BREAKFAST POPOVERS (Yorkshire Puddings): make ahead, easy, lower-fat, sugar/butter free

Loved your pancakes and want more of the same but different?  Try these rich, crisp breakfast popovers...

Popovers with butter & jam: pancake alternative from across the pond  
'Utterly gorgeous - amazingly crispy, eggy & chewy.'  Taster
Stock Photo Courtesy of lisaiscooking.blogspot.com and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence

Popovers are a staple of many a North American household.  

Basically an American version of a Yorkshire Pudding, popovers are served at any time of day - not just dinner.  They are are usually made in tins with tall straight sides rather than the sloped wells of a muffin tin.  And they're eaten hot or cold with all manner of delicious sweet and savoury fillings (see below).

Brits aren't really into popovers, probably due to the expense and inconvenience of finding a decent popover pan.  But this recipe (adapted from Serious Eats) can be made in a muffin tin.  And more: it's designed to be made up to three days in advance.  

67 loved them; they puffed up surprisingly high, were richly eggy and chewy and the outer shell was gloriously crisp and burnished to a 'eat-me-now!' brown.   

They make a worthy replacement - or addition to - pancakes or toast.  In a small household, they are a boon - leftovers are frozen and bagged up, ready to be defrosted, reheated and eaten when the desire strikes.  

Makes: 6 large or 12 medium popovers; recipe doubles easily
Cost: £2'ish

Ingreds:
    4 large eggs (200g/7oz) (mine worked out at 3 large, one small egg)
    150gm/5.2oz flour (1cup +2 tbsp) 
    175gm milk (3/4 cup)
    25gm water, not milk (1 tbsp + 2 tsp) 
    1/2 tsp salt

Method:

1. Place all ingredients in a deep bowl; whisk by hand or with electric whisk/beaters until smooth & thick - the consistency of single cream.  
2. Transfer to airtight container at least overnight and up to 3 days (ignore the batter's colour after resting; it will be fine)
3. When ready to cook, take batter out of fridge and allow to come to room temperature.
4. Preheat oven to 230c/215c-fan/450f. (Adjust accordingly if your oven tends to overheat)
5. Choose 12 normal sized or 6 deep well muffin tins; add 1/2 tsp oil - enough to cover the bottom of each well; place pan in centre of oven 10 mins
6. Transfer hot pan to heat-proof surface; fill 2/3 full; quickly return to oven
7. Bake until popovers are 4x as big, are more brown than golden and bottoms sound hollow when tapped - 15-20 mins
8. Serve immediately with butter & jam or other breakfast foods (see below) 
9. Leftovers: When completely cool; flash freeze (as individual popovers on a tray), store in an air-tight bag, freeze up to 3 months.
10. After defrosting, reheat in moderate oven 5 mins 

*Duchy Originals

Fill Popovers with:

• scrambled eggs with or without mushrooms
• sliced cooked sausage topped with a fried egg
• baked beans 
• crumbled cooked bacon, cheese & onion
• ham topped with chopped tomatoes (seeds removed) 
• butter & bacon jam or tomato jam

Comments:

'Brought back happy memories.  The fat count was brought down by reducing the fat in the muffin wells.  Score!' Retired writer

Tips

• Don't be tempted to replace the water with milk - it's the water that makes this recipe work; it helps the rested batter rise & crisp

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This recipes  has been adapted by B  Lee/ Bright Sun Enterprises.  They may not be reproduced, in any form, without the author's written permission.