Sourdough Popovers are made with just a few simple ingredients, along with my sourdough starter to give you a light, fluffy roll you can enjoy anytime! Adding a cinnamon sugar butter spread gives them a sweet flavor that is almost like a dessert! And, don’t worry about not having a popover pan; these are perfect out of a muffin tin! Serve them with an Easy Pot Roast or a refreshing Wedge Salad.
Sourdough Popovers
Popovers are doughy rolls that got their name because the dough will ‘pop over’ the cup that it is baked in. This leaves an airy, hollow (sometimes) inside that you can fill with almost anything. I love them simply with butter, but they are delicious soaked in gravy or filled with jam. I also will give you a cinnamon sugar butter that sweetens the popovers!
The closest food to a popover would be Yorkshire pudding, which isn’t pudding as we know it at all. Its ingredients are similar to the ingredients in an American popover, but with added pan drippings from meat in the recipe. In these Sourdough Popovers, I added my sourdough starter to give them a bit of that sourdough flavor. Don’t worry, they do not have an over the top sourdough flavor…the only thing over the top about these are tops that spill over the pan?.
Sourdough Popovers Recipe
The recipe is so simple and requires just a few ingredients. Once you have your sourdough starter excess or completely fed starter ready to use, this recipe is simple to make! I added a cinnamon sugar butter to sweeten the deal, but don’t limit your options with popovers. These work with both sweet and savory foods!
Popovers Ingredients (full recipe below)
- Milk
- Eggs
- Sourdough starter
- Salt
- All-purpose flour
Cinnamon Sugar Butter Spread
- Butter
- Brown Sugar
- Cinnamon
How to Make Sourdough Popovers
As I mentioned earlier, you do not need a popover tin to make these popovers! I used a muffin tin and they turned out great! Plus, you can get a few more of the doughy rolls when you use a muffin tin. To get started, place a cold popover or muffin tin into the oven and heat it up to 450°F. While the tin and oven are heating up, prepare the batter. (I used The Pioneer Woman’s ceramic muffin pan in the pictures.)
To prepare the batter, start by warming up the milk. You can use any milk you have on hand (whole milk, 2% milk, skim). In a large bowl, combine the eggs, sourdough starter, and salt. Next, add the warm milk and flour to the bowl and gently mix everything together. Don’t overdo the mixing; a few lumps in the batter are okay! But, the batter should be pretty thin. If you have ever had a popover from a restaurant, you know how light and thin they are.
Once the pan and oven are heated to 450°F, carefully remove the pan from the oven, spray it with nonstick spray, and pour in the batter. If using a popover tin, fill the cups almost to the top. If using a muffin tin, go ahead and fill the cups all the way to the top. But, leave some space in between the muffins (don’t use all the cups) so the popovers can expand fully when baking. Bake the popovers for 15 minutes at 450°F. Then, reduce the heat to 375°F and bake them another 15-20 minutes. The tops will be golden brown. Serve them fresh from the oven with the cinnamon sugar butter. To make the sweet butter, simply mix the softened butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon together until it is smooth. Using a hand mixer makes it extra creamy.
How to Make a Sourdough Starter
For these popovers, you just need to make it to the day when you begin removing half the starter (around day 3). Then, you can add it to your recipe. You can also use a ‘fed’ starter that has been patiently waiting to be used.
To begin, add 1/2 cup flour and 1/3-1/4 cup water to a jar and stir well. Then, gently cover the jar (do not seal it closed) and let it sit in a warm place (70°F is best) for 24 hours. The best option for a cover is a paper towel and rubber band. Or, just remember to keep the jar lid loosely sealed. Try to keep it in an area of your house that is somewhat warm. Very cool rooms tend to slow the action of a starter. Wait 24 hours before checking the mixture.
Day 2: After 24 hours, check the mixture for bubbles. If you see bubbles, add the flour and the water, mixing it well, and let it sit for the next 24 hours. If you don’t see bubbles, do not get discouraged! It sometimes takes a couple of days for the science of it all to work. Just wait another day (or even two) until the first feeding (adding flour and water).
Day 3: After another 24 hours, check for bubbles. If you do see bubbles, remove half of the starter, add the 1⁄2 cup flour and 1⁄4-1/3 cup water and stir thoroughly. Let sit 24 hours. Oh, and don’t get rid of the starter you removed! You can use this for these Sourdough Popovers! And, now that you have been successful in feeding the starter, don’t stop now!
On days 4, 5, 6 you can feed it 2 times a day with the flour and water. Continue this routine until the starter is consistently bubbling and doubling in size within 8 hours of each feeding. Then, continue using it all your sourdough recipes!
Enjoy the popovers with butter, jam, fruit fillings, or dipped in gravy. Both sweet and savory options are endless when it comes to serving popovers.
How to Store Sourdough Popovers
Sourdough Popovers are best served fresh from the oven. I am picturing the butter melting over the warm popover right now… anyway, if you can’t enjoy them right away, you can warm them up in the oven for about 5 minutes at 350°F when you are ready to serve them.
To freeze them, let the popovers cool completely before storing them in an airtight, freezer-safe bag or container. They should last for up to 3 months. ‘Pop’ them (get it) into the oven for 8-10 minutes to thaw them and warm them up.
Looking for More Sourdough Recipes?
Now that you know how to get (and keep) your sourdough starter going, it’s fun to use it in a variety of recipes. Here are a few of my favorites.
Ingredients
POPOVERS
- 1 cup (245g) milk
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 1/2 cup sourdough starter
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (125g) all-purpose flour
CINNAMON SUGAR BUTTER
- 1/2 cup butter, softened (I used unsalted)
- 1/4 cup (50g) brown sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
POPOVERS
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Place a cold popover or muffin pan in the oven and heat to 450°F as you prepare the popover batter.
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Heat up the milk in a microwave (or in a saucepan on the stove) just until it begins to warm up. You don't want hot, just warm.
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In a large bowl, mix together the room temperature eggs, sourdough starter, salt, and warm milk.
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Add in the flour, mixing gently with a whisk (making sure to not overmix). The batter should not be very thick (thinner than pancake better) and a few lumps are okay.
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Once the popover or muffin pan has been heated, CAREFULLY remove it from the oven and spray it with nonstick spray.
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Pour the batter into the cups of the pan. Fill each popover cup almost to the top. (This applies to a muffin pan, if you are using a popover pan fill about half-way.)
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Bake the popovers for 15 minutes at 450°F. THEN, reduce the heat to 375°F, baking them an additional 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown. Serve warm with the cinnamon sugar butter.
CINNAMON SUGAR BUTTER
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In a medium bowl, combine the butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon with a hand mixer. (If mixing by hand use a whisk and mix for about 4-5 minutes until not grainy.) Spread it on a warm popover.