Popovers (based off a recipe for German Puff Pancakes)
(recipe modified for use in regular muffin tin: see additional notes at end of recipe)
Ingredients:
1 cup flour (all-purpose)
1 cup whole milk
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
5 eggs
Butter (approximately 4-6 Tablespoons)
Topping suggestions: butter, fruit sauces, syrup, cheese and bacon or sausage
Directions:
Start by assembling all ingredients and required equipment (use the whisk attachment on the stand mixer: this is a batter that can also easily be whisked by hand). This recipe makes 9 popovers in a standard muffin tin.
In the stand mixer or medium/large bowl, combine the milk and eggs (crack each egg individually in a container and add one by one to ensure no shells reach the batter) and whisk on low-medium speed until well combined (no noticeable separation of white and yolk/scrape the bottom of the bowl to check). With mixer running (low speed) add baking powder and salt. Finally, slowly add the flour, tapping the measuring cup on the side of the bowl. Only mix until just combined: THE BATTER WILL BE LUMPY, IT IS OK. Let the batter rest and move on to preparing the muffin tin.
Add ~1/2 Tablespoon butter to each of 9 wells of the muffin tin (no liners), place in a cold oven, and preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. When the oven is up to temperature, give the batter a final whisk, making sure to wipe down the sides: THE BATTER WILL STILL BE LUMPY, trust me, it is still OK! In a brisk but careful manner, quickly remove the heated muffin tin from the oven and distribute batter evenly amongst the 9 prepared wells. Return to oven, shut the door, and set the timer for 23 minutes (All ovens vary and personal tastes also vary so you will need to experiment with this. Sometimes I like a more ‘custardy’ popover and bake on the low side, sometimes I want them nice and crispy so back longer.) DO NOT OPEN THE OVEN DOOR DURING THE BAKING PROCESS: say a small prayer to the baking gods. Once removed, serve immediately with desired toppings. Enjoy!
NOTES:
- I believe in the GIGO adage (remember that? Garbage in, Garbage out.) so use the best ingredients you can…definitely whole milk, grass-fed butter is best, free range chicken eggs, etc. It is a simple recipe so the quality of ingredients really makes a difference.
- I have never tried making any vegan or vegetarian substitutes. I do know that the time I ran out of all-purpose flour and tried whole wheat I ended up with a puck-like pancake. I think this recipe really NEEDS the animal fat.
- There are a lot of different methods and names for how the batter ends up being baked, so here is my take:
- Popover: When the batter is prepared in ‘single serve’ units either in a muffin tin or a special popover pan. This recipe generally makes 9 popovers in a muffin tin or 4-6 popovers in a special popover pan. For the popover pan I generally bump up the bake time to ~27 minutes.
- German Puff Pancake: When the batter is baked in an ~10” cast iron skillet, and yes, it has to be cast iron. Again, baking time is longer and generally runs ~27 minutes. Here the sides really puff up leaving a well in the middle that traditionally is filled (sweet with fruit/sauce or savory with eggs and meat) and the sides are folded over and the whole thing cut into wedges like a pie (because of all the butter the pancake readily releases from the pan for easy service).
- Yorkshire Pudding: This is from my more traditional Welsh roots and is when the batter is baked in a 8” square baking dish BUT instead of using butter, the Yorkshire pudding is baked after a beef roast, so the fatty roast drippings are used…yes, ultimate yum.
Cold Creek Farm 