Sourdough Popovers: Recipe, Tips, and How to Serve

Sourdough popovers are naturally leavened, fluffy pastry rolls made from wheat flour, eggs, butter, milk, and sourdough starter. Adding a little sourdough starter to a classic popover recipe results in a light pastry with a tangy sourdough flavor. Chefs often bake popovers in popover pans greased with melted butter or nonstick cooking spray. While a popover pan is similar to a muffin tin, its baking cups tend to be more narrow and steep, allowing a popover to rise to a higher height in the oven.

While its exact origins are unknown, this slightly eggy pastry is likely an American variation on Yorkshire pudding, a savory baked pudding historically baked in pans greased with meat drippings. The main difference between Yorkshire pudding and popovers is that the latter gets baked with butter or oil and can be sweet or savory. In contrast, Yorkshire pudding traditionally gets cooked in meat drippings and is always savory.

A preheated pan is key to achieving sourdough popovers with a good rise. A hot pan will help create steam when the popover batter hits the pan, which will aid your popovers in rising high and reaching an airy consistency. Here’s what else you need to know:

1. 1. Use a fed starter for more leavening power. While both unfed sourdough starter (sourdough starter discard) and fed, ripe sourdough starter will add that tangy, delicious sourdough flavor to your popovers, using fresh starter will help your popovers rise more. A freshly fed sourdough starter contains active yeast, which releases carbon dioxide gas, causing the batter to rise. If your starter is sluggish, learn how to revive sourdough starter.
2. 2. Mix the batter until it just comes together. Mix the batter as little as possible when combining the sourdough popover ingredients. Overmixing can result in tough, dense popovers instead of fluffy ones. It’s okay if the batter is slightly lumpy.
3. 3. Keep the oven door shut. Releasing too much heat while the sourdough popovers bake can cause them to deflate during the baking time. Instead, monitor your popovers as they bake, and once they achieve a golden-brown hue, remove them from the oven and turn them out onto a wire rack. Poke a small hole in each pastry with a paring knife to help excess steam escape and keep them crisp as they cool.

There are many ways to enjoy sourdough popovers, whether you’re in the mood for sweet or savory. Here’s how to incorporate these pastry rolls into any meal:

1. 1. For breakfast: For a traditional breakfast, split open hot sourdough popovers and spread them with butter and jam to eat alongside your morning tea or coffee.
2. 2. As sweet or savory brunch: For a sweet brunch idea, brush freshly baked sourdough popovers with melted butter and cinnamon sugar and serve them with berries and whipped cream. For savory popovers, mix crumbled bacon, cheddar cheese, and chives into the batter before baking. Gordon Ramsay’s scrambled eggs recipe is an ideal accompaniment.
3. 3. With dinner: Though sourdough popovers aren’t the same as Yorkshire pudding, they both pair well with roasted meats. Sourdough popovers are the perfect vessel for soaking up gravy from a classic pot roast.