How to Make Yorkshire Puddings

A few weeks ago I asked Facebook for some help due to the fact that I always have Yorkshire Pudding fail – you came up with recipes and tips by the bucket load and in response I bored you to tears with photos of each batch I created. Thank you to all of you who helped me out with your top tips and recipes – I’m pleased to say my Sunday roasts are now complete!

Yesterday was National Yorkshire Pudding Day and although I’m a day late I thought it was time for me to share my new found Yorkshire Pudding skills!

My top tip is to persevere, I have spent years unable to make Yorkshire Puds and have always resorted to Aunt Bessies, not any more. If you have Yorkie Pud demons its time to tackle them head on!

Ingredients:

125g plain flour

2 eggs, large

200ml milk

Salt and pepper

Trex/Lard/Vegetable Oil

Makes 12.

You need a deep 12-hole tin. I’ve sacrificed a cupcake tin for the purpose.

Make up the batter, I like to make it in a jug rather than a bowl then its ready for pouring into the tin (and saves on washing up!)

Place the flour in the base and crack in 2 large eggs.

Start to whisk the eggs, incorporating a little of the flour as you do so.

Keep whisking, adding in a little of the milk at a time and working in more of the flour until all the milk has been added and all of the flour is incorporated. The batter should be the consistency of single cream.

I’d like to say a Pink Whisk makes all the difference, it doesn’t but it does make me smile!

Now set the batter to one side whilst we get on with the rest…

Preheat the oven to 220c (fan)/240c/Gas Mark 9. – This is important, if you’re oven isn’t hot enough you’ll have pancakes.

Once the oven is preheated add a little oil to each recess of the tin, either half a teaspoon of vegetable or sunflower oil or a 1/2 cm square piece of Trex or Lard.

Bob the tray in the oven on a shelf in the top part of the oven for 10-15 minutes to heat up the oil, it needs to be sizzling hot.

Before you take it out to add the batter, first add a good pinch of salt and pepper to the pudding batter and give it a final whisk.

Tray out of the oven and without hanging about pour the batter into each recess, I count 1…2… while filling each. But they should be about half full – 1.5cm deep.

You will see that the hot oil has already started to sizzle the outsides of each pud.

Still no hanging around – straight back into the top of the oven and set the timer for 16 minutes.

No peeking, I know you’re dying to! If you can’t wait then you can open the oven door and peek after 12 mins, any earlier and they’ll most likely collapse!

After 16 mins baking check that the bottoms are cooked through – occasionally they’ll need another 2 mins just to bake the bases through fully.

If you follow the instructions you’ll have Yorkshire Puds that rise 5cm out of the top of the tin, beautifully risen and hollow inside (important for filling with gravy).

The odd one will be wonky but hey for rejects they still taste darn good!

Either serve them right away, or transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely (this stops them sweating in the tin and going soggy) you can either freeze them right away once they’ve cooled or reheat them for a 2-3 minutes in a hot oven to serve with your roast.

Now then, if you want to make a big one to ~~fight over~~ tear and share I’ve found it’s better to have the batter much thicker (thank you to Claire @aceofcakes18 on twitter for this tip off) – make it as before but just use 125ml of milk so the batter is the consistency of double cream. Same rules apply, enough oil to fill the base heated till smoking hot, batter in and back in the oven without hanging around. Bake it for 22 minutes before serving right away. I have a 16cm square pyrex dish that is just the perfect size.

Look at this trying to climb out of the dish!

Top tips for Yorkshire Pudding Success:

Hot hot hot oven – not hot enough and you’ll have pancakes

Enough oil/lard etc in the base, not enough and the blighters will need chiselling out!

Preheat the oil in the tin long enough to be smoking hot before adding the batter.

Batter should go into the tin and the tin back into the oven pretty sharpish.

Don’t open the oven door to have a peek until after three quarters of the baking time has passed or they’ll collapse!

I still haven’t cracked the perfect batter recipe for Toad in the Hole or for making shallow Yorkshire puds, but hey who needs these when we have perfect puds for dowsing in gravy (plus the boys have pleaded with me, no more for now!)