Monday, January 23, 2012

What causes popovers to rise so much?

Question

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?

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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