Chef notes
Popovers are an American version of Yorkshire Pudding, a popular British side dish that’s made with beef drippings, giving each airy bite a decidedly meaty flavor. Here, we use melted butter instead of the more traditional fat and specifically, salted butter so that you don’t need to worry about measuring and adding more salt to the batter.
And speaking of the batter, it really, truly couldn’t be easier to make. Beat together three large eggs until they ribbon off of the whisk. Add the melted butter and milk and whisk, then add the flour all in one go and whisk until combined. The batter will resemble a very thin pancake batter. When you pour it into the preheated popover pan, you should fill each cup about 3/4 of the way. They’ll rise rapidly in the oven in a mesmerizing fashion, enticing you to crack open the oven door for a quick peek but resist, resist, resist. In order for them to properly puff up, you need to trap the heat in.
If you don’t have everything you need on hand, you can easily purchase all of the ingredients (just click the orange button below that says "Get Ingredients"). You can pick and choose exactly what ingredients you need based on what’s in your pantry and they’ll be on your doorstep before you know it.
Technique Tip: Let the eggs and milk sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes before making the batter. Be sure that the melted butter has cooled before whisking it into the popover batter; otherwise, you run the risk of scrambling the eggs.
Swap Option: Use honey in place of maple syrup for a sweet butter that you can serve on the side of the warm popovers.
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons salted butter, melted and divided
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 1¼ cups whole milk, room temperature
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 stick salted butter, softened
- 2 teaspoons pure maple syrup
Preparation
1.Preheat the oven to 450 F. Brush a 6-cup popover tin with 2 tablespoons melted butter. Place the tin in the oven to heat up while you make the batter.
2.In a 4-cup measuring glass, whisk eggs until the yolks and whites are completely homogenous and smooth, 1 to 2 minutes. Add butter and milk, and whisk to combine. Add flour and whisk until no lumps of flour remain.
3.Pour batter into the popover pan, filling each cup about 3/4 of the way. Place the popover pan on a baking sheet and transfer to the oven. Bake immediately for 20 minutes, then drop the temperature to 350 F and bake for an additional 12 to 14 minutes. Do not open the oven until they have finished baking completely.
4.While the popovers bake, make the maple butter. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, add the butter and maple syrup and beat until soft and fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes. Alternatively, you may use a hand mixer and glass bowl.
5.Once the popovers have finished baking, pull them from the oven and immediately cut a small slit in the top of each one to release the steam and help them keep their shape. Serve warm with a generous smear of maple butter.
