What’s a Popover?
I’ve always known “popovers” as “Yorkshire Puddings” and they were one of my absolute favorite foods as a child. My British mother would make a roast beef for dinner with potatoes, a vegetable, gravy and Yorkshire puddings. I remember cutting up my Yorkshire pudding into pieces and rationing it to make it last the whole meal. So, for me, popovers are a savory meal accompaniment. These days and in the United States, Yorkshire puddings are called popovers because of the way they pop over the top of the pan, and they can be served in a bread basket with a dinner, or with butter and jam on a brunch table. That doesn’t offend me because I could eat a popover all by itself any day of the year!
Popover Batter
There’s absolutely nothing complicated about popover batter. It’s a mix of flour, salt, eggs, milk and butter. You mix these ingredients together and whisk until it is well combined. You want the batter to be relatively thin and pourable. Easy. 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.
The Secret to Popovers
Popovers do not rise high because of baking powder, baking soda or yeast. Popovers rise because the batter produces steam, which causes the batter to rise, at which time the heat from the oven sets the protein in that risen shape. So, the key to getting your popovers to rise as high as possible is to make sure there is a burst of heat at the very beginning of baking to create the steam, allowing the popover to rise quickly before the heat sets the shape and stops it from rising more. You don’t need to use a specific pan like the popover pan in the photo above – you can use a muffin pan if you like – but you do need to pre-heat that pan in the oven. Put a little vegetable oil into the bottom of each cup and pre-heat the pan and oil in the oven for 10 minutes. Then, pour the batter into the cups and you’ll immediately see the batter start to heat up and form little bubbles. Send the popovers to the oven, shut the door and don’t open it until the time is up.
What to Serve with Popovers
After 45 to 50 minutes, your popovers will be delightfully tall and brown. Now’s the time, since a popover is something to enjoy as soon as it comes out of the oven. You can truly enjoy a popover with almost anything. As I mentioned before, I used to enjoy popovers as part of a roast beef dinner. I’d stack a little piece of roast beef and gravy onto a piece of popover and enjoy every bite. I’ve also enjoyed popovers out of a bread basket at brunch, with a little butter and some jam. But to be honest… perhaps when no-one is looking, I’d happily enjoy a popover all on its own. Call it a guilty pleasure or just good common sense.
I only use salted butter. How much salt should be reduced from the 1 teaspoon in the recipe?
Can’t wait to try these popovers!
You can reduce the salt by 1/4 teaspoon if using salted butter.
Are the flour and milk measurements in cups?
The recipe calls for 1 1/3 cups of milk and 1 1/3 cups of flour.
I tried but I had to use a muffin pan and they were golden brown 7 minutes short of the 45 minutes baking time. The outside was tough and the taste was bland. More salt?
I may get a popover pan and try it again. I love Popovers.
Unfortunately, you will not get the same results with a muffin pan in this recipe. The popovers will be more dense and not as tender. A popover pan is designed with taller sides to allow the batter to fully rise up and over the pan.
I use this recipe (James Martin) always. Perfect every time.
For the Yorkshire Puddings:
200g /8oz flour
8 eggs
1 pint milk, full fat
8 tsp dripping , duck fat or goose fat
rest covered in fridge 16- 24hrs.
425F oven for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes open the oven door slightly for a couple of seconds to allow the steam in the oven to escape. reduce heat to 400 continue in oven for 10 minutes or so.
I’ve been making popovers practically all my life. Watched my mother make them for our breakfast when we were kids Hot out of the oven with butter and honey or jam. My recipe is similar but not exactly. Plus no overnight. Thanks for introducing these to people that have never heard of them. My mother was from Quebec so maybe it’s a Canadian thing ah.
I am from New England where popovers are common. I have made a lot of different recipes. You don’t need to chill your batter for 6 hours or overnight. . Just mix it and let it rest on the counter for an hour. I have never heard of anyone chilling the batter . I have also found heating the pan not necessary either. 45 minute bake time seems a bit long.
This is Meredith’s version of a popover recipe that she has decided to share. The recipe has been tested several times and the popovers comes out with high and tender results.
Hi Meredith. Do you pour the batter as soon as it comes out of the refrigerator into hot popover tins or do you let the batter come to room temp first? If it’s been in the fridge overnight do you stir it again before pouring? So looking forward to making these.
You can pour cold batter into the pan. You don’t need to let it come to room temp but you should stir is again. You can pull it out when you are pre-heating the pan and whisk it several times before pouring it into the hot pan.
I’ve been using the same recipe for popovers since the early ’70s, and they have always been great. I decided to try this recipe, because I was curious about adding melted butter to the batter, and also wanted to see if preheating the pan would really make a difference. The old recipe is now retired, and this one will forever take its place! These popovers were just incredible – crispy, tender, huge, and absolutely delicious! Another hit from the Blue Jean Chef – thank you, Meredith!
The flour and the milk don’t have a measure. I’m guessing it’s cup, but double checking.
The recipe calls for 1 1/3 cup flour and 1 1/3 cup milk. The quatities are both listed in the recipe.
You don’t mention how much batter to pour into each pop over cup
Hi Linda. I filled the tall cups about halfway to two thirds full, dividing the batter between 6 cups. Depending on what pan you’re using, you might get more popovers out of the batter, adding less to each cup. Just fill each cup ½ to ⅔ full.
I baked your recipe for popovers and they didn’t pop as high as yours. I really wasn’t disappointed because they looked beautiful and tasted really good. Any hints as to why they didn’t spill over the top? I did bake them on the lowest rack in the oven. Thank you for your easy recipes.
It’s hard to say why they didn’t pop up that high. Letting the batter rest in the fridge helps. Two essential steps are pre-heating the pan prior to adding the batter and not opening the oven during the cooking process. Also make sure you grease the pan by pouring a little oil in each cup so the batter doesn’t stick the pan and can rise up. If using a regular muffin pan, they will pop up but not as high as if using a popover pan.
Please recalculate the carbohydrate info in the nutrition profile. The stated .4g of Carbohydrates for the amount of flour and milk in this recipe appears to be incorrect. Thank you.
The nutritional values for the popovers has been adjusted. Thanks for catching the error!
Whatever you do, don’t preheat the tins with Pam with flour. I learned the hard way, it burns.
This looks to be a definitely-worth-trying version of popovers: thank you, Meredith! (Different methodology but very close proportions to my go-to popover recipe [which yields one dozen] — so a new adventure awaits!) For years I baked without the benefit(s) of a scale and now, like yourself, I’m a believer, too. Obviously “surprised” grams NOT listed in any of your neat recipes . . .
I’ve made many popovers in my 50 years of cooking but this recipe had the best results ever. I regret having deviated from the instructions by using melted butter in the heated pan cups instead of vegetable oil. The butter “burned” and my finished popovers had brown speckles. It only took 40 minutes for them to finish cooking but that’s an oven thing. Thank you Chef! db
Hello. A couple of questions… can 2% Milk be used? How much oil goes in each popover pan cup, 1 Tablespoon?
Hi Jennifer. Yes, you can use 2% milk and I would put in just enough oil to barely coat the bottom of the cup – so it depends on the size of the pan you are using. Roughly ½ – 1 teaspoon.
If the best way to measure ingredients is by weight and a scale, why don’t you list the ounce or gram weights in you recipes as well?
To be honest, Debbie, I don’t list the weights for all my recipes because very few people actually use a weigh scale when cooking and often precision is not necessary in cooking. I do try to include weight measurements where it really matters – mostly baking recipes. Where there is room for flexibility – most savory recipes – I think weighing everything can be overkill.
I live at 5000 feet.. Do I do any thing for high altitude? I notice none of your baking recipes say nothing about high altitude.
Hi Dana. I think one of the best resources for high altitude cooking is King Arthur Flour. Here’s the page with all their info for all types of baking: https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/learn/resources/high-altitude-baking
ML
I have made other versions. Making this recipe taught me one valuable thing, chilling provided a more tender popover than I have ever made. It is the small things like that which have allowed me to go from a damn good cook to one who prints off this and other of Meredith’s recipe because my guests ask for the recipe. Great feeling to gather with friends and know they enjoyed the time we gather together. SUCCESS AGAIN BLUE JEAN CHEF AND TEAM.
I’ve been making popovers or Yorkshire for 55 years and I’ve never seen a recipe like this. Good on you I have to try this. When my grandchildren want Yorkshire they want it now. Ha ha no time for putting in the fridge overnight. I’ll see if I enjoy this better with or as a dessert holder. Thank you for posting. Always happy to try something else in my old age.
I am known to make popovers and I have to say that I have tried different recipes but this one is absolutely the best. Be sure and not put either too much or too little of the oil in the bottom of the cups, .I would say too little is the important one. But yes, these turn out. I use a popover pan. Great recipe.