What causes popovers to rise so much?

What causes popovers to rise so much? - Charismatic woman in casual wear and headscarf with notebook in hand rising on stairs from underpass and looking at camera while having walk in city

I recently made popovers and I knew they would 'pop over'. Yet, I was surprised they came that high. I'm curious how this is possible, since there is no yeast, baking powder, self-rising flour, beaten egg whites...

I think it's because of the egg, but I'm not sure. So, can somebody explain this?



Best Answer

There is a lot of water in the milk. The high heat turns the water into steam. The egg and flour contains proteins and gluten that forms a "net". The steam can't escape without pushing the net upwards. This makes the dough rise.

It helps that the container is a narrow cylinder.




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Quick Answer about "What causes popovers to rise so much?"

The gluten in flour (and protein from the eggs) create the structure that traps steam in rising popovers.

What prevents popovers from rising?

Preheat the oven to 425 with the pan preheating in the oven. When baking don't open it again until they're done. If you open the oven door the temperature inside can drop too quickly and the popovers will not rise properly. Whip the batter up really airy right before you add it to the pan they'll rise extra high.

What is the secret to popovers?

Preheating the cups jump-starts the cooking. And then there's oven temperature. \u201cInitially you have it really hot, so you can create steam as quickly as possible,\u201d Marks says, which is what makes a popover pop. But finishing at a cooler temperature ensures the outside doesn't overcook before the inside stabilizes.

What is the main rising agent in popovers?

Popovers don't contain a leavening agent like baking power, baking soda or yeast. Instead, they get an impressive rise from steam in a hot oven. During the first 15 minutes of baking, moisture in the batter generates a huge amount of steam. As pressure builds, the batter is pushed sky high!

How do I make my popovers rise more?

A good rule of thumb with popovers is to fill the pans just over halfway full. You want to provide room for the popovers to begin to expand before their structure is fully set (when they most depend on those \u201cwalls\u201d of the pan). If you overfill your popover pan, they may pop too early, when the batter is still liquidy.



The Easiest Popovers Recipe | So delicious!




Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Images: Keira Burton, Artem Podrez, RODNAE Productions, RODNAE Productions