Light, airy, and irresistibly crisp, my golden sourdough popovers get a flavorful twist from tangy sourdough starter, Dijon mustard and fresh parsley. The batter comes together in 5 minutes flat. Makes 6 sourdough popovers.
Adapted from my book Artisan Sourdough Made Simple, my sourdough popover recipe yields extra golden cloud-like popovers with mile-high results. I make my batter thin, which creates a crisp exterior shell with a hollow center.
I’ve had consistent results using this well greased non-stick popover pan. However, a standard muffin tin can be used in a pinch. You can use active sourdough starter or sourdough discard for this recipe.
While sourdough popovers are simple to make, you have to follow the rules! Believe you me, I’ve had my fair share of failed popovers. Be sure to read my tips section below for best results.
Good To Know: To learn more about sourdough discard (what it is & how it’s used) read my companion article: Sourdough Discard 101. You can check out my full collection of sourdough discard recipes here.
My Tested Sourdough Popover Tips:
- Use warm/ room temperature ingredients. This the secret. If the milk and eggs are too cold, you’ll get custardy popover muffins, not empty cloud-like shells.
- Make sure the batter is thin! Add more milk if necessary, making sure that it’s warm to the touch.
- Preheat your oven @ 450 F for a minimum of 30 minutes once it calibrates to temperature. For example, let’s say you set your oven to 450 F. The oven beeps 15 minutes later indicating it’s ready, yet your inside oven thermometer reads only 350 F… you need to extend the preheat time to reach 450 F! Always go by your oven thermometer for accuracy. Most oven temps. are off.
- Preheat your popover pan. This will prevent the popovers from sticking to the bottom, albeit using a non-stick pan.
- Spray the inside (and surface) of your pan with cooking spray. They will stick to the top otherwise.
- Back on a low rack. Popovers grow tall and proud; they will touch the oven light and/or top heating element if they are not positioned for expansion.
- Do not open the oven door while they bake!
- Serve hot! Popovers are best served warm or piping hot. They will start to deflate and get eggy as they cool down.
How To Make Sourdough Popovers {Step-By-Step Recipe}
Step 1: Preheat The Oven
Preheat your oven to 450 F (230 C) for at least 30 minutes to ensure it’s nice and hot. Place a popover pan inside to heat up.
Step 2: Prepare The Batter
Melt the butter and milk together until warm (not boiling). In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, sourdough starter, mustard, parsley, garlic powder, salt and pepper until smooth.
Step 3: Combine Wet & Dry Ingredients
Slowly add the warm milk mixture into the egg mixture, whisking continuously as you pour. Add the flour, and keep whisking until the batter is thin, frothy and completely lump free. At this point, pour the bater into a measuring jug or use a ladle for portioning.
The way I do it: Unlike most of my sourdough discard recipes, I do not ferment my sourdough popover batter overnight in the refrigerator. Cold batter does not work for popovers- the texture becomes too tough and doughy when baked.
Step 4: Fill The Pan
Carefully remove the hot popover pan from the oven. Spray the inside and surface with cooking spray. Pour the batter into each cup, filling 2/3-3/4 full.
Step 5: Bake The Popovers
Place the pan on the bottom rack. Reduce heat to 400 F (200 C). Bake for 38-40 minutes, or until beautifully risen, deep golden brown and crisp.
Step 6: Serve Piping Hot.
Serve immediately while hot and airy. So good. Sourdough popovers go really well with cozy soups and stews, or better yet: straight from the oven with softened butter for breakfast.
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Golden, Airy Sourdough Popovers From Scratch
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 40
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 6 1x
- Category: Sourdough Discard Recipes
- Method: Oven-Baked
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
Light, airy, and irresistibly crisp, my golden sourdough popovers get a flavorful twist from tangy sourdough starter, Dijon mustard and fresh parsley. The batter comes together in 5 minutes flat. This recipe comes from my book, Artisan Sourdough Made Simple.
For best results, review the comprehensive tips section outlined in my step-by-step post.
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups (300 ml) milk, whole or 2%
- 2 tbsp (28 g) unsalted butter, cubed
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup (120 g) sourdough starter discard (or active sourdough starter)
- 1 tbsp. Dijon Mustard
- 1 tbsp finely chopped parsley
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp fine sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 cup (120 g) all purpose flour
- Cooking spray, for coating the pan
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450 F (230 C) for 30 minutes (please use an oven thermometer for accuracy; the correct temperature is essential for a high-rise). Adjust your oven rack to the position just below center. Place a 6-cup non-stick popover pan inside to heat up.
- In a small saucepan (or microwave), gently warm the milk and butter over low heat.
- Crack the eggs into a large bowl. Add the sourdough starter, mustard, parsley, garlic powder, salt and a few turns of freshly ground black pepper. Whisk to combine.
- Gradually pour the warm milk mixture into the egg mixture while whisking continuously.
- Add the flour, and continue to whisk until the batter becomes thin, frothy and lump free. It should be warm to the touch. At this point, pour the batter into a measuring jug if you have one, or use a ladle for portioning.
- Remove the hot popover pan from the oven. Generously coat the inside and surface of the pan with cooking spray.
- Pour/ladle the batter into the pan, filling each cup about 2/3- 3/4 full. It will sizzle.
- Place the pan into the oven. Reduce the heat to 400 F (200 C). Bake for 35-40 minutes. DO NOT OPEN THE OVEN DOOR while the popovers bake. They will be beautifully risen and deep golden brown when ready.
- Serve piping hot.
Comments
Stephanie Fenton says
Any ideas on an egg substitute by any chance? I feel like eggs are what make the recipe but wanted to see if you have any ideas!
Nancy says
HI I’m interested in knowing how to clean that pan that you have pictured your Popovers in. I made them in my pan years ago and the thing is the worse to try and clean and now EVERTHING sticks to the pan all most to the point I’m thinking of throwing the pan in the garbage and using a no stick muffin pan, only thing stopping me is the how deep the popover pan is. Please give advise, thank-you
Nancy
Shanners says
Hi! I tried this recipe and used a muffin tray. Today is my second attempt. First attempt, they came out nice and crispy on the outside, but super soggy in the middle. I left them in for 38 minutes and I doubt 2 minutes would have made a difference. The only thing is that I hadn’t left the muffin tray in the oven for 30 minutes, so I assume that was a factor.
Second try (today), I made sure to preheat the oven with the muffin tray in for at least 35 minutes. It ended up being between 45-50 minutes. I also used some active starter mixed with dormant discard for this recipe. However, there was no sizzle when I poured the batter in, and although they came out nice and crispy and gorgeous on the outside, they were still a bit soggy inside (albeit less soggy than the previous attempt). What could I be doing wrong?
I’d also like to add that I heated the milk and butter to more hot than warm, as it cooled down pretty quickly even though it’s boiling hot in my kitchen. The batter also wasn’t warm by the time I was done and ready to pour it in, so I popped it into the microwave in 5 second bursts until it was lukewarm, then poured. Could this have had any impact? This happened first attempt too. Thank you
Paige says
Hi, Does the sourdough discard have to be room temp as well? Thanks
Singalongsong says
Thank you for all the details and notes to success! I had a mishap and forgot to add the flour until after I’ve put the popovers into the oven. Oops! I had to scoop out all the batter back into the mixing bowl to mix in the flour. And yet they still turned out better than King Arthur recipe! Definitely going in my recipe box and trying again soon.
Emilie Raffa says
Oh my goodness! Good thing you caught it! I’m glad you enjoyed the recipe. Thanks for the feedback :)
AnnieR says
As soon as I saw this recipe, I knew I had to make these. If you have sourdough discard to use up and don’t know what to make with it, then start with these popovers. These were subtly flavored but you can certainly add more herbs and spices if that is your preference. The best part is that they held up so well. They didn’t collapse as other recipes I have tried. I left one on the counter uncovered overnight and it was still perfectly crispy on the outside and moist on the inside when i had it for breakfast. It’s a keeper.
Emilie Raffa says
It’s so funny you mentioned this… I also left a few n the counter overnight, uncovered. Totally crispy on the outside! I was surprised actually. I’m super thrilled you had success with the recipe. Thanks again for your feedback :)
Silvina says
Hi, how much mustard? I dont see it on the ingredients, thanks :)
Emilie Raffa says
Hi there! 1 tbsp. Dijon mustard.
Patrick says
Delicious flavor! I’ve made them only once but did not have a popover pan (I used a muffin tin). Only the edges of my popovers rose – all the centers remained depressed. Is that typical when not using a popover pan? I’ll try them again when my popover pan arrives in a couple of days.
Emilie Raffa says
Hi Patrick! Not necessarily. Muffin pans do work. However, to get a super high rise you must do the following: set oven to 450 F and preheat for a minimum of 30 minutes (get an oven thermometer to double check); preheat the pan (a popover pan will help), the pan must be well greased (no exceptions), the batter must be warm (no exceptions, cold batter won’t rise as well), and the texture of the batter must be thin (unless you want muffins, not popovers). If any of the above variables are off, the rise will be off too. My sense is that your oven was not quite hot enough. This is so common- I see it all the time! Grab an oven thermometer to double check! Hope this helps :)
Patrick says
SO helpful – thanks so much for the speedy and detailed reply! I’ll give it another go and let you know how it works. Thank you!!
Emilie Raffa says
You are very welcome! Enjoy :)
Patrick says
Popover pan made all the difference for me. 😃 The batter domed immediately, which was not the case with the muffin tin. Glad I tried it! Thanks again for your pointers.
Whitney says
How much mustard do you use?
Emilie Raffa says
Hi there! 1 tbsp. Dijon mustard.