Popovers!

[shain]

Anyone ever tried the cold-start method used in this video? The result looks good.

 

 

[RandomCrap]

I make popovers almost every weekend, and love them because the ratio of goodness to work is pleasantly high. I cut the recipe down to what is supposed to make 4, although in my pan it makes 5. Thus I get 3 and my wife gets the 2 she wants. One bowl to wash and the pan; easy to make when all I've had is a coffee - what's not to like?

 

2 large eggs

1 cup milk

3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup AP flour

2 Tb melted butter

 

The original recipe:

4 large eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
3 tablespoons melted butter

 

I find that I do not need to heat the pan. Preheat the oven to 450. I put a rimmed cookie tray on the lowest shelf to catch any drips, and a non-rimmed one on the highest shelf to keep them from browning too fast. The baking shelf is set low in the oven (1 up from the drip tray). 

 

Place the eggs in a bowl and cover with straight hot water from the tap, and let them sit 10 minutes.

 

Coat the pan with butter. I tried oil, but it was hard to get an even coat. The pan is thin enough that it does not need preheating.

 

Whisk together the eggs, milk and salt until completely blended. Add the flour and whisk until frothy with no large lumps. stir the melted butter in quickly.

 

Fill the cups no more than 3/4 full. I like to drop a small handful of grated cheese onto the top of the batter, either Cheddar or Gruyere.

 

Bake for 20 minutes without opening the oven. Reduce the heat to 350 and bake for another 10-15 minutes, until golden brown. In my oven it tends towards the short end of that time.

[Kim Shook]

18 hours ago, RandomCrap said:

I make popovers almost every weekend, and love them because the ratio of goodness to work is pleasantly high. I cut the recipe down to what is supposed to make 4, although in my pan it makes 5. Thus I get 3 and my wife gets the 2 she wants. One bowl to wash and the pan; easy to make when all I've had is a coffee - what's not to like?

 

2 large eggs

1 cup milk

3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup AP flour

2 Tb melted butter

 

The original recipe:

4 large eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
3 tablespoons melted butter

 

I find that I do not need to heat the pan. Preheat the oven to 450. I put a rimmed cookie tray on the lowest shelf to catch any drips, and a non-rimmed one on the highest shelf to keep them from browning too fast. The baking shelf is set low in the oven (1 up from the drip tray). 

 

Place the eggs in a bowl and cover with straight hot water from the tap, and let them sit 10 minutes.

 

Coat the pan with butter. I tried oil, but it was hard to get an even coat. The pan is thin enough that it does not need preheating.

 

Whisk together the eggs, milk and salt until completely blended. Add the flour and whisk until frothy with no large lumps. stir the melted butter in quickly.

 

Fill the cups no more than 3/4 full. I like to drop a small handful of grated cheese onto the top of the batter, either Cheddar or Gruyere.

 

Bake for 20 minutes without opening the oven. Reduce the heat to 350 and bake for another 10-15 minutes, until golden brown. In my oven it tends towards the short end of that time.

Any chance that you could post a picture of or a link to the pan you use?

[RandomCrap]

I use this pan.

 

[Kim Shook]

11 hours ago, RandomCrap said:

I use this pan.

 

Thanks!  That's the same one I use.  I have had good luck with it!

[RandomCrap]

I just made some this morning. I've been getting into savory popovers - I smoke cheese, then grate it and put a dollop on the batter before baking. Great Sunday morning...

[Katie Meadow]

On 2/19/2021 at 9:03 AM, Kim Shook said:

Thanks!  That's the same one I use.  I have had good luck with it!

Mine is the same standard popover pan. My MIL inherited it from someone and didn't have any idea what it was, never used it and then gave it to me. But I knew what it was for.

[AlaMoi]

tagging onto the pastries thread . . .

 

recently at a resto that served "pop-overs" for the (comp) bread course

tall fluffy / hollow / yummy towers of "bread"

the arrived delayed - I suspect they are baked "on order / demand"

bought the baking grid cups . . .

tried various recipes . . . almost all "high egg content"

no overwhelming success....

 

any clues on how to get this pix kind of "reaction"?

\

[OlyveOyl]

Have you tried King Arthur Baking? I have had great success with their recipe in both the smaller and larger sizes.

[Wampa]

I use this recipe: https://www.food.com/recipe/blt-restaurant-popovers-465991

 

The biggest keys in my experience are sifting the flour/folding it in very gently, and making sure the popover pan is hot when you pour in the batter.

[AlaMoi]

thanks for the info - I'll post the 'results'!

[AlaMoi]

went with the KA recipe - did the whisking by hand . . . perhaps not enough air whipped into the batter, will go with the machine whisk next try.  did not get the 'big voids' of my initial post.

 

DW noted they were 'very eggy' - may look to use more flour...?

 

[OlyveOyl]

It’s a little difficult to see the interior with the butter,but they might be a little drier with a slightly longer cook time. When finished baking,  I also make a small slit on the side to allow some of the steam to escape.

[AlaMoi]

the interior was soft - so I also think a tad longer bake would help.

with no interior steam filled voids . . . methinks a slit would do no harm, but there's no 'good' to be had, eh?

I did take note they did not shrink / collapse on cooling, tho...

 

need to work on the 'too eggy' thing

[OlyveOyl]

24 minutes ago, AlaMoi said:

the interior was soft - so I also think a tad longer bake would help.

with no interior steam filled voids . . . methinks a slit would do no harm, but there's no 'good' to be had, eh?

I did take note they did not shrink / collapse on cooling, tho...

 

need to work on the 'too eggy' thing

I think drying out the interior a bit would reduce the “too eggy” thing.

[Duvel]

Maybe use a tangzhong to achieve the fluffyness without the egg taste ..?

[Tropicalsenior]

I've been using this pop over recipe for several years now and have never had a failure.  I make them in a six cup oversized muffin tin. I just mix the batter by hand with a whisk. I have made them 30 minutes ahead of time and just before I put them in the oven and I haven't seen any difference in the rise. If you have an oven with a glass door, you may think that these are getting too brown but be sure and leave them in the full 30 minutes. One trick that I have found that I like is that popovers can be reheated successfully in an air fryer. They taste just as good as they do when they come out of the oven.

 

Easy Crusty Popovers

Yield: 6 popovers

 

These are the closest things to foolproof that I have ever made. Just follow a few simple rules.

DO NOT open the oven until done!

 

2 eggs

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 tablespoon butter, melted - divided

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Put 6-cup muffin tin in oven to preheat as well.

 

Beat eggs and milk together in a bowl with an electric hand mixer or with a wire whisk until thoroughly mixed. Add flour and salt; continue beating into smooth batter. This can be made up to an hour beforehand. Pour into a measuring pitcher.

 

Put about 3/4 teaspoon butter into each muffin tin and carefully spread butter up sides of each cup. Quickly divide batter among prepared cups.

 

Bake until popovers are risen well and browned, 30 to 35 minutes. Do not open the oven during baking.

 

 

 

Edited March 21 by Tropicalsenior (log)

[AlaMoi]

TS - experience counts!

 

I must however mention that "technique" - often """overlooked""" by bloggers - also plays a huge role.

for evidence, I submit the humble souffle . . . another ultra ueber simple dish . . not done right . . . flops.

 

I'm adding your recipe along with others to my spread sheet of egg-milk-flour-temperature spread sheet.

there are significant differences - which is good/bad/so-so . . . nada clue at the moment . . . .

but I'm gonna' eat all the experiments comma anyway . . .

[Captain]

I find that letting the batter rest is key.  Also just before pouring a big spoon of cold water added and mixed.  I prefer tallow or veg oil. 

Also baked at 200c.

[AAQuesada]

I humbly suggest the age old method of learning a recipe. Bring a 12 pack of beer to the chef for the kitchen staff to drink after work and ask politely for the recipe saying how much you love it. Just me .02c

 

 

[Shel_B]

6 hours ago, AAQuesada said:

I humbly suggest the age old method of learning a recipe. Bring a 12 pack of beer to the chef for the kitchen staff to drink after work and ask politely for the recipe saying how much you love it. Just me .02c

 

 

This worked for me with a shrimp dish I had in Scottsdale, although no beer was involved, just a polite request.

[AlaMoi]

I've been a-researching pop-over recipes . . .

and the news is not good . . .

for a two egg batch (reported to make 3 - made four here....)

- the flour and milk amounts vary by 100%, or more

- some say don't even start the batter until the oven is full pre-heated

- some say let the batter rest

 

apparently being a puffy pop-over ain't even as easy as being green . . . (to misquote Kemit)

 

my first batch was too eggy, the texture was more brioche than (??)

so I'm leaning toward the higher flour recipes.

 

film at 11 . . . April 11???

 

[Tropicalsenior]

2 hours ago, AlaMoi said:

I've been a-researching pop-over recipes . . .

and the news is not good

I've tried making popovers for years and never had much success following the do's and don'ts of others. I'm not a perfectionist nor am I a frequent Baker. Then I saw the recipe that I posted and I have never had a failure with this. Well, I did one time but it was entirely my fault. I hadn't made them for a long time and I put in one egg instead of two. Not the fault of the recipe. I don't preheat the pan. I put it in the oven just enough to melt the butter to brush on the sides. That's rule number one I break by not having a screaming hot pan. I don't always make the batter ahead of time. That's rule number two that I break. One thing that I have noticed is that the sides of the muffin tins have to be scrupulously clean and well buttered so that the popovers can rise. The other rule is that I do not open the oven while they are baking. I have a glass door in my oven and I love to watch them puff up before my eyes. I definitely use butter because I love The Buttery flavor that collects in the bottom. Sometimes I think that they are getting too Brown but I resist the urge to take them out ahead of time and they turn out perfectly. I would describe the center as custardy but it doesn't taste eggy to me. I don't know if it makes any difference but I bake them in a small countertop convection oven.

[AlaMoi]

" I don't preheat the pan."

from the recipe:

"Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Put 6-cup muffin tin in oven to preheat as well."

 

so, another contradictory recipe . . .

[Tropicalsenior]

1 minute ago, AlaMoi said:

so, another contradictory recipe .

No, just a lazy cook.