Perfect Popovers

Popovers are the most tricky baking challenge of any recipe I've ever prepared. I've made them for many years and had more failures than successes trying to figure out how to get the popover just to rise above the pan.  My family frequently took my sister and I to a restaurant in downtown Minneapolis, called the Normandy Inn, and they served the best popovers with every dinner!   So for years I tried to re-create their delicious perfect popovers.

Sometimes they turned out perfect; crispy on the outside, hollow and tender on the inside.  More often they looked liked something trying with only limited success to look like popovers.  It took me many years after experimenting with different methods to find the perfect "no fail" recipe for the ultimate perfect popovers.

There are two parts to the secret for making "Perfect Popovers".  First, the eggs and milk must be at WARM room temperature;  70 degrees is too cool.   Second, don’t beat the batter too long.  I know that many expert chefs say to beat the batter for 20 or 30 seconds.  It must work for them and it may work for you, but don’t blame me if you get sponge cake instead of popovers.

This recipe makes enough batter for a six-cup popover pan.

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup plus 1 T organic all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1 cup plus 1 T organic whole milk
2 tsp. olive oil
3 large organic eggs

PROCEDURE:

Make sure that the baking rack in your oven is in or slightly below the center position.  Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.  Grease the popover pan lightly and place it in the oven to heat.

While the oven is heating, put the eggs in a small bowl and cover them with very warm water from the tap.  Let them sit for at least 5 minutes.  Warm the milk on the range or in the microwave until it feels slightly warm to the touch.

Stir the flour and salt together in a lipped 1 quart measuring cup or bowl.  Add the warm milk, oil and eggs and beat the batter with an electric mixer for 11 seconds (NO MORE) on high.  Stop and stir slowly with a fork to mix in any remaining large dry clumps.  Small lumps are OK.

Take the hot pan from the oven and fill the cups evenly; they should be 1/2 to 2/3 full.  Put the pan into the hot oven, turn the heat down to 425 degrees and bake 20 minutes, then 20 minutes at 350 degrees.  DO NOT OPEN THE OVEN DURING BAKING.  PERIOD.

Remove the pan from the oven, let it cool for 15 or 20 seconds, remove the popovers from the pan and serve them while still hot.  Give each popover a gentle twist to loosen it.  A table knife works to loosen stubborn popovers.  If you want, cut a small slit in the side of each popover to release the steam.

TIPS: The eggs and milk must be warm.  The oven door must remain closed during the entire baking period.  Have faith.  They will pop.  You can make popovers in an ordinary muffin pan, but they don’t pop as high.



Please leave your comments and suggestions and let me know how your popovers turned out -

Intuitively yours,
Laurel  ♥