The Biggest Fattest Fluffiest Popover Recipe (2024)

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The biggest fattest fluffiest popover recipe you’ll ever find. These popovers are light and airy, CRAZY easy to make (like you actually won’t believe it), and are probably my very favorite vehicle for butter.

The Biggest Fattest Fluffiest Popover Recipe (1)

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THIS is a bucket list recipe! I have always wanted to make popovers. So I decided to try my hand at making you the biggest fattest fluffiest popover recipe, and I DID IT.

When I made the Biggest Fattest Fluffiest All Butter Biscuits, you guys went a little bit nuts about ’em. I mean really, what’s better than big ‘ol fluffy carbs? I am with you on that. Giant Cinnamon Rolls were also a hit. This popover recipe is right there in the realm of giant delicious carbs that will make people think you are some kind of baking phenom, but popovers are UNCOMPLICATED. I promise.

This recipe is also a little bit dear to my heart. There’s a story attached. Haters of food blog stories feel free to scroll on down.

Anyway. I’ve been wanting to make popovers FOREVER. They are eggy and intriguing. The insides pull apart in thin, almost spongy layers like magic. They fluff up like nobody’s business. And they are probably my most favorite vehicle for butter and homemade blackberry jam.

The Biggest Fattest Fluffiest Popover Recipe (2)

The Story.

When I was a kid we would drive to southern Illinois to visit my grandparents a few times a year. I loved those trips, and recently made the drive again with my mom. I still love a good road trip, though this most recent one was much less chaotic than the trips of my youth, where my parents would load up a station wagon full of children and dogs, drive all night, and inevitably lose a suitcase somewhere in Indiana.

Anyway, while in Illinois, my dad would always pick a day to drive across the river to St. Louis to visit his brother. Since I’m the oldest kid, he’d take me with him.

Those trips always felt a tiny bit magical. We’d go to the fanciest shopping mall to get a Christmas present for my mom that we definitely COULD NOT afford. (my dad was ever an optimist)

We’d go to the St. Louis Museum of Art and wander for HOURS. I still get goosebumps when I see a painting by Monet.

And on every trip, we’d go to the Zodiac, the restaurant at the top of Neiman Marcus, and eat the biggest, fattest, fluffiest popovers with strawberry butter, in a sea of white table cloths and crystal wine glasses.

It was the fanciest thing I’d ever experienced.

To fully appreciate this story though, we need to talk about how outside the norm all of this was.

My mom was a waitress. And as soon as I was of age, I was, too. My dad worked in sales – mostly car dealerships – and was always trying to catch a break. JUST ONE MORE CAR to hit the sales goal and actually bring home a paycheck. Both of my parents worked crazy long hours and we had zero fancy things. Most days we had just enough groceries for that one day. We always had enough, but just barely.

So going to art museums, and eating in fancy restaurants, and buying gifts that my dad would probably be paying off for the entire rest of the year – it all felt so extraordinary.

That’s what popovers are for me. Completely extraordinary.

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Making Big Fat Fluffy Popovers is EASY

The thing of it is though, they are NOT extraordinary to make! Popovers require just a few pantry staples.

  • eggs
  • milk
  • salt
  • flour
  • butter

THAT’S IT!

Hopefully you have most of these things on hand pretty much any day of the week. If you DO need to run out and buy these ingredients though, none will waste away never to be used again like that spice you bought that one time for that thing you found on Pinterest.

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Tools Required

You DO need a couple of tools to make this recipe successful, though, and that’s as fancy as we will get.

  1. A good whisk
  2. this popover pan

Now listen. I am not usually one to tell you to go out and buy a thing. Here at Sugar Dish Me the goal is always easy and requiring just what you have on hand. And you CAN make popovers using a regular muffin tin. But they won’t be the biggest fattest fluffiest popovers.

For the popovers to be sky-high, you’ll want the pan. Trust.

Elbow Grease

Is that a thing people still say? I feel like it’s a grandma phrase. But this recipe calls for some serious whisking, so get your arm muscles ready. Also why is it called elbow grease when your elbow does none of the actual work ?

Whatever you call it, you are gonna wanna get ready to stir.

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Bake, Serve, EAT WARM

Whether you are using the recommended popover pan or you are going with a muffin tin, you are going to bake the popovers on higher heat for 20 minutes and then reduce the heat for the last little bit of baking.

In my humble opinion, popovers are best served warm. Carb-lover that I am, I will definitely not turn down a room-temperature baked good, just so we are clear about that. But these big fat fluffy popovers smeared with soft butter and / or sweet jam, will bring you like next-level breakfast-brunch happiness.

Eat Popovers With …

  • I love this cranberry butter, especially in cranberry season! Frozen cranberries work well, too
  • Bacon Butter! YEP. There’s a scone recipe here, too. But bacon butter is as amazing as it sounds.
  • soft butter and a sprinkle of kosher salt. YOU CAN’T BEAT IT.

Other Favorite Big Fat Fluffy Recipes

Does it get any better than fluffy frosted Lofthouse Cut Out Cookies at Christmas? Really these cut out cookies are great any time of year – swap out those cookie cutters and get to decorating.
Homemade Fluffy Pancake Mix is a long-time reader favorite! This tried and true quick mix for pancakes makes mornings easy.

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Yield: makes 6 BIG Popovers

The Biggest Fattest Fluffiest Popover Recipe

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 35 minutes

Total Time: 55 minutes

The Biggest Fattest Fluffiest Popover Recipe is SO easy! Just a few pantry staples and a really great pan turn out the biggest, fattest, fluffiest popovers ever!

Ingredients

  • 4 large eggs
  • 1 1/2 cups milk
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
  • 3 tablespoons melted butter

Instructions

  1. Warm the eggs by placing them UN-CRACKED in a medium bowl and cover with hot water (as hot as your tap will go). Let them sit for 10 minutes.
  2. Preheat the oven to 450°F and move the oven rack to a low position (to prepare for huge popovers!). Grease the popover pan thoroughly inside each cup as well as around the top edges.
  3. With your whisk, beat together the eggs, milk and salt until they are combined. The yolks should be completely blended in.
  4. Add the flour and whisk until the mixture is frothy and all large lumps are gone. Then quickly stir in the melted butter.
  5. Divide the batter between the prepared popover cups. They should be about 3/4 of the way full.
  6. Bake the popovers for 20 minutes and then reduce the heat to 350°F. Bake for another 10 or 15 minutes. The popovers will be very golden brown.
  7. My preference is to serve immediately and enjoy them warm!

Notes

  • You can mix your popovers up with a blender! Learn how here.
  • Do not top off the cups! ONE POUR to 3/4 full. Topping off can prevent a full rise.
  • If you can help it DO NOT OPEN THE OVEN!
  • If your popovers are getting dark too quickly, you can move one of your oven racks up to the top and place a baking sheet on it to shield your popovers from the direct heating elements.
  • This recipe is based on the popover recipe at King Arthur Flour. I love King Arthur as a resource for recipes, but I also LOVE their products.

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As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

6

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving:Calories: 244Total Fat: 10gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 144mgSodium: 390mgCarbohydrates: 27gFiber: 1gSugar: 0gProtein: 10g

The Biggest Fattest Fluffiest Popover Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What makes popovers puff up? ›

What makes popovers pop? Unlike cake or bread, popovers use neither baking powder/baking soda nor yeast to provide leavening. Steam is the engine that makes them rise — and rise, and rise!

What is the secret to making popovers rise? ›

The room temperature of the batter, the heat of the pan, and high heat the oven are all what create the steam initially to get the batter to rise, then the bake at 350°F sets the batter and creates the crispy outside.

Why are my popovers not fluffy? ›

King Arthur Baking says that there are a few ways your popover could go wrong. First, you must use all-purpose flour because it has a solid gluten structure to capture all the steam. Secondly, you must make sure to preheat your oven because the hotter the oven, the higher the popovers.

Why are my popovers eggy? ›

Or the interior – intended to be a soft, gooey, scrambled-egg-like substance – is too undercooked to eat. Tips to avoid these popover pitfalls vary: Use a popover pan instead of a muffin pan, poke them with a knife after baking to dry them out, start with a cold oven, heat up the pan before pouring in the batter.

What type of flour is best for popovers? ›

using room temperature eggs (see recipe for how to quickly bring your eggs to room temperature) room temperature milk (see recipe for how to quickly bring your milk to room temperature) hot oven. bread or all-purpose flour: for especially loft popovers, bread flour is your gal!

Should popover batter rest overnight? ›

There's just one thing that will make the popovers better, and that's time. The batter needs time to rest before baking so that it creates a more tender popover in the end. So, cover the batter and pop it into the refrigerator for at least an hour, but preferably overnight.

What makes popovers dense? ›

If your popover batter is thick, adjust your ingredient ratios to include less flour; even if you use the right flour, too much of it makes your popovers dense.

How to prevent popover from deflating? ›

Popovers are best served immediately. They will, unfortunately, begin to collapse after a few minutes outside of the oven. One way to help prevent this is to puncture the top and/or side of the popover with the tip of a small, sharp knife to help release some of the steam trapped inside.

What happens to an undercooked popover? ›

If your popovers lose volume when they come out of the oven, they are probably underbaked. When these airy baked goods aren't cooked enough, too much steam stays trapped inside. That moisture condenses once they're removed from the oven, causing them to collapse.

Why do popover batters contain so much liquid? ›

Why do popover batters contain so much liquid? It allows the popovers to be leavened with steam, creating the characteristic large cavity in the center. It also allows gelatinization of the starch during baking, which is indicated in part by the soft, gel-like texture in the inside walls of a baked popover.

What is the difference between Yorkshire and popovers? ›

Cooking fat: Yorkshire pudding is a dripping pudding, meaning that chefs traditionally make it using the meat drippings leftover from cooking a Sunday roast dinner. Meanwhile, popover recipes tend to call for butter instead. Yorkshire pudding batter, therefore, takes on a more savory flavor than popover batter.

What is the trick to popovers? ›

Warm milk before to roughly 125 degrees before mixing with the eggs and flour. The warmer batter helps get the popovers cooking right away. This makes for a larger and taller popover. Spray popover pans vigorously with cooking spray right before pouring batter into the cups.

Should popover batter be room temperature or cold? ›

Beat till smooth and frothy; leave some lumps. Everything should be at room temperature.

What is the best grease for a popover pan? ›

Grease the cups of a nonstick (6-cup) popover pan very generously with softened butter or the cups of a cast-iron pan generously with vegetable shortening.

What makes baked goods puff up? ›

A leavening agent is a substance that causes dough to expand by releasing gas once mixed with liquid, acid or heat. Rising agents give baked goods optimal volume, texture and crumb and can include baking soda or baking powder, whipped egg whites or cream, active or instant dry yeast, and even steam.

How to prevent popovers from deflating? ›

An additional trick for keeping popovers crisp is to gently poke a hole in the side of each one with a sharp knife when you remove it from the pan to allow extra team to escape without deflating the crust dome.

How is puffed pastry made to rise so high? ›

Follow this tip: As a rule of thumb, a higher oven temperature (400°F is ideal) results in puff pastry with a higher rise. The higher temperature produces steam, which is the crucial component that makes the puff pastry, well, puff.

Is the leavening agent in popovers? ›

Popovers are leavened with steam to create a large cavity inside. The oven heat sets the outside to trap the steam and allows it to expand. The inside also remains moist while the outside gets crisp.

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