Why Does a Popover Pop?
Karen Wheless
the following recipe that was posted here a few days ago:
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp. salt
Break eggs into a bowl. Add milk, flour and salt. Mix well with spoon
(disregard any lumps). Fill greased muffin pans 3/4 full. Put in cold
oven. Set temperature to 450 degrees F. and turn on heat. Bake 25
minutes.
They came out very tasty, but solid with no popped hole in the center.
They were more like muffins, only with a different texture. I don't
think it's the recipe that is the problem. I've used different recipes,
and sometimes the same recipe will pop one time and not another. I'm
always wary of recipes that start in a cold oven. How long should it
take an oven to get from room temperature to 450', it's probably
different for every oven. My oven was at 450' at the end of 25 minutes,
but I don't know how long it took to get there since I didn't want to
open the oven.
But maybe that's not the problem. Does anyone have any insight into the
variables of a popped popover? :->
Karen
Ladibugz77
The following website should help answer your questions regarding popovers:
http://www.wwa.com/~bonnett/popover/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Donna < to e-mail me, remove my cat >
"Ambivalent? Well, yes and no ... "
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M. Smith
Karen Wheless wrote in message <1dnswy7.1io...@pce4dn07.fcc.net>...
>What makes a popover "pop"? I made a batch of popovers tonight, using
>the following recipe that was posted here a few days ago:
Steam. Thats why you need a very hot oven (usually 400 to 450 F. depending
on recipe.) As to the oven, most ovens have a light that goes off when it
reaches temperature. Wait at least 5 minutes after the light goes off for
the oven temp to equalize. (Make that 20 to 30 minutes after if you have a
pizza or baking stones in the oven.) If it is a gas oven, you can generally
"hear" when the burner goes off as it reaches temp.
Also, popovers need time for the flour to absorb the liquid. This is not a
"stir the ingredients together and bake immediately" recipe. You will want
the mixture to sit at least 30 minutes to an hour in the fridge for best
results.
Karen Wheless
helped me, but it's very interesting. Between the posts I've seen here,
received in email and seen on the web, every suggestion has been
directly contradicted by someone else!
I've been told:
*Use a preheated hot oven, waiting at least 5-10 minutes after the oven
has come to temperature
*Put the pan in a cold oven, and make sure the temperature rises slowly
up to temperature while baking
*Use a preheated oven, but then turn the temperature down halfway
through baking
*Preheat the popover pan, so it's very hot when you add the batter
*Don't heat the popover pan, use it cold
*Only mix the batter slightly, leaving lumps
*Mix the liquid and dry ingredients separately, but don't overmix
*Mix the batter 10 minutes in a blender
*Let the batter come to room temperature, even warming it in the
microwave if necessary to get it up to room temperature
*Let the batter sit for 30 minutes or more in the refrigerator and use
it cold
*Use the batter right away, don't let it sit at all
Wow, this is more complicated than I thought. The scientist in me is
becoming intrigued. Some weekend maybe I will devote a day or two to
popover experimentation.
Karen
sally gregg
On Thu, 25 Feb 1999, Karen Wheless wrote:
> What makes a popover "pop"? I made a batch of popovers tonight, using
> the following recipe that was posted here a few days ago:
>
> 2 eggs
> 1 cup milk
> 1 cup flour
> 1/2 tsp. salt
>
> Break eggs into a bowl. Add milk, flour and salt. Mix well with spoon
> (disregard any lumps). Fill greased muffin pans 3/4 full. Put in cold
> oven. Set temperature to 450 degrees F. and turn on heat. Bake 25
> minutes.
<snip>
> But maybe that's not the problem. Does anyone have any insight into the
> variables of a popped popover? :->
>
> Karen
I get popovers to rise really high by beating the batter for a long time;
I do mine in the blender or processor, but a beater would work well too.
The usual directions of "do not overbeat" seem to be uniformly incorrect,
IMHO. Popovers need LOTS of air beaten into them to "pop." At least that
has been my experience. I also do not start them in a cold oven, but
don't know if that makes any difference.
Sally