Whole Wheat Popovers

Whole wheat popovers are the whole-grain version of a traditional popover, made with eggs, milk, whole wheat pastry flour and salt. They “pop” up just as delicious as the original with hollow, airy pockets, just waiting to be buttered and devoured!

what are popovers?

Popovers are light and airy roll-like pastries, soft and buttery on the inside, and crunchy on the outside. They have a savory, slightly eggy flavor and go well with a generous pat of salted butter. In England, popovers are also known as Yorkshire pudding. They’re simple to make, only requiring 4 basic ingredients; they’re definitely better than the sum of their parts, combining to create one of my all-time favorite pastries!

I remember making and eating popovers with my Grandma as a kid, “helping” as needed to pour “a little more in this one”, and “a little more here” to even out the batter distribution between the six cups. The best part was watching with fascination through the hazy oven door to see their magic rise happen before my eyes. I imagine my grandma served them to my brother and me for the same reason I love making them for my three girls: they’re full of protein. Plus, I get to hear a happy series of squeals when I tell them what I’m making, most often as a snack in our house. The whole grain nature of these whole wheat popovers means I can feel good about making them often, and we do! These whole wheat popovers are also divine served with a bowl of soup or a roast.

Popover pan vs muffin pan

You only need 4 ingredients to make whole wheat popovers!

• Eggs – Make sure they’re large eggs.  The magic of the popover is possible because of the lift the eggs create in a hot oven.
• Milk – Use whole milk.
• Whole wheat pastry flour – This recipe is made with “whole wheat pastry flour” or “white whole wheat flour”. Do not use regular whole wheat flour in this recipe as it’s too dense to rise properly.
• Kosher salt 

How to make whole wheat popovers

Besides only requiring a few ingredients, the batter is quick and easy to make by hand. This recipe is based on a favorite recipe of mine from The Grand Central Baking Book by Piper Davis and Ellen Jackson

Make popover batter

1. In a medium bowl, whisk eggs, milk and salt until foamy and well incorporated.
2. Using a sifter or wire strainer, sift flour into egg mixture and continue whisking until most of the lumps are smooth. Batter will be the consistency of heavy whipping cream.  

Let batter rest and pre-heat oven

Let batter sit for 20-30 minutes to rest.  This step is not absolutely necessary but gives them a better rise. While the batter rests, preheat oven to 450 degrees F. 

Pour batter into cups and bake

1. Once oven is preheated, place popover pan or muffin pan in oven to heat until it’s “hissing hot”, about 5 minutes.  Remove pan from oven and, carefully, use a pastry brush to generously butter the inside of the hot cups.
2. Working quickly, transfer popover batter to pourable liquid measuring cup and fill 6 popover cups about halfway. If you’re using a muffin pan, they’ll be filled almost to the top. 
3. Using a potholder, place pan back into oven and bake at 450 degrees for 15 minutes.  Lower oven temperature to 350 and continue baking for 10 more minutes. 
4. Remove from oven and enjoy them with lots of butter and maybe a little jam!  Don’t wait to eat them as they will deflate as soon as they are removed from the oven/hot pan, much like a soufflé. 

Do I need to sift the flour?

Sifting the flour is not absolutely necessary but it helps to remove some of the lumps inherent with adding the flour to a liquid.

Secrets for perfect whole wheat popovers

• Make sure the pan is “hissing hot” when you add the batter to the pan.
• Do not open the oven while they’re baking!
• Serve them piping hot, straight out of the oven before they deflate (they will!) along with plenty of butter and your favorite jam.

Print Recipe

5 from 1 vote

Whole Wheat Popovers

Whole wheat popovers are the whole-grain version of a traditional popover, made with eggs, milk, whole wheat pastry flour and salt. Watch them "pop" up and be amazed!

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time25 minutes mins

Resting Time20 minutes mins

Total Time55 minutes mins

Course: Snack

Keyword: whole wheat popover

Servings: 6 popovers

Ingredients

• 3 large eggs
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour or whole wheat white flour
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt

Instructions

• In a medium bowl, whisk eggs, milk and salt until foamy and well incorporated.
• Using a sifter or wire strainer, sift flour into egg mixture and continue whisking until most of the lumps are smooth. Batter will be the consistency of heavy whipping cream.  
• Let batter sit for 20-30 minutes to rest.  This step is not absolutely necessary but gives them a better rise. While the batter rests, preheat oven to 450 degrees F. 
• Once oven is preheated, place popover pan or muffin pan in oven to heat until it’s “hissing hot”, about 5 minutes.  Remove pan from oven and, carefully, use a pastry brush to generously butter the inside of the hot cups.
• Working quickly, transfer popover batter to pourable liquid measuring cup and fill 6 popover cups about halfway. If you’re using a muffin pan, they’ll be filled almost to the top. 
• Using a potholder, place pan back into oven and bake at 450 degrees for 15 minutes.  Lower oven temperature to 350 and continue baking for 10 more minutes. 
• Remove from oven and enjoy them with lots of butter and maybe a little jam!  Don’t wait to eat them as they will deflate as soon as they are removed from the oven/hot pan.