Popover Recipe
This easy popover recipe is delicious, easy to make, and perfect for breakfast or brunch!
If you’ve never had a popover before, drop whatever it is you’re doing and get straight into the kitchen. These delicate rolls are delicious and airy and nobody will guess they are made with whole grains! Enjoy them warm out of the oven with a pat of butter. Melty, comforting goodness. This breakfast treat will instantly become a family favorite. Yum!
This recipe is adapted from a very old Fannie Farmer cookbook. The first edition was printed in 1896! So this recipe has been around for a while! The changes made were the flour used and the amount of milk added to adjust for the whole grain flour.
What Are Popovers?
A popover is a delightful baked treat that falls under the category of quick bread. It is made from a simple batter consisting of flour, eggs, milk, and butter, which puffs up dramatically during baking, creating a hollow, crispy exterior with a soft and airy interior.
The unique characteristic of popovers lies in their ability to rise and “pop over” the edges of the baking pan, resulting in a charmingly irregular and tall shape.
This brunch favorite has a golden brown crust and a very soft and tender inside. Their light texture gives you the perfect surface for butter, jam, or any delicious toppings you like.
Do You Need A Special Pan For Popovers?
So technically, no. However… and hear me out on this… a lot of what makes a popover a popover is its tall shape. That tall shape is very hard, or maybe even impossible, to achieve in a muffin tin. Can you use a muffin pan, yes. Will it give that nice tall, well-baked popover you might get in a restaurant? No. So the choice is yours. I found the popover pan to be essential for making the perfect popover. What do you think?
Why Aren’t My Popovers Hollow?
Chances are you got too much flour in your batter. This dough needs to be light in order to bake up hollow and airy. So make sure you level your measuring cup.
What To Serve With Popovers
- Butter or melted butter with cinnamon
- Jam
- Jelly
- Honey butter
- Texas Roadhouse Butter
- Fresh herbs
- Triple Berry Honey Butter
- Gravy
- Date Butter
- Cheese
- Whipped Maple Butter
About The Popover Recipe Ingredients
Whole wheat pastry flour – In a pinch, if you can’t find this, the next best thing is White Whole Wheat Flour. It tends to be more readily available in some areas.
Salt – Any type you normally cook or bake with.
Milk – Any type, dairy or non-dairy. If you use dairy milk, opt for whole milk.
Eggs – They can be chilled, but room temperature works best.
Butter – Melted.
A popover pan
Extra butter – For oiling the popover pan
How To Make Popovers
Preheat oven to 400 F.
Grease the popover pan with butter and place it in the oven. You’ll want the pan to be hot before you put the batter in it. (You should hear a sizzle in the pan when you add the batter.)
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour and salt. You can use a stand mixer if you like, but I find that they tend to overmix the batter a bit too much. Do not use a blender for this.
Mix in the milk and blend with an electric mixer until totally smooth.
Beat in the eggs and butter.
Pull the hot pan from the oven (please use a pot holder!), and pour the popover batter in. Fill them about ¾ of the way.
Bake for 35 minutes.
Remove from oven and let sit for about 5-10 minutes. Then turn the popovers upside down onto a clean surface. Cool on a plate or cooling rack, but don’t let them cool completely before cutting one open and putting butter on it!
Eat one right there at the counter, because… warm bread with butter. YUM!
Storage
Keep these in the fridge in an airtight bag or container for up to 4 or 5 days.
Freezing
Freezing these is not recommended.
Reheating
Pop these back into the oven at a low setting until warm, or warm them in the microwave.
Need A Popover Pan?
This is the one I have. It works beautifully!
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More Healthy Bread Recipes
Popover Recipe Card
Popover Recipe
Equipment
- Popover pan
Ingredients
- 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
- ¼ tsp. salt (I used pink salt)
- 1 cup milk (I used 2%, but anything other than coconut should work well here)
- 2 large eggs
- ½ tsp. butter (melted)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 F.
- Butter the popover pan and place it in the oven. You'll want the pan to be hot before you put the batter in it. (You should hear a sizzle in the pan when you add the batter.)
- In a large mixing bowl, stir together the flour and salt.
- Mix in the milk and blend with an electric mixer until totally smooth.
- Beat in the eggs and butter.
- Pull the hot pan from the oven (please use a pot holder!), and pour the batter in. Fill them about ¾ of the way.
- Bake for 35 minutes.
- Remove from oven and let sit for about 5-10 minutes. Then turn the popovers upside down onto a clean surface. Cool on a plate or cooling rack, but don't let them cool completely before cutting one open and putting butter on it!
- Eat one right there at the counter, because… warm bread with butter. YUM!
Lol, the first ingredient list says 1/4 Cup of salt. I was seriously concerned, especially after scrolling down to see the recipe makes 5 popovers! 1/4 teaspoon sounds better!!
Pheobe – LOLOL!! Oops! Just making sure ya’ll are paying attention! 😉
Can you use a regular muffin pan for this popover recipe?
B. Gordon – I have never tried, but it could work. 🙂