why they rise
Why Popovers Rise | break out of frames |
Basic popovers are made with eggs, milk, and flour. The batter is thin enough to be pourable, about as thick as heavy cream.
The high proportion of liquid in the batter creates steam that causes the popovers to puff up like the popover pictured below. The conversion of the liquid in the batter to steam is dramatic. One part liquid converts to 1600 parts steam. The egg protein causes the popover batter to stretch, hold the steam and solidify to form crusty walls.The popover pictured below has been split open. You can see that it is hollow inside.
Note: You may notice that some recipes called 'popover' stillhave baking powder or baking soda. These recipes sometimes have more egg in therecipe than will rise well without additional leavening. You can alsofill the popover cups fuller if you use baking powder or baking soda.
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more information about popovers.Knowing this helps the cook understand how to bake popoverssuccessfully. Click here to find out what you need to get started.
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