There’s something magical about how popovers arise from a dense batter to ethereally airy heights. These are a little sturdier than some popovers, making them even more satisfying, whether at breakfast or dinner.–Kevin Garvin
Popovers with Strawberry Butter
Ingredients
For the strawberry butter
- 3 sticks (12 oz) butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup good-quality strawberry preserves
For the popovers
- 3 1/2 cups milk, preferably whole
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 6 large eggs, at room temperature
- Nonstick spray oil
Instructions
Make the strawberry butter
- Place the butter in the work bowl of an electric mixer and beat on high until light and fluffy. Add the preserves and beat until well combined.
- Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate for up to several days.
Make the popovers
- Place the milk in a bowl and microwave on high for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes, or until warm to the touch.
- In a large bowl, sift together the flour, salt, and baking powder.
- Crack the eggs into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk and beat on medium speed until foamy and pale in color, about 3 minutes.
- Turn down the mixer to low and add the warm milk. Gradually add the flour mixture, increase the speed to medium or medium-high, and beat for about 2 minutes.
- Turn the machine off and let the batter rest for 1 hour at room temperature.
- Preheat the oven to 450°F (230°C). Adjust the oven rack to the lowest position.
- Spray a popover tin generously with nonstick spray. Fill the popover cups almost to the top with the batter and place the popover tin on a rimmed baking sheet. If you only have a single popover tin, you'll need to bake them in 2 batches.
- Bake for 15 minutes. Turn down the oven temperature to 375°F and bake for 30 to 35 minutes more, until the popovers are golden brown on the outside and airy on the inside.
- Turn out the popovers and serve hot, with strawberry butter if desired. To reheat any leftover popovers without compromising texture, warm them in a preheated 400°F oven for about 3 1/2 minutes.
Notes
Chef’s Notes
Keep the strawberry butter refrigerated in an airtight container. This spread will last for two to three days. The key to making great popovers is having the eggs and milk warm before mixing. It is also important to let the batter sit for an hour before baking it. Popovers do not freeze well, and pre-made batter has a tendency not to work properly the next day.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe Testers’ Reviews
Although a bit more “bready” than other popovers I’ve made, these giants were still airy, and eggy. Just what a popover should be. The strawberry butter was a luscious gilding of the lily. The popovers made a great breakfast. Served with a savory butter and a bowl of soup, they’d also be perfect for lunch or dinner.
I think I was a little overzealous filling my popover pan “almost to the top” because our popovers blew up and then fell over a little bit. They didn’t fall apart, fortunately, and were absolutely gorgeous, ginormous, and delicious. I’d recommend checking on them frequently during the last 30 minutes—my oven runs hot and I had to turn the heat down to 350°F and they only needed 25 minutes to finish baking.
The strawberry butter is a revelation!! Next time I will divide the butter and make several different types (blueberry? blackberry? apricot? cherry?) for my guests to try. And oh my, don’t get me started on the herby compound butters you could make to serve these popovers with soup or a salad. I swoon.
Popover tins yield 6 popovers. This recipe makes 10 to 12 so it’s worth noting you’ll be making 2 batches. Plan accordingly.
We have been putting the strawberry butter on everything since I tested this recipe. The amounts called for make a lot more butter than needed for the amount of popovers so you can spread on everything else for the rest of the week.
The popover recipe I have always used doesn’t have baking powder in it and I was interested to see what the difference would be. I actually found these to be heavier than I expected with very few air pockets inside. They did get to be enormous in the oven, much larger than mine ever get. Fresh out of the oven, they are crispy and puffy. Like all popovers, they need to be eaten as soon as possible. I managed to get 14 out of the recipe.
You should probably change the “preheat oven” step 3 to later in the procedure since your instructions say to let the batter rest for an hour (step 8). Otherwise this turned out great! (I warmed up the popover pan in the oven first before filling and baking.)
Thanks for noticing that, Jacqueline. I’m so glad that you enjoyed them.
The strawberry butter is divine and utterly simple. And the popovers…too much fun to watch bake! Though the recipe suggests that they’re best when they are fresh from the oven, they are equally satisfying a day or two later if you split and rewarm them.
Magnificent all around, Donna! Love and appreciate everything you had to share about the recipe. And greatly appreciate your taking the time to do so. Thank you!
I keep trying the same recipe and they just will not turn out airy at all 🙁
I have also tried other web recipe but still no luck ! Any ideas what I might be doing wrong or any help please !!!
Hi Viani, so sorry to hear that your popovers aren’t popping. Since you’ve experienced this problem with other recipes, I’m thinking that it might be one of two things; either your baking powder is old, or your oven isn’t getting hot enough. Do you have an oven thermometer to confirm your set temperature? You can check your baking powder by combining 1/2 teaspoon with 3-4 tablespoons of water. It should produce a little fizz.