Pop Over

I have a dark secret: I haven't baked much bread since moving to the farm. Every time I walk into the kitchen, I am shamed by the idle bags of flour, jars of yeast, and spacious countertops perfect for kneading dough. I don't bake as much during the summer, so perhaps I'll throw on an apron and get serious in a couple of months. In the mean time, I've been appeasing our guests with popovers.

Ah, the popover, a staple of my childhood. My mom made popovers--perfectly light and fluffy on the inside and a crisp golden brown on the outside--in the mornings and served them piping hot from the oven with butter and jam. Many supper clubs serve them with dinner. (I could write a separate blog entry on midwestern supper clubs, which I adore.)

I don't think that the popover, which purportedly is the American version of Yorkshire pudding, is a midwestern thing. But for some reason, I've never seen them served in restaurants on the east or west coasts. And so far, none of my guests have been familiar with popovers. One friend who is a very skilled bread baker was amazed that popovers aren't a yeast bread. "No yeast," I told him. "Just flour, eggs, milk and a pinch of salt." I could tell he didn't believe me.

My point here is that everyone who comes to the farm sort of expects to be greeted by the smell of freshly baked bread. I can't seem to set aside a few hours for bread baking, but popovers are doing the trick quite nicely. They're delicious, festive, easy to make, inexpensive, and low-cal/low-fat. I guarantee that you have the ingredients on hand.

I use my mom's recipe, which is adapted from the Betty Crocker cookbook:

4 eggs

2 cups flour

2 cups milk

1 tsp. salt

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Grease a popover or muffin pan.

Beat the eggs by hand just until mixed (don't overdo).

Add the flour, milk, and salt. Mix just until smooth.

Fill the popover cups 2/3 full. If using a muffin pan fill the cups 1/2 full.

Bake at 450 for about 20-25 minutes. Lower temp to 350 and bake another 15-20 minutes until golden brown and puffy.

Serve with homemade honey butter and jam for a sweet popover in the morning. For a savory popover with dinner, serve with meat, au jus, or gravy.