Need advice.... What happened to my popovers? Today I made a batch of

B

barb

Well-known member
popovers, they didn't rise so I threw them out and made another batch. Same thing.

Am I doing something wrong?

The recipe calls for 1 cup unbleached flour,

1/8 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

2 large eggs

1 cup whole milk

1 TBSP melted butter

I didn't over mix the recipe;

Mixed together the flour, baking powder and salt.

Whisked eggs and melted butter; added to dry ingredients just until mixed.

They didn't rise at all.

(It's humid here in Houston, could that be a problem?)

Thanks for your help.

 
You haven't mentioned how you cooked them. The pan is always put in a very hot oven with

a bit of fat until the pan is very hot; then the batter is poured into the hot pan and baked until puffed and golden brown.

 
Here's a good REC: Popover recipe...

Popovers

Recipe By :Chef Jamie Roraback, Connecticut Culinary Institute, Farmington, CT

12 fluid ounces Beef fat or vegetable oil
8 ounces All-purpose flour
1 teaspoon Salt
6 whole Eggs
16 fluid ounces Whole milk
3 ounces Whole butter -- melted

Place 20, 4-ounce (120-milliliter) greased ramekins or popover tins on a sheet pan and drop 1/2 fluid ounce (15 milliliters) of beef fat or vegetable oil in the bottom of each ramekin. Place the ramekins in a 425°F (220°C) oven until the fat smokes.

Sift the flour and salt together into a large bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk and butter. Pour the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients and whip until smooth.

Remove the ramekins from the oven and fill each approximately two-thirds full with batter. Bake at 425°F (220°C) for 20 minutes without opening the oven door. After 20 minutes, lower the heat to 375°F (190°C) and bake for approximately 10 more minutes.

Remove the popovers from the oven, unmold and serve.

For crispier popovers, slit the sides of the unmolded popovers to allow the steam to escape. Place on a sheet pan and return them to the oven until the tops are firm, crisp and brown, approximately 10 minutes.

NOTES : Popovers are crisp hollow muffins made from a rich egg batter. The steam released from the eggs and milk as the popovers bake is trapped in the gluten web of the batter causing it to rise. Popovers and other products that rely on steam for leavening are baked at a high temperature so that the steam forms quickly before the gluten bond sets. Yorkshire Pudding, a popular accompaniment to roasted rib of beef, is made fro this same batter. These pastries resemble products baked from éclair paste.

Variation:

Onion -- Sauté 2 ounces (60 grams) of finely chopped onion in 1/2 ounce (15 grams) of butter until tender. Sprinkle the onions over the batter just before baking.

 
I put them in a muffin pan, sprayed with Pam and into a 450 oven for 15 minutes, turned the oven

down to 350 for 15 more minutes.

 
I'll try this. This calls for twice the amount of milk and eggs than I was using.

1/2 ounce of veg. oil. Do you think this is ok for a regular size muffin pan?
Thanks Charlie

 
That 1/2 ounce (1 Tbl) is for a 4 oz recepticle--I'd fill the muffin tin cup with water and...

measure. I'd guess that it's a bit small, so would use a little less oil if so.

A spray of Pam wouldn't, in my opinion, be enough fat.

 
Your recipe has the same quantities as my never-fail recipe

Mine doesn't use baking powder and uses oil instead of butter, neither of which should make any difference to the rising. I don't think humidity would have any effect.

The major difference in mine is that you put the filled (generously greased -- would Pam be sufficient?) pan in a COLD oven, set the oven to 425 and bake for 35 to 40 minutes.

Do you know if yours rose and then collapsed, or just didn't rise at all? (If they collapse, you can always serve them as Yorkshire puddings...)

 
They didn't rise, both times, they looked like muffins. I'll try the cold oven. Thanks Shaun

 
Hi barb-I've been checking thru my books and found a recipe very similar to yours in

Bernard Clayton's "New Complete Book of Breads" which I've always found to be very reliable. According to this tome, your and Shaun's recipe should work fine.

Here's Clayton's recipe:

Makes 8 to 12

Popovers are good to eat!. Popovers are unpredicatable. kThere isn't very much to a popover. It is an ungainly-looking medium for getting butter, jams, jellies, and honey into the mouth.

The popover owes its fragile puffiness to steam levitation. It is done without yeast or chemicals of any kind. Only steam raises it high, and then drops it back down into a clumsy shape.

There should be a least one popover recipe in every home baker's repertoire. This is a good one.

1 Cup bread or all-purpose flour (sift before measuring)

1/4 tsp Salt

1 Tbl Sugar

1 Tbl Butter, melted, or salad oil

1 Cup Milk, room temperature

2 Large Eggs

Muffin pans, heavy cast-iron popover pans, or ovenproof custard cups, greased

Preheat the oven to 375 or 400 degrees.

In a mixing or mixer bowl combine the dry ingredients. Add the butter or oil, milk, and eggs. Beat by hand or at medium-high speed with the mixer flat beater, until very smooth, for 3 minutes.

Popover batter can also be made in a blender. Combine all of the ingredients and whirl at high speed for 45 seconds. Stop the blender and scrape down the sides after the first 10 seconds.

By Processor: Attach the steel blade. Measure all of the ingredients into the work bowl; pulse 8 or 10 times to blend thoroughly.

Fill the cups half full with batter.

Bake in the hot oven (400 degrees) for a dark brown shell with a moist interior, 40 minutes. Or bake at 375 degrees for a light popover with a drier interior. 50 to 55 minutes. Be sure to keep the door of the over closed during baking to prevent a collapse under a draft of cold air.

(If using a convection oven, reduce heat 50 degrees in either case.)

Remove the popovers from the oven. Turn from the pans and serve while hot. Or prick the popovers with a skewer or fork if you like a dry interior. Leave them in a turned-off oven, door slightly ajar, for 8 to 10 minutes.

ps. It could be that your gentle combining didn't develop enough gluten. Notice the recipe calls for considerable beating and could even be made with bread flour. Both indicate that some gluten development is required for structure.

 
I've made a lot of popovers throughout the years- may I chime in with suggestions?

Here is what I have found makes the best popovers:

A cast iron pan OR well-buttered Pyrex custard cups. Muffin tins just don't cut it in my opinion. I've tried to use them but with no luck.

I find you must really beat the batter for a long time- at least a few minutes. I whirl it in my food processor. I also find ingredients at room temp are best.

The pan with fat (I really like using butter) must be very hot in the oven before pouring the batter in.

When the popovers are almost done I pierce them and let them dry out just a bit before taking out of the oven.

 
Thank you all for your help. I don't mean to beat this subject to death, but I want to give it one

more shot! My recipe says to mix just until "incorporated". Maybe that's where I went wrong and I am supposed to beat well.
I didn't have my milk at room temp either.
I was at Starbucks with some friends this afternoon and brought up the subject. Several experienced cooks thought it may be the humidity here. (it's terrible!). However, tomorrow I'm going to press on... undaunted and hopeful....
Thanks for your help.

 
Popover success! New recipe worked: warm milk, room temp. eggs and

CUSTARD CUPS! I think that was the difference between that and muffin tins.
Also, I beat it to death instead of just incorporating!
Thanks all!!

 
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