Popovers

• servings: 6
• active time: 20 minutes
• total time: 1 hour 40 minutes

Ingredients

3 large eggs, room temperature

1 1/2 cups low-fat milk, warmed to about 100°F

195 grams (1½ cups) all-purpose flour, plus more for the pan

1 1/2 teaspoons table salt

2 teaspoons vegetable shortening, melted and slightly cooled, plus unmelted shortening for the pan

Directions

In a large bowl, whisk the eggs until well combined. Gradually whisk in the milk. Add the flour and salt, then whisk until just combined; do not overmix. Whisk in the melted shortening. (If desired, for easy pouring, transfer the batter to a 1-quart liquid measuring cup.) Cover and let stand at room temperature for at least 30 minutes or up to 2 hours.

About 20 minutes before baking, heat the oven to 400°F with a rack in the middle position. Using shortening, lightly coat a 6-cup nonstick popover pan or the 10 outer cups of a 12-cup nonstick standard muffin pan (leave the center 2 cups uncoated, as they will not be used). Dust the cups with flour, then tap out the excess.

Gently stir the batter to recombine, then divide it evenly among the prepared popover or muffin cups. Bake without opening the oven door until the popovers are well risen and deeply browned, about 45 minutes (the timing is the same for large and small popovers). Working quickly, open the oven door and, using a wooden skewer, poke a hole in each popover. Close the oven door and bake for 1 minute.

Remove the pan from the oven. Using tongs, immediately and gently transfer each popover to a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Notes

177 Milk Street: Popovers, which are believed to have originated in New England, are related to England’s Yorkshire pudding and share an almost-identical ingredient list. In testing, we found using low-fat milk yields crisper, airier popovers. Also, having the batter at room temperature promotes a higher rise, so make sure the eggs are at room temperature and the milk is barely warm before mixing. Finally, poking the popovers with a skewer and baking them for another minute allows steam to escape, which helps prevents the pastries from deflating as they cool.

This recipe works in a nonstick 6-cup popover pan or you can use a nonstick muffin pan to make 10 smaller popovers; the baking time will be the same.

Tip: Don’t open the oven door to check on the popovers’ progress as they bake. The heat loss may prevent the proper rise or cause already puffed popovers to deflate.