Henry's Vanilla Popovers · Crust & Crumb Academy

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Henry's Vanilla Popovers

I got a new USA Pan popover pan as a gift this week, and I couldn't wait to break it in. If you've never had one, a popover is a light, hollow bread that rises from nothing but eggs, milk, and flour. No yeast, no starter. Steam does all the lifting. If that sounds like Yorkshire pudding, you're right, they're cousins.

Yorkshire pudding is the British original, baked in hot beef drippings and served alongside the Sunday roast with gravy. The popover is the American take, baked with butter in deep, steep-sided cups like these, so it climbs tall and comes out hollow in the middle. Same batter, different fat, different pan, different table.

I made mine a little differently, with a touch of vanilla and a little sugar, and these were so good. Crisp and deep brown on the outside, soft and custardy inside. I ate four of them in one sitting and stuffed two with ham. That sweet and salty bite is hard to beat.

Recipe's below, so grab a pan and give them a shot this weekend. (You can also do these in a muffin tin.)

Yield: 6 popovers in a popover pan, or 10 to 12 in a muffin tin

Ingredients

3 large eggs, room temperature: 150 g (about ¾ cup beaten)
Whole milk, warm to the touch: 240 g (1 cup)
All-purpose flour: 125 g (1 cup, spooned and leveled)
Granulated sugar: 12 g (1 tbsp)
Pure vanilla extract: 5 ml (1 tsp)
Fine salt: 3 g (½ tsp)
Melted butter: 14 g (1 tbsp), plus about 15 g (1 tbsp) for the pan

Method

Blend or whisk the eggs, milk, sugar, vanilla, salt, and 1 tbsp melted butter until smooth. Add the flour and mix just until there are no lumps. A few small bubbles are fine.
Rest the batter at least 30 minutes at room temperature. You can also refrigerate it overnight, then let it warm up before baking.
Put the empty pan on a middle rack and heat the oven to 450°F (230°C). Give it a full 15 minutes so the pan gets hot.
Pull the pan, add about ½ tsp butter to each cup, and fill each one half to two-thirds full. Work fast.
Bake 20 minutes at 450°F (230°C), then drop to 350°F (175°C) and bake another 15 to 20 minutes, until they're deep brown and firm. Don't open the door during the first 30 minutes.
Turn them out and poke each one with a paring knife to let the steam out. That keeps them from collapsing. Serve hot.

Notes

Muffin tin: bake 15 minutes at 450°F (230°C), then 10 to 15 at 350°F (175°C).
Heat makes the rise. Cold batter in a cold pan gives you short, dense popovers.
Bake by firmness, not just color. The sugar helps them brown a little faster. Underbaked popovers look great for about 90 seconds, then fall.
Serving: honey butter or a dusting of powdered sugar.

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Henry's Vanilla Popovers