and preheat the oven to 425º.
  2. Butter or spray nine ¾ cup glass custard cups or ten ½ cup muffin cups. If you´re using custard cups, place them on a jelly-roll pan, leaving space between each cup. If you´re using muffin pans, you´ll need to use two 12-hole muffin tins because, to give the popovers ample air circulation, you won´t be filling all of the holes.
  3. Pour all the ingredients into the container of a blender and whirl until smooth. (This can be done in a food processor or in a bowl using a hand-held mixer). Strain the batter if it is at all lumpy.
  4. Baking the popovers: For the custard cups, pour 1/3 of batter into each cup, dividing any extra batter among the cups. For the muffin cups, use ¼ cup of batter for each cup, filling alternate cups in each tin so that every popover has puffing space.
  5. Bake, without opening the door, for 25 minutes, until the popovers are puffed, nicely browned, and crisp on the exterior. Turn the temperature down to 350º and bake for another 15 to 20 minutes, to help dry out the interior, which, no matter what you do, will always be a little doughy in the center.
  6. Serve immediately.

Notes

If you use beef fat from your roast in the bottom of the popover pan, these puffed quick breads become Yorkshire puddings.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

10

Serving Size:

1 popover

Amount Per Serving:Calories: 100Total Fat: 4gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 64mgSodium: 139mgCarbohydrates: 11gFiber: 0gSugar: 1gProtein: 4g

HOW MUCH DID YOU LOVE THIS RECIPE?

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Note: This post may contain affiliate links; view my Disclosure Policy for details. I earn a small percentage from any purchase you make by clicking on these links at no extra cost to you.

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posted by Liz Berg on August 20, 2012
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    6 Comments on “Perfect Popover Recipe”

  1. Toni Reply

    These popovers are really perfect!! My whole family always finishes a whole batch!!

  2. wilhelmina Reply

    I was so glad to see this recipe, I had completely forgotten how delightful popovers are. These turned out light and airy and made a perfect addition to our roast chicken dinner!

  3. Beth Pierce Reply

    My family loves these! They are so delicious. I will definitely be making these again!

  4. cathy Reply

    Definitely my go to recipe for making popovers. They are perfect every time!

  5. Claudia Lamascolo Reply

    You always have the best knack of getting perfect rolls, I wish we lived closer, mine area always a flop these are perfection! Great job Liz!

  6. Tammy Reply

    I LOVE popovers and these just look so beautiful and perfect, Lizzy! 😀 I couldn’t think of a better way to kick off the snowy weekend ^_^

    Happy New Year to you and your family! <3

    Toodles,
    Tammy<3
    xoxoxo

Perfect Popover Recipe - With Tips! - That Skinny Chick Can Bake (2024)

FAQs

What is the secret to good popovers? ›

My biggest tip for creating perfect popovers is to use warm milk and room-temperature eggs with absolutely no chill on them. Do not take the milk and eggs from the fridge and use them. Cold ingredients will give you dense popovers. Warm ingredients will give you light, airy, and perfect popovers.

What makes popovers puff up? ›

What makes popovers pop? Unlike cake or bread, popovers use neither baking powder/baking soda nor yeast to provide leavening. Steam is the engine that makes them rise — and rise, and rise!

Why do popovers fail? ›

If you are having problems with popovers not popping, try decreasing your flour or adding an egg if you have already tried all the other tricks and you are sure that, like me, you are doing everything right.

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.

What are two reasons for failure of popovers to pop? ›

Best to use all warm ingredients in the 40-50 degrees celsius (100-120 fahrenheit) range. There are two major possible causes that seem likely: The oven was not hot enough. Popovers require a fast rise, so that they can expand from the steam before the outside sets.

Should popover batter be cold or room temperature? ›

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.

What type of flour is best for popovers? ›

using room temperature eggs (see recipe for how to quickly bring your eggs to room temperature) room temperature milk (see recipe for how to quickly bring your milk to room temperature) hot oven. bread or all-purpose flour: for especially loft popovers, bread flour is your gal!

What happens to an underbaked popover? ›

If your popovers lose volume when they come out of the oven, they are probably underbaked. 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.

What do the English call 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.

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

Remove from oven:

Popovers lose their crunch if they linger in the pan, so turn them out on a wire rack immediately and poke a small opening in the side of each with a paring knife to let the steam escape.

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.

How to prevent popovers from collapsing? ›

If you don't want your beautiful popovers to collapse, simply use a sharp paring knife and pierce the bottom of the hot popovers to allow steam to escape and place them on a cooling rack. Do not let them cool in the pan, they'll lose their shape.

How to tell when popovers are done? ›

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 degrees and continue baking for 15 minutes more, or until popovers are puffed and browned. Do not check popovers until they have baked for a total of 30 minutes. Remove from pan immediately and serve hot.

Should popover pans be greased? ›

And be sure to grease not only the cups, but the surface around them as well. The popovers are going to balloon up and over the edges of the wells. Fill the cups about 2/3 to 3/4 full. Put the pan in the oven, on a lower rack.

Why are my popovers doughy? ›

SF Gate claims that if your bakes are flat and dense, rather than tall and puffy, you must adjust your ingredient ratios. Usually, the batter consists of a simple egg, milk, and flour mix but if you add too much flour, the batter will be too dense and your popovers won't have the power to rise.

Why don't my popovers puff up? ›

Preheat the oven to 425 with the pan preheating in the oven. When baking don't open it again until they're done. If you open the oven door the temperature inside can drop too quickly and the popovers will not rise properly. Whip the batter up really airy right before you add it to the pan they'll rise extra high.

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