Preheated Oven Popovers Recipe (2024)

Recipe from Maida Heatter

Adapted by Amanda Hesser

Preheated Oven Popovers Recipe (1)

Total Time
1 hour 15 minutes
Rating
4(851)
Notes
Read community notes

The popover is a culinary marvel, a loose batter that, with the aid of a hot oven, expands like a golden cumulus cloud, producing a crisp, hollow pastry with a soft, eggy interior. While the mixture is very similar to crepe batter, when you confine it to deep, narrow, muffinlike molds, the surface of the batter sets and the air is trapped, so that the pastry has nowhere to go but up and out, creating a gravity-defying bubble. —Amanda Hesser

Featured in: RECIPE REDUX; 1966: Maida Heatter's Popovers

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Ingredients

Yield:10 popovers

  • Unsalted butter, for greasing the molds
  • 6large eggs
  • 2cups milk
  • 6tablespoons melted butter
  • 2cups sifted flour
  • 1teaspoon salt

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Nutritional analysis per serving (10 servings)

236 calories; 13 grams fat; 7 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 4 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 22 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 3 grams sugars; 8 grams protein; 265 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preheated Oven Popovers Recipe (2)

Preparation

  1. Step

    1

    Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Generously grease 10 4-ounce heatproof pottery custard cups (or a muffin or popover pan) with butter. Arrange the cups (or muffin or popover pan) on a baking sheet.

  2. Step

    2

    Beat the eggs lightly, then add the milk and melted butter and stir to combine. Gradually stir in the flour and salt. Beat just until the mixture is smooth. Do not overbeat. If the mixture is not smooth, strain it.

  3. Pour the mixture into a pitcher and then pour into the custard cups. Fill the cups almost to the top.

  4. Step

    4

    Bake for 50 minutes. Do not open the oven door during baking.

  5. Step

    5

    After 50 minutes, remove the popovers from the oven, cut several slits in the top of each and return to the oven for 5 to 10 minutes. Immediately remove the popovers from the cups.

Ratings

4

out of 5

851

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Private Notes

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Cooking Notes

Carol

Those of you who have made these....did you use an actual popover pan or a muffin pan? Any comparison between the two or is a popover pan absolutely necessary?

Julia

Be careful not to fill the cups TOO high or the melted butter will spill over and create lots of smoke. I'd say filling the cups 3/4 of the way is safe.

JaneB

My popovers are done in about 35 minutes. Agree with suggestions to make the batter the night before. Side-by-side comparison tests we did at home show overnight batter rises higher. someone smarter than me can tell you why.

Julia

I've made this several times and it's always produced beautiful, delicious popovers that are very tall and don't collapse. I'd recommend doubling the recipe since I usually don't get 10 out of it, and since they are so tasty!

Richard

Make the batter the night before, preheat the popover pan for even more expansive popovers. Or cook a prime rib and use the drippings to grease a cast iron pan ...you've got Yorkshire pudding!

Maureen

The recipe calls for salt meaning table salt. Kosher salt is lighter in weight (less salt) than an equivalent volume of table salt. By using kosher salt rather than table salt you baked a popover that needed more salt.

Nancy

Popover tin is not essential. I used a ramekin for the left over batter (can't let this go to waste!!) and it worked beautifully. The key is to grease it well first.

Ann

Does anyone have suggestions for making popovers at high altitude (7000 ft)?

Mike Czechowski

As with croissants, we reheat these and other things by putting them in our electric oven and turning it on to preheat to 350°F. When the preheat "ready" beep goes off, the popovers, croissants, or whatever have been nicely reheated.

Judy

This recipe is much fussier than it needs to be. You must use whole milk. The sifting is unnecessary. The beauty of popovers is that they're so easy. The milk and eggs (only 4) should be at room temperature for maximum rise.Combine the ingredients while the pans are heating in the oven.

Maria

Every single egg is required for height.

Lucia

You may have overworked the dough. Just enough stirring will help with loft. Stir too long and the proteins in the flour and eggs becomes over developed which can make for a tougher, denser product.

Sarah Kirtland

The Zodiac restaurant at the Neiman-Marcus in Dallas, Texas still serves popovers instead of breadrolls before you order. That was started by Helen Corbett, who was the chef there and some have called the Julia Child of American cooking. Once you've had them, you will not forget them. So simple to make.
I love these popovers. Have used ramekins and metal popover pan. I'm not a perfectionist, but both are delicious.

Peggy

My popovers were DONE in way less than 50 minutes. My oven must run hot. Keep an eye on these babies!

La Toque de Cindy

Collective Review from Kids cooking camp:
- A little too eggy
- Good with powdered sugar
- Needed a little more salt
- Good with honey

susan

I took the time to beat the eggs with a fork as thoroughly as if I were scrambling a custard type breakfast egg - slowly incorporating lots of air. I did sift the flour, stirring in carefully. Consequently the popovers were huge - easily doubled. They were golden and crusty on the outside and tender and moist inside, but very stable.

Lisa Conn

Delicious. I mixed the batter gently in the blender. I made them a little too late to eat with our meal, so I took them out early - the flavor was great and the texture was like Yorkshire pudding.

Suzanne D.

If you want the best recipe for popovers look at King Arthur flour's recipes and the hints. The recipe is spot on and the tips on the bottom work. Worth a look and try that recipe. Sorry NYT, I love many of your recipes, but just reading the recipes above, and looking at the pictures, they are far inferior. From a 70 year old who has been making them for at least 50 years. People ask me to make them for special occasions all the time.

Katie

I made these for someone with a dairy allergy, and substituted almond milk for the milk and olive oil for the butter, with a little duck fat to grease the pan. The result wasn’t exactly what I expected, the inside texture was a like a moist eggy cake and it didn’t get the huge rise you’d expect with a popover, but it was still really tasty & I would definitely make again. I have some leftover batter & will see tomorrow if that makes a difference in the rise.

Es

I read all the comments and this is what I did for a perfect result: For 6 popovers, exactly 1/2 the recipe. Whole milk, bleach flour sifted in a colander and then measured. Quickly whisked mixture in 4-cup measuring cup. No straining. Refrigerated 3 hours. Heated oven. Put a dab of butter in each popover cup and put into oven. Swirled butter and poured in mixture. 30 minutes slit and baked another 5-10 minutes. Very pleased with myself!

Cathy

You can make the big batch and then use 1/3 at a time (store the rest of the batter in the fridge for other nights) for 4 popovers per divided batch. We always say just one, but fresh yummy popovers. Maybe I should save/make in 2 popover portions for 1 each!

Jane F

I strained the lumps but that meant most of the flour stayed in the strainer. I smashed them and stirred them in, but this was truly a pain. The other half of the batter I buzzed in a blender. They didn't rise. The first ones were perfect. Any ideas of how to get the lumps out to begin with? I used a whisk like usual. Some recipes recommend letting the batter sit for quite awhile before baking. Thanks for any suggestions. I have though of sifting the flour in.

Amy

Can someone explain how to grease the popover tins beforehand and also preheat them in the oven? Or do you let the oil/butter in the pan substitute for greasing? And do you pour out the oil/butter before adding batter? I have made similar varieties many times and made many many flops, so I want to get this right.

Cathy

let the pan get hot, then I use a bit of (not a bunch) cooking spray, then a measuring cup to pour batter in 1/2 way. I have a great pan from King Arthur and I think that helps a lot

Gabrielle

Half a recipe was the right amount for a 12 cup cast iron muffin pan. Filled about 2/3 full, based on comments, and put pan on a baking sheet in case the butter (in my case) dripped over.

Rebecca

I'm excited to try this six egg recipe. I've been making popovers with only three eggs for twenty-five years and they're fine - so if you only have three, fear not - it can be done! I use skim milk and have quit preheating my pan - they are fine without it and I burn the butter half the time.

Lisa

Could someone clarify this for a non-baker?"Beat just until the mixture is smooth. Do not overbeat. If the mixture is not smooth, strain it."Soooo ... when do you give up on beating to smoothness and strain instead? Is "overbeating" definable up front, or just in hindsight when your outcome is bad? And if you do strain, do you then break up the lumps and add the ingredients back in? Or just do without the flour (presumably) that was making the batter lumpy?Thank you!

Nancy

Popover pans make the popovers big. This recipe is the best one I have found. It fills 6 popovers with each pan , so you have 12 with two popover muffin pans.

Sara Brookhyser

To reheat, place on oven, turn on heat to 350, when beeper goes off for temperature reached-popovers will be warm.

scb

Preheat pan + oil in oven

Sara Brookhyser

If you don’t want to mess with scalding meat drippings for the incomparable added flavor, or aren’t serving with a roast, pick up beef suet(fat) at the meat counter-ask the butcher for some-melt it down slowly in a small saucepan, then spoon it into preheated cups. 5 stars.

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Preheated Oven Popovers Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Should popover pans be preheated? ›

If you have an old cast iron popover pan you love, preheating it before adding the batter will yield the best results.

What is the biggest causes of popover failures? ›

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 secret to good popovers? ›

The key to perfect popovers is using a popover pan. The cylindrical walls of popover cups are straight rather than angled like those in a regular muffin tin, accentuating their puffy, mushroomed tops by forcing the batter up out of the slim space.

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 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.

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.

Why are my popovers not fluffy? ›

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.

Should popover batter be cold or room temp? ›

Let batter rest at room temperature for 1 hour. While batter is resting, place popover pan on a rimmed baking sheet and place on center rack of oven. Preheat to 450°F. (Preheat for at least 20 minutes to be sure temperature has been reached, or use an oven thermometer.)

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.

Should popover batter be lumpy? ›

Whisk till all the big lumps disappear; smaller lumps are OK. Whisk in the butter, and let the batter rest for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, the little lumps will have risen to the top. Give the batter a few more good licks with the whisk to recombine.

How far in advance can you make popovers? ›

Check out the tips below to keep your popovers fresh. To make ahead: You can make the batter and refrigerate it for up to one day before baking.

How do you know when a popover is done? ›

Finished popovers will be golden-brown, feel dry to the touch, and sound hollow when tapped. Prick with a Knife, Cool, and Eat!: Turn the popovers out onto a drying rack. Pierce the bottoms with a knife to allow steam to escape. Cool just enough so they can be handled and then eat immediately.

What's the difference between Yorkshire pudding and popovers? ›

Cooking fat: Yorkshire pudding is a dripping pudding, meaning that chefs traditionally make it using the meat drippings leftover from cooking a Sunday roast dinner. Meanwhile, popover recipes tend to call for butter instead. Yorkshire pudding batter, therefore, takes on a more savory flavor than popover batter.

Does popover batter keep? ›

Making popover batter, you can also make ahead of time store in refrigerator up to 2-3 days!

How do you close a popover when clicked outside? ›

Use Focus Trigger to Dismiss Popover

Use the focus trigger instead. This will close the popover when the user clicks outside of it. If you get any depreciated warnings or errors, you can use the exact version of react-bootstrap as this guide by updating your package. json file and running the command npm i .

How do you make popovers not stick? ›

Lightly grease the popover cups, then dust with flour, sugar or grated Parmesan cheese. The batter will cling to the sides and produce better results.

What happens if you open the oven door to check popovers while baking? ›

Do not open the oven door during baking (this causes the popovers to deflate). Reduce the Heat and Continue Baking: Still without opening the oven, reduce the heat to 350°F and bake for another 15 minutes. Now you can open the oven door and check the popovers.

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