Oat Bran Popovers

I remember the first time I ever encountered the word “popover” (goodness knows why, but in some ways, my memory is akin to a bear trap). Of course, it was in a novel. I was probably about twelve years old. Plainly, the word made an impression, because I don’t recall anything else from said novel with such clarity. I even remember the line, spoken by the cook in a turn-of-the-century affluent Boston household: “Miss Victoria fancies popovers for breakfast, bless her heart.” All I really knew about popovers for many years was just that: they’re intended for breakfast.

Until last weekend, I’d never tasted one, either. But then Molly Wizenberg posted a recipe for oatmeal popovers a la Marion Cunningham (of The Fannie Farmer Cookbook fame) on her blog, Orangette, and I subsequently discovered that the extra-deep muffin pan I bought at a resale shop for three dollars about a year and a half ago is actually a popover pan. Who knew?

It seemed clear that the stars had suddenly aligned, and that it was time for me to get acquainted with popovers.

Molly’s version (or rather, Marion Cunningham’s version) uses oatmeal. While I’m completely in favor of oatmeal as it adds some health benefits, I made these at 6:30 last Sunday morning so that Eli and I could eat them for breakfast before church, and to be honest, I didn’t feel like putting the oatmeal in the food processor as the recipe suggested. For one thing, I just didn’t feel like dragging the food processor out of the cupboard and then having to wash all its parts. It felt like too much effort (like I said, it was 6:30 a.m. on a weekend. I was doing this before my coffee had finished brewing). For another thing, I didn’t feel like listening to the racket my food processor makes that early on a Sunday. Lucky me, I had a box of oat bran in the cupboard, so I just used that instead. But as for you – well, if all you have on hand is oatmeal, and you don’t mind putting it into a device such as a blender or food processor to pulverize it, then who am I to judge you?

When I finally got them into the oven, I watched them bake, and realized why they are called popovers – they “pop over” the top of the pan, rising up into beautiful golden puffs that come out crisp and airy. I assume this is because the batter is mostly eggs and milk. This lovely texture is a quality that doesn’t last, though – which is why they’re best eaten immediately. In contrast, the “body” of the popover is a little more substantial, something like a nice croissant.

I made a few other adjustments to the recipe instructions, as my oven generally runs on the hotter side, especially when I use a dark metal pan (my popover pan is coated cast iron). Instead of baking these at 450 degrees, I baked them at 425. I also watched the time carefully, and took them out a couple of minutes early. Keep an eye on them – their rich golden color will tell you they’re done. You don’t want them underdone (they’ll be soggy in the middle), but you don’t want them to be overdone, either. They’ll be tough on the bottom.

Popovers are eggy and sweet, just hinting at French toast, even though they contain no sugar (I did add a smidgen of vanilla to the batter), and were delicious split in half, lightly buttered, and spread with strawberry jam. Marion Cunningham recommends orange marmalade, but I didn’t have any. I bet it will be delicious – next time.

Oat Bran Popovers

2 large eggs
1 cup milk (I used 2%)
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup oat bran (or rolled oats, processed into a coarse meal in a food processor or blender)
1/2 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Butter and jam or marmalade, for serving

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs and milk until well combined and a little foamy. 

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, oat bran, and salt. Add to the egg mixture. Whisk until the flour is just incorporated. The batter will be lumpy. 

Add the melted butter, and whisk until smooth. Set aside at room temperature for 30 minutes. (This gives the gluten time to relax and brings the chilled ingredients closer to room temperature, so that the batter isn’t quite so cold when it goes into the oven.)

While the batter rests, move one oven rack to the lowest position, and pre-heat the oven to 425 degrees. When the oven is hot, spray the cups of a popover or muffin pan with oil, and place it in the oven to pre-heat.

After the batter has rested, remove the hot pan from the oven and, working quickly, distribute the batter evenly among the six cups of the pan. (Molly suggests that if your bowl doesn’t have a spout, pour the batter into something that does. I poured it into a two-cup glass measuring pitcher with a spout, which worked perfectly.) Return the pan to the oven and bake 20 minutes. DO NOT open the oven door. Lower the heat to 350 degrees, and bake until golden, about 12 minutes more. Remove the popovers from the pan and cool for 2 to 3 minutes before eating.

To serve, use a sharp serrated knife to gently split the popovers lengthwise. Spread with butter and jam or margarine.

Serves six (or three if you’re hungry people who will consume two apiece).

Note: If you don’t have a popover pan, you can use a regular muffin tin. You will get 10 small popovers instead of six large ones.