Santa, and all his elves, would love some freshly baked popovers on Christmas morning!

I fell in love with popovers decades ago at Acadia National Park. Popovers and strawberry jam are specialties of the Jordan Pond House, a restaurant in the park. When the kids were small, we spent several long weekends every year, riding our bicycles or hiking in the park. The Jordan Pond House was always a wonderful place to finish the day; with popovers and a pot of tea.

I have been making my own popovers ever since. For 30 years I made popovers a couple of times a month, with no problems. Then, about 4 years ago, suddenly my popovers didn’t “pop.” Although they still tasted good, they were more like eggy muffins than popovers. Why? I don’t know – obviously the planets weren’t aligned. Or my oven suddenly decided it hated me. Possibly both.

I think I have finally figured out how to rectify the situation (see below). Which means popovers should grace the table more often again. If you have never made popovers, this is a great time to start! Be sure to serve them with some of your favorite homemade jam.

Popover Baking Tips

If your popovers aren’t popping, the culprit is almost always the OVEN! Either the oven isn’t hot enough, or the door seal is failing so the heat is uneven. To fix this problem I do two things:

1. Place a pizza stone on the bottom rack. The stone helps the oven hold heat.
2. Let the oven heat up for at least 45 minutes before baking the popovers. This way the oven and the stone are both good and hot. The hot temperature is needed for “popping.”

Sometimes the ingredients affect the “popping” too. So:

1. Bring the eggs and milk to room temperature before mixing.
2. Use whole milk. The extra fat helps the popover hold its structure.

12 Days of Baking Challenge

I may have bitten off more than I can chew – or bake – but please join me; for one day, three days, or all 12 days! We are baking something different each day between now and December 24^th. It can be anything you want; sweet or savoy. You can try today’s recipe, or something else. Get more details here.

Please send along a picture of your creation, along with a link to the recipe if you like, and I will post as many photos as I can. Or, post your own on Instagram with the hashtag #STPbakingchallenge. Happy baking!

Popovers

Santa, and all his elves, would love some freshly baked popovers on Christmas morning!

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Ingredients

  

• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup unbleached, all-purpose flour
• 1 cup milk
• 1 Tablespoons safflower oil
• 1 teaspoon salt

Instructions

 

• Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Grease 6 popover or large muffin cups.
• Beat eggs in a mixing bowl or food processor.
• Add flour, milk, oil, and salt. Beat until smooth.
• Divide mixture among the cups. They will each be about ½ full.
• Bake for 15 minutes. DO NOT open the oven door.
• Reduce heat to 350 degrees. Again, DO NOT open the oven door.
• Bake for another 25-30 minutes.
• Prick each popover with a fork to let steam escape.
• Remove from oven and serve while hot.

What are you baking during these 12 Days of Baking Challenge? So far, we have made:

Day One: Cranberry Orange Biscotti

Day Two: White Fruitcake

Day Three: Blood Orange-Blueberry Muffins

Day Four: Oatmeal Chippers

Day Five: Sourdough Pfefferneusse Cookies

Day Six: Gingerbread Roll

Day Seven: Best Ever Sourdough Oatmeal Bread

Day Eight: Vegetarian Tamale Pie

Day Nine: Savory Chex Cereal Mix

Day Ten: Christmas Stollen