Butter Popovers Recipe
- 1 cup plus 3 tablespoons (measured by shaking from container into cup)/about 5 ounces/145 grams Wondra flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- 1 liquid cup/ 8.5 ounces/ 242 grams whole milk
- 3 fluid ounces eggs/ 3.5 ounces (weighed without shells)/ 100 grams (weighed without shells)
- 4 tablespoons, divided/2 ounces/56 grams unsalted butter, melted and cooled but still liquid
- A 6-cup popover pan OR 12-cup mini popover pan (if using black metal, lower the initial 425°F to 400°F) OR a 12-cup standard muffin pan
- Oven Temperature: 425°F
- Preheat the oven. Preheat the oven to 425°F 30 minutes before baking. Set a rack on the second rung from the bottom.
- Mix the batter. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and sugar. Using a whisk, slowly stir in the milk. Continuing with the whisk or using a hand-held electric or rotary beater, add the eggs one at a time, beating for about 1 minute after each addition, then beating until the batter is smooth. Beat in 2 tablespoons of the melted butter. (Small lumps of butter will remain visible.) Transfer the batter to a pitcher. If not using immediately, cover and refrigerate for up to 24 hours; beat lightly before pouring the batter into the pans.
- Prepare the pan. Place 1 teaspoon of butter in each of the 6 popover cups. Or, if using the muffin pan, use ½ teaspoon in each cup, use a small pastry feather or brush to coat the entire interior of the pan with a little of this melted butter.
- Three to 5 minutes before baking, place the popover or muffin pan in the oven to heat until the butter is very hot and beginning to brown (don’t allow it to burn). Place a large sheet of aluminum foil on the rack under the tin to catch any bubbling fat.
- Fill the pan and bake the popovers. Remove the pan from the oven and pour the batter on the hot butter, filling the cups half-full. Bake for 15 minutes. Lower the heat to 350°F and continue baking for 40 to 45 minutes for the large popovers, 20 to 25 minutes for the muffin-sized ones. They will pop well above the sides of the popover or muffin cups, rising to about three times their original height.
- Ten minutes before the end of the baking time, release the steam. Open the oven door and quickly make a small slit in the side of each raised popover to release the steam and allow the centers to dry out more.
- Cool the popovers slightly. With pot holders, gently lift out the popovers one at a time, holding each one from the top, and set them on a wire rack to cool slightly. If you are not ready to serve them, they can be cooled to room temperature, then reheated later on a baking sheet in a 350°F oven, for 5 minutes. The crisp outer shell will keep them from collapsing.
- Variation:
- Yorkshire Popovers Substitute an equal amount of rendered beef fat for the butter.