How to make popovers that rise to perfection

Is there anything better than the aroma of freshly baked bread? I love how it permeates the air and sets a welcoming tone. I enjoy baking bread, and timing a loaf to come out of the oven when dinner guests arrive is one of the things I strive to do. Additionally, it's one of the items on my list to wow your dinner party guests. It's all in the details!

Suppose you have ever ventured to make your own bread from scratch. In that case, you know that making bread from start to finish is an art; moreover, many aspects, such as time, temperature, and fermentation, affect the final product. Sometimes, Mother Nature has other ideas in store for you, and managing bread from start to finish can be tricky.

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Introducing the popover (aka Yorkshire Pudding). This simple, quick bread involves a handful of ingredients and less planning and troubleshooting than its yeasted-bread counterparts. These little light-as-air breads are soft and buttery with a crisp, golden shell. They can sop up gravy or be slathered with jam; serve them at any meal, and use your imagination; the possibilities are endless. So, if you have yet to attempt these little parcels of joy, consider this a recipe for tea time, breakfast, holiday dinner, or whatever your heart desires.

History

In the 1700s, wheat flour became a more commonplace ingredient. In northern England, a typical side dish, inexpensive to produce and used as a means to use up fat drippings, the "dripping pudding," was created. Simply a pancake batter consisting of flour, eggs, milk, or water, it was referred to as a dripping pudding until a published work in 1747 by Hannah Glasse recorded the same technique and ingredients as a "Yorkshire Pudding."

Yorkshire Pudding or Popover? What's the difference?

The popover is the American version of a Yorkshire pudding. The same ingredients and techniques are used. The name popover refers to how the batter swells over the top of the tin while baking. While digging more into the difference between the two, it is either vessel you use to bake them, or how you serve them. If you Google a Yorkshire pudding baking tin, you will notice that the cavities are broader and more shallow, whereas the finished product results in a wider, flatter pudding with more surface area on the top. The popover tin is narrower and taller, resulting in a more cylindrical pudding. However you look at it, or what you call it, based on history, you can assume the popovers were adapted from colonial cooking and translated into American kitchens and traditions. With a few basic ingredients and simple equipment items found in most kitchens, you can have these baked in no time.

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Equipment:

Muffin Pan or a popover pan. (I prefer a miniature popover pan with 12 cavities.) Nordic Ware makes a great one.

Whisk, bowl, measuring cups & spoons.

Recipe:

3/4 cup (177ml) cup whole milk

3/4 cup (94 grams) All-Purpose Flour

3 Tablespoons (43 grams) unsalted butter, melted

3 large eggs

1/4 teaspoon salt

Additional room temperature butter and All-Purpose flour to prepare the baking pan.

Method:

Start with a cold oven.

In a large bowl (preferably with a pouring spout), combine the milk and eggs and whisk together. Add in the flour and salt and whisk until combined. Whisk in the melted butter. Set the batter aside for at least 20 minutes up to several hours before needed. If you plan to let the batter rest for more than 30 minutes, cover it with plastic wrap.

In the meantime, prepare the baking pans. Using a pastry brush, brush the tempered butter on the bottom of each cavity and up the sides of the walls. Repeat until all of the cavities are buttered. Gently dust the buttered cavities with the All-purpose flour. Once the cavities have been dusted, gently tap out the excess. You want to avoid too much flour, just enough to prevent the bread from sticking.

Pour the batter into the prepared cavities of the baking tin about 2/3 full. Place the pan in the oven and heat it to 375F. Baking time is 40-50 minutes. Take care not to open the oven during the baking process. Rely on your oven door and oven light to check on their status. The sudden temperature change could cause them to deflate. Instead, patiently wait until they have reached a glorious golden hue and have grown tall and proud, around 45 minutes.

Once ready, remove the popovers from the oven and transfer them to a wire rack. Serve them immediately while they are still warm and at their peak. Whether you enjoy them plain, with a dollop of butter, or accompanied by a luscious dip, jam, or as a means to sop up gravy, these are so easy to make with items you likely already have on hand. They are so quick, require little planning, and can easily be whipped up on a whim to go alongside your Thanksgiving meal, leftovers, or wherever your imagination goes.