Popovers with Whipped Honey Butter

I learned how to make Popovers while living in the southern United States but have since learned they are also called Yorkshire Pudding in the UK. Whatever you call them, this bread goes perfectly with roast beef and all of the other comforting and savory dishes we turn to during the holidays. I especially enjoy mine slathered with whipped honey butter that melts into every crevice. Crisp on the outside, soft and hollow on the inside, these are perfect sides for Prime Rib on Christmas.

If you have soup or a roast on the menu this week, I highly recommend you give these a try! And while I’m not usually a huge fan of pans that can only be used to make one thing, I make an exception for a popover pan. With that being said, I have a variation below for using a standard muffin tin if you need to make these ASAP!

Here’s how they’re made:

Popover Batter

Making popovers is pretty straightforward. Start by heating a little milk and butter over the stove until the butter has melted, and the milk hasn’t quite come to a boil.

See those little bubbles along the edges? That means it’s time to remove the milk and butter from the stove before it boils and the mixture becomes too warm.

To the warm milk and butter, add kosher salt and granulated sugar. And then add eggs, one at a time, beating in between each addition.

The main reason you want to keep the milk from boiling is when you add the eggs, you don’t want them to start to cook in the warm milk. The eggs are used for lift while baking and the popovers won’t rise properly if they eggs are already partially cooked.

Next add some all purpose flour to the mixture.

Whisk until thoroughly combined, and no lumps remain.

Pour the mixture evenly into a standard popover pan.

The Popover Pan

While I’m not usually a big fan of pans that I only use to cook one thing, popover pans (affiliate link) are my exception to the rule. Our family loves popovers so much, it’s worth keeping a pan around in the cupboard for when the urge hits to make these.

Generously grease each popover cavity using Crisco.

And here’s a genius shortcut for greasing the inside of a pan with Crisco…put your hand in a plastic baggie, dip it in the Crisco tub, and use it to grease your pan. I learned this trick from my husband who is not a cook, but is extremely inventive! At first I made fun of his little shortcut, until I realized how brilliant it is.

Popovers in a Muffin Tin

If you don’t have a popover pan at home yet and you want to try this recipe tonight, you can also use a standard muffin tin. The popover pan will give you a better rise and more hollow interior, but a muffin tin can be used in a pinch as well!! This batter will make about 10 popovers in a muffin tin, versus 6 in a popover pan.

Fill each muffin cavity about 2/3 full…

And bake until golden brown.

Baking the Popovers

The main thing to keep in mind when baking popovers is to keep the oven closed until the very end of the bake time. High heat is one of the reasons popovers bake up light and airy and so you want to keep the oven closed as long as you can. With that being said, you’ll definitely want to start checking your popovers towards the end of cooking to avoid over-browning them.

Start checking the popovers at 20 minutes. You are looking for golden brown on the outside and soft and fluffy on the inside.

My oven tends to run hot, and I live at sea level, so the baking time might be longer for you. Just start checking the popovers at 25 minutes and remove from the oven when they’re finished cooking.

Serving the Popovers

Popovers are traditionally served with butter, honey, and/or jam. Yorkshire Pudding is traditionally served with gravy and roasted meats. I don’t think you could go wrong either way. As I mentioned earlier, I like popovers with Prime Rib on Christmas.

My favorite way to serve Popovers is sliced open and slathered with Whipped Honey Butter. I think I’ve already posted the recipe for honey butter like 3 times this year but what can I say, it’s my favorite – haha.

I mean, what’s not to love about honey and butter melting into every crevice? Hope you’re able to give these a try soon!

Popovers with Whipped Honey Butter

1 1/2 cup whole milk
2 tablespoons salted butter
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
Shortening/Crisco for greasing popover pan

Directions

Place the rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 425 F. Generously grease a 6-cup popover pan with shortening/Crisco (see tip above for using a plastic baggie). Set aside.

Place milk and butter in a saucepan and heat until almost boiling (and butter is melted). When you see small bubbles starting to form at the edges of the pan, remove from heat and add the sugar and salt. Next whisk in eggs, one at a time, until thoroughly combined. Whisk for about 1 minute until thoroughly combined. Add flour and whisk until smooth, and no lumps remain. Poor evenly into popover pan, distributed evenly between the 6 cups. *See variation below for using a muffin tin.

Place the popover pan on a rimmed baking sheet (for more stability) and place in oven. Cook for 25-35 minutes until the popovers are a light golden brown and cooked through. Avoid opening the oven during baking, but checking the popover around the 20 minute mark is a good idea. My oven tends to cook fast and I live at sea level, so you may need to cook your popovers longer or shorter depending on your oven/elevation.

Remove the popovers from the oven and serve immediately with butter, jam, honey, etc.

*Muffin Pan Variation: Generously grease muffin pan with Crisco and fill 10 of the cavities about 2/3 full of batter (see pictures above). Bake 20-30 minutes, checking the progress of the popovers around 15 minutes.

Whipped Honey Butter

1/2 cup salted butter, room temperature
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup powdered sugar
Pinch of kosher salt