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Easy Cheesy Sourdough Popovers

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These buttery and cheesy sourdough popovers are a fun and easy addition to your meal and a great way to use your sourdough starter!

These buttery and cheesy sourdough popovers are a fun and easy addition to your meal!
close up view of sourdough popover split open, on plate with buttered knife

With their crunchy outside, and almost custard like inside full of airy holes, these popovers are truly a delight to add to any meal like Herbed Steak, Irish Potato Soup, or Crusted Chicken Strips.

sourdough popover split open on small plate, with filled platter behind
Popovers have long been one of my favorite kinds of bread. And for a carb-oholic like me to say “favorite”, you know it has to mean something. I can remember, growing up, my father would make the most perfect, delicious, airy and cavernous popovers ever. I am pretty ate more than my fair share of them.

The thought of those almost custard like treats dropping with melted butter is almost enough to make me swoon.

close up view of sourdough popover split open, on plate with buttered knife

Looking for more quick and easy sourdough recipes?

Your sourdough starter can do so many things besides bread! Try these great recipes!

New to sourdough? Read my Ultimate Guide to Sourdough for Beginners to answer all the questions you have!

cooling rack with sourdough popovers cooling on top

Sourdough Popovers – with cheese!

Popovers are a kind of roll that “pop” out of their pan. They remind me of a Yorkshire Pudding, They are airy and sort of hollow in texture, and rich and eggy in flavor. The sourdough starter here gives it just a hint of sourdough flavor, which helps to deepen the flavor without making it really “sour”.

These are perfect split open and smeared with butter, but are also good when slathered in gravy or jam, too.

overhead view of plate with sourdough popover opened and smeared with butter, knife on the side

How do you make popovers with your sourdough starter?

Popovers are really easy to make, and are a perfect and quick way to use your sourdough starter without making a loaf of bread. For the complete recipe directions, please scroll down to the recipe card below. This is just a quick overview of how to make sourdough popovers.

  1. Arrange the top rack in the oven to be in the middle of the oven and place a muffin pan on top of it.
  2. Preheat the oven to 450F with the muffin pan inside.
  3. When the oven has preheated, mix the batter.
  4. Warm the milk in the microwave or on the stovetop so that is is warm to the touch. Make sure to use good quality milk, the fuller the fat the better (whole is best, 2% will work well, too).
  5. In a large bowl, combine the eggs, sourdough starter, and salt.
  6. Carefully whisk in the warmed milk.
  7. Stir in the flour but don’t over-mix the dough. A few lumps are ok. The batter should be pretty thin.
  8. Fold in 3/4 cup of the shredded cheese. Reserve the other cheese to sprinkle on top.
  9. Carefully remove the hot muffin pan from the oven. Make sure that you have your batter, extra cheese and melted butter ready and on hand before you take them out of the oven so you can work quickly. The quicker you are, the more your popovers will rise.
  10. Coat the muffin wells with the melted butter. Remember the pan is hot, so work carefully and quickly! Using a silicone pastry brush is great, here.
  11. Quickly divide the muffin batter between the muffin wells, filling them all the way to the top. Leaves empty spaces in between each muffin well, so that the heat can evenly distribute and the popovers can fully expand.
  12. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top of the popovers.
  13. Place the pan in the oven and bake for 15 minutes at 450F.
  14. Without opening the oven door, reduce the temperature to 375 F.
  15. Bake for an additional 15 minutes.
  16. Remove the pan from the oven. The tops should be golden brown. Remove from the pans and serve immediately.
collage showing steps to make sourdough popovers

Watch the video: https://who13.com/hello-iowa/whats-cooking-cheesy-sourdough-popovers/

Do you need a special pan to make popovers?

Guess what?! You can make these in your regular muffin pans! They won’t be nearly as tall and airy, but they will be close, and they will be delicious!

What kind of sourdough starter do I need to make these?

This recipe uses 100% hydration sourdough starter (meaning starter that is fed equal amounts of flour and water. Read Feeding Your Sourdough Starter for a refresh on how to take care of your starter easily.

Your starter needs to be room temperature for this recipe.

This recipe can be made with either sourdough discard, or sourdough starter that has been fed and is active. Either one will work great!

What kind of cheese do you use for these?

Any cheese that is easily grated and melts nicely will work for these. You can use cheddar, pepper jack, mozzarella, gouda, anything will work!

How to store leftover popovers

Popovers are best when eaten fresh, but if you happen to have a few leftover, you can store them for later. Place them in a container with a lid on the counter for up to 1 day.

To reheat them, place them in back in the oven at 350 F for about five minutes.

side view of white bread dish with grey striped napkin and sourdough popovers inside

Food tastes better when its shared with the ones you love!

There’s nothing I love more than seeing you make my recipes! If you make this recipe, don’t forget to leave a comment and rate it below!

And if you are on Instagram, tag @gingeredwhisk and use the hashtag #gingeredwhisk on social media when you make my recipes so that I can share them and maybe even feature you. Follow along to get the latest updates:

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close up view of sourdough popover split open, on plate with buttered knife

Cheesy Sourdough Popovers Recipe

These buttery and cheesy sourdough popovers are a fun and easy addition to your meal!
4.91 from 11 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Bread
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Servings: 6 Popovers
Calories: 244kcal
Author: Jenni

Ingredients

  • 1 cup milk the fuller the fat, the better. I recommend whole or 2%
  • ½ cup sourdough starter 100% hydration, discard or fed
  • 3 eggs
  • ¾ tsp salt
  • 1 cup all purpose flour
  • 1 cup grated cheese of choice I like sharp cheddar

Instructions

  • Arrange the top rack in the oven to be in the middle of the oven and place a muffin pan on top of it.
  • Preheat the oven to 450F with the muffin pan inside.
  • When the oven has preheated, mix the batter.
  • Warm the milk in the microwave or on the stovetop so that is is warm to the touch. Any kind of milk will work.
  • In a large bowl, combine the eggs, sourdough starter, and salt.
  • Carefully whisk in the warmed milk.
  • Stir in the flour but don’t over-mix the dough. A few lumps are ok. The batter should be pretty thin.
  • Fold in 3/4 cup of the shredded cheese. Reserve the other cheese to sprinkle on top.
  • Carefully remove the hot muffin pan from the oven. Make sure that you have your batter, extra cheese and cooking spray ready and on hand before you take them out of the oven so you can work quickly. The quicker you are, the more your popovers will rise.
  • Spray the muffin wells with nonstick cooking spray.
  • Quickly divide the muffin batter between the muffin wells, filling them all the way to the top. Leaves empty spaces in between each muffin well, so that the heat can evenly distribute and the popovers can fully expand.
  • Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top of the popovers.
  • Place the pan in the oven and bake for 15 minutes at 450F.
  • Without opening the oven door, reduce the temperature to 375 F.
  • Bake for an additional 15 minutes.
  • Remove the pan from the oven. The tops should be golden brown. Remove from the pans and serve immediately.

Notes

Make sure your starter is room temperature and your milk is warm to ensure the best "pop" from your popovers.
Leftovers can be stored on the counter in a container, and reheated in an oven for a few minutes.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 244kcal | Carbohydrates: 26g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 115mg | Sodium: 471mg | Fiber: 1g
cheese sourdough popovers on table, with one split in half
two sourdough popovers on counter

14 Comments

  1. This is simply amazing! Sourdough popovers! Who could tell?

    I am pinning this so I never forget it. Once my life calms down a little, I will surprise hubby with it, he looooves popovers!

  2. Popovers…with cheese…and made with sourdough…these look heavenly. Thank you for sharing with me and making my morning all the more delicious. I hope you have a great end to your week.

  3. Now see…. that is what I call delicious! I have to confess that yes, I have heard of popovers before but not sure if I have ever eaten one… You might have tempted me to give it a go! Looks delicious and well anything with cheese is a winner in my book!

  4. Barbara | Creative Culinary says:

    Shut the front door yourself! These look amazing; right now I could go for something less sweet than my dessert; wanna share?

    Thanks for joining #TwelveLoaves; it would be nothing without our fabulous contributors!

    1. Thanks! 🙂 I love baking bread, this is a great way to get me to work beyond my normal sourdough routine…although I just did bake with sourdough, didn't I? LOL

  5. Oh these little popovers are divine, Jenni. I could eat a few for lunch at this moment and then the rest for dinner later:)really appreciate you baking again with us:)xx

  6. How awesome are these! I definitely need to try them. Nice one Jenni!

  7. vanillalemonade.com says:

    Love these! Huge popover fan!

  8. Just made these again. They are perfect! I sprayed every other hole in my muffin pan and ended up filling the unsprayed holes with the batter. And they still came out without a problem!

  9. I tried these today while the kids were at school, and my husband and I ate them with butter while standing at the counter. They are so good! I will be making them again and again. Thank you!

  10. Can these be made using plain almond milk (unsweetened)?

    1. I haven’t tried that, but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work. If you try it, let me know how it goes!

  11. Hi! I have a question about the ap flour, I’m new to all of this sourdough stuff. Can it be bleached ap flour or does it have to be unbleached? Regardless this recipe looks great and I intend on making it soon! Thanks!

    1. Thanks for your question! Generally speaking, you want to use unbleached flour when working with sourdough. The bleaching process makes it harder for the yeast and good bacteria to thrive, which means it will be a lot harder to get a good rise from your bread. But because this is a “quick” recipe without any proofing time, it would probably be just fine to use up your bleached flour in this recipe. But you will definitely want to get some unbleached flour next time you can!

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