Popovers/Dutch Baby Pancake/Yorkshire pudding
As a child, my Gran in Nottingham made light and fluffy Yorkshire puds, with crisp shells and melting centers- served with gravy and roast beef. Yum! But she could never really articulate how she did it. Now my Mum is a great cook, and super adventurous experimenter when it comes to trying recipes. That said, back home, Mum attempted Yorkshire pudding on countless Sundays. Mum would peek anxiously in through a crack in the the oven door every couple of minutes and watch in horror as it deflated to a limply flat and soggy pud. We supported her attempts with typical scientific interest and critical eating, what factors could be changed? some day we were sure, it would all work out. At school in England, the muffin sized yorkies were tough, chewy (and to my horror- bounced). So for me the search for a reliable recipe was similar to the Grail.
In the USA, people refer to popovers and Dutch babies, where it's all about height with crisp shells and serve them sweet instead of savoury. The first time I experienced the impressive form of the Dutch baby was at a ski cabin in Tahoe where a professional chef whipped one up in about 15 minutes. She made it look so easy, producing crispy lofty peaks of golden pillowy meltingly soft goodness in a massive cast iron pan**. With a dusting of icing sugar and raspberry jam, it was a perfect winter wonderland breakfast. Inspired by her success, I made a note of her recipe which I've tweaked and been using ever since. I've experimented with proportions and have determined the golden secret ratios which will work every time. So you can adjust your proportions based on how many people you're cooking for. The ratios are essentially 1:1 for milk:flour*:egg ie For every 1/4 cup flour & milk you need 1 large egg or about 1/4 cup egg.
Ingredients:
3 Tbs Butter
2 Tbs Grapeseed oil (or lard)
4 eggs
1 C milk
1 C flour (3/4 Cup All-Purpose: 1/4 Cup Bread)
1/4 tsp salt
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 425oF. Place butter & grapeseed oil in cast iron pan and heat in oven while you prepare the batter. In a blender or food processor whiz eggs until they are well mixed. With the motor running, add milk, flour and salt, whiz for another 30 secs - 1 minute.
Pour batter into preheated skillet (the butter/oil should sizzle) and return to oven. Bake for about 18-25 minutes until craggy peaks are browned but not burned. It's most impressive if everyone is ready and waiting since it deflates slightly when it comes out of the oven. (I've tried leaving it in for longer to keep the puffiness but then the outside gets tough...)
If serving sweet, dust with powdered sugar and top with fruit, preserves etc. Whipped cream is fun too.
For savoury garnish with chopped chives or parsley, and smother with gravy. I served it with sautéed wild mushrooms and shallots.
Discussion:
Texture
Should they be crisp, soft, flat, puffy? To my taste, the outside should be crisply browned and the inside a creamy souffle-like texture. Overcooked, the outside becomes tough and the insides cottony and chewy.
Flour
* I use a mixture of All-purpose flour and Bread flour 3:1 Bread flour is a high-protein flour. The high protein supports the pancake's rise to an impressive pouffe, but too much can make it tough and chewy. The All-purpose flour makes the pancake tender and melting. You can adjust to your preference.
Eggs
It's not as complicated as a soufflé, but the protein from the eggs also helps support the structure as the steam causes it to rise. You don't need baking powder, which is a completely different chemical reaction! Caution- overbaking will make the egg proteins tough.
Equipment
** The cast-iron skillet transmits heat to allow the pancake to rise quickly and then the sides set to support the structure. Adjust cooking time based on the size of the pan.
Individual vs large – I use a cast iron takoyaki/abelskiver pan sometimes, but you can use a muffin tin. Just be sure to use plenty oil/butter else they will stick! Clearly individual popovers require significantly less time than one in a skillet, 10-15 minutes is good depending on how firm you want the center.
Heat
Make sure that the oil/butter in the pans is almost smoking before you add the batter. It should sizzle as you add the batter.
Avoid opening the oven once you've started baking, it will deflate if the sides are not strong enough to support the weight of the structure. Trust that it WILL work...
If your oven is too cold, it will also not rise.