Ingredients
Batter
- 140 gplain flour
- 4eggs
- 200 mlwhole milk
- 1/2 teaspoonsalt
For the tin
- beef dripping, or a high-smoke-point oil
- about 1 teaspoon per hole
Equipment
- a twelve-hole metal bun tin
- or a large roasting tin for one big pudding
Directions
- Put the flour and salt into a bowl. Make a well and crack in the eggs. Whisk the eggs into the flour first.
- Whisk until it is completely smooth. It should be about the consistency of single cream. Strain it through a sieve if any lumps remain.
- Cover the bowl and leave it for at least half an hour. An hour or overnight in the refrigerator is better. Whisk it once more before using it. Pour it into a jug, which makes filling easier. Heat the oven to 220C with a shelf near the top.
- Put a teaspoon of dripping in each hole of the tin. Do not use butter, which burns at this temperature. Put the tin in the oven for ten minutes. The fat must be genuinely smoking hot. Take the tin out and set it on a heatproof surface.
- Work quickly because the fat cools every second. Pour batter into each hole from the jug. Fill each one about halfway up. The batter should sizzle immediately as it hits the fat.
- Bake them for twenty to twenty-five minutes. Do not open the oven door at any point. Lift them out of the tin with a palette knife.
- Serve them straight away while they are tall. They begin to soften within a few minutes. Pour gravy into the hollow in the middle. Cold leftovers can be reheated in a hot oven.
Technique
- The 1737 recipe appeared in The Whole Duty of a Woman under the name dripping pudding.
- Hannah Glasse’s The Art of Cookery of 1747 gave it the name Yorkshire pudding, which is when it entered general use.
Substitutions
- Any neutral high-smoke-point oil replaces beef dripping and makes the recipe suitable for vegetarians.
- Water can replace some of the milk for a crisper, lighter pudding.
Variations
- Toad in the hole bakes sausages in the same batter.
- A single large pudding baked in a roasting tin is the older Yorkshire form.
- Sweet versions served with jam or golden syrup are an old country use for leftovers.
History
A baked batter made from egg, flour and milk, puffed up in a hot oven until light and hollow, documented in English cooking since at least the 1700s, with an early written recipe appearing in a 1737 cookbook under the name dripping pudding, referring to the beef drippings, or fat, traditionally used to grease the pan and help the batter rise dramatically in the oven’s high heat. Its specific association with Yorkshire, and the name that followed from it, developed over the following century as the dish became closely tied to the region’s roast beef dinner tradition, traditionally served as a starter course with gravy before the meat itself, a practice partly explained as filling diners up on the cheaper pudding before the more expensive meat course arrived at the table.
Frequently asked questions
What is Yorkshire pudding?
Yorkshire pudding is a salad & side from United Kingdom: puffed baked batter served with roast beef and gravy. A baked batter made from egg, flour and milk, puffed up in a hot oven until light and hollow, documented in English cooking since at least the 1700s, with an early written recipe appearing in a 1737 cookbook under the name dripping pudding, referring to the beef drippings, or fat, traditionally used to grease the pan and help the batter rise dramatically in the oven’s high heat. Its specific association with Yorkshire, and the name that followed from it, developed over the following century as the dish became closely tied to the region’s roast beef dinner tradition, traditionally served as a starter course with gravy before the meat itself, a practice partly explained as filling diners up on the cheaper pudding before the more expensive meat course arrived at the table.
How long does Yorkshire pudding take to make?
Yorkshire pudding takes 10 minutes plus resting of preparation and 25 minutes of cooking. The recipe makes 12 puddings. It is rated medium to make.
What can I substitute in Yorkshire pudding?
Yes, within limits. Any neutral high-smoke-point oil replaces beef dripping and makes the recipe suitable for vegetarians. Water can replace some of the milk for a crisper, lighter pudding.
What is the most important thing to get right in Yorkshire pudding?
Put a teaspoon of dripping in each hole of the tin. Do not use butter, which burns at this temperature. Put the tin in the oven for ten minutes. The fat must be genuinely smoking hot. Take the tin out and set it on a heatproof surface.
