Towering Foolproof Yorkshire Pudding
This foolproof traditional Yorkshire pudding recipe will leave your friends and family green with envy.
Foolproof Yorkies
I cannot believe you can buy frozen Yorkshire pudding. They join the likes of frozen baked potatoes and roasted potatoes foods most ridiculous products as far as I am concerned.
I am not averse to taking the odd shortcut but buying frozen Yorkies to save the 90 seconds it takes to mix together 4 ingredients is mental.
Let’s face it those 4 ingredients are not exactly exotic either.
Sure these take 25 minutes in the oven whereas frozen ones take 20 minutes but please come, folks, feel the love.
They are not difficult to make and taste divine.
There are millions of recipes and theories written about these simple treats, about what to use and what not to use. This is mine.
It has never failed me, I mean NEVER! The lard or beef dripping also gives amazing flavour and texture.
What Is A Yorkshire Pud?
Yorkshire puddings are a favourite Britsh traditional side dish.
Now associated with roast beef they were orignally more closely linked to mutton.
It would originally have been roasted under the meat as the dripping dropped down from above.
The earliest written recipes date back to the mid 1700's... To say they stuck is an understatement, British folk are very protective of this dish.
But it really is no more than a batter cooked in melted hard fat.
So lard, beef dripping although today it is much more common to see them cooked in oil. Which is quite frankly just all sorts of wrong.
In many ways, they are the granddaddy of the American Popover and Dutch Baby Pancakes.
If you want to take your Yorkshire pudding recipe to the next level then think toad in the hole. No there are no toads or frogs involved!
It is genuinely one of my most cherished childhood food memories.
I also do a roasted vegetable toad in the hole too, which may be 'food blasphemy' but I love it!
The Secret to Foolproof Yorkshire Pudding
The main secret is not to weigh anything, seriously, no scales!
I am typically a weights kinda guy and every time I read an American recipe I find myself screaming at my screen to buy a set of bloody scales.
But for this one volumes rule, so just get some transparent jars and off you go.
Do not compress the flour, just line up three jars, fill them up to the same level with flour, egg and milk respectively. Mix them together, season and set aside.
Resting the batter really does make a difference too, go for at least four hours, although overnight is wonderful if you can do it.
Please try and use a hard fat, beef dripping, lard, even duck or goose fat. This gives the puddings much more of a crispt crunch and makes them taste incredible!
But you can use a vegetable or sunflower oil if you must.
This recipe will make two towering Yorkshire puddings which is my favourite way to make them.
But if you prefer the shallower dish type use this same recipe but divide the mix between 4 shallower moulds.
A muffin tin is ideal for this and they cook the same way.
The Easiest Yorkshire Pudding Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 Egg Lightly 'beaten'
- Plain Flour Same volume as the egg
- Milk Same Volume as the egg
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
- 2 teaspoon Lard Sub for Beef Dripping if you can
Instructions
- Crack the egg into the first of 3 identical 'things', jars, ramekins, use whatever you have lying around, although something transparent does make it easier, beat gently.
- Then add the flour into the second bowl, ensuring that it comes to the same level as the egg.
- Repeat with the milk.
- Now, combine all the ingredients with a whisk and set aside to rest. You should rest for at least 4 hours, but the longer the better, go overnight if you want.
- Take two 8cm (3 ¼") dariole moulds and put a teaspoon of lard or beef dripping in the base of each and place in the oven, set the oven to 230°C and bring to temperature.
- When the oven is hot and the fat is smoking, pour half of the batter into each mould and close the door.Cook for 25-30 minutes and serve immediately!
What a great idea using the jar method, I’ll never need to look for another Yorkshire pudding recipe again thanks!
Hey Brian, I do have success making Yorkshire Puds but have always done them in the big muffin tins, which isn't a bad thing because 6 is never enough. Have to test them first of course. I'm in New Zealand and I have never heard of Dariole Moulds. Lo and behold I see my local kitchenware shop stocks them. I'm off to buy some so thank you for that.
BTW the recipe I have been using is once again, a weighing recipe, equal parts of egg, flour and milk, then a small dash of cold water and pinch salt. It's okay but I'm sure eyeballing is just quicker and easier.
One thing I also like to throw on top of the cooked sausages or Toad In The Hole is caramelised onions. Yum!
Just wondered if you have ever used duck fat instead of lard? Oh and what about coconut oil? I have a tub of it which I'm not sure what to use for.
Cheers from NZ!
Hey Tracy, glad you found this useful, I picked up the "eyeball" method from a chef called Brian Turner an obscene number of years ago and it's always seen me right 🙂
Duck fat works fine for this as does goose fat and beef dripping, I've never tried coconut oil though, it's quite expensive in Europe and never found a reasonable reason to indulge in buying any, sorry.
Have fun with the dariole moulds.
Brian
I made these but cooked them in a shallow 5 inch stainless Indian dish, came out beautiful, then I fill them with stewed rump beef in a Guinness gravy, my husband thinks it is all yummy, I have mine with fresh roasted veggies in a chicken gravy (Bisto) which is cheating.
Thanks for your recipes.
Glad you and yours enjoyed them Susan, they always work for me and it's a super simple approach to making Yorkies that I picked up more years ago than I care to remember 🙂
Thanks for taking the time to write to me, it really does make a hue difference to people like me that run websites like this!
All the best.
Brian
Bought,frozen Yorkshires?!..ugh!.I have NEVER had any success with home cooked ones tho I have to admit, so tomz I will be following ur recipe to make s T.I.T.H
2 things want to ask..
Have been told that substituting water for milk..or half n half ..allows for a hotter oven and longer cooking time so no undercooked bottoms, which h always seems to be 1 of my probs..any thoughts on that pls? Also, is ig a good idea to leave them in the (turned off) oven whilst putting the rest of the dinner out to avoid the steam from escaping too quickly causing them to sag or soften please?
Sorry, a 3rd question..
equal height/ amounts of flour + equal the height/amount of milk...in a jar = same hieight/amount of 1 large egg whisked...= 2 'high'puds/ 4 smaller ?I presume that's correct? Not, as uv said equal weights of each? Think will have to be really strict on myself as I'm sure wen look at the 3 jars side by side , the amount of flour n milk will look tiny! Lol. So if wish to make double (I know sounds stupid) but to make double amount of puds x just double quantities?
I know completely different recipe..but whilst I'm here..sounds same sort of measurement calculation used to make Victoria sponge ..only I believe with that it's equal weights?
Again, prob sojnds really dim,but never know..in the case of that recipe do u take the weight of the eggs with or without the shells please? Lol
Thanks Brian
Hi Nade... sorry it has taken a while to get back to you, things have been hectic for me of late, I'll try my best to answer your questions.
I am assuming that you are British and by half and half you mean half milk and half water rather than the US product of the same name... I have tested this theory and noticed no discernible difference in the resulting Yorkies.
I cook my Yorkies whilst the meat is resting which should be at least 25 minutes for a family joint or a whole chicken, so yeah essentially you want to remove the puds at the very last minute.
Yes this is a volume only recipe, so no weights at all, I have tried to fond the bit where I am confusing you and cant see it, I am probably looking right at it, I'm rubbish at proof reading, if you copy and paste the bit in a response to this I will go back and try and tidy it up 🙂
And yes, if you want double the yorkies just double the ingredients.
I'm afraid I am not the best person to ask about baking, it is not something that I do very often, I just don't have a sweet tooth. The only thing that I have a fleeting memory of is the 1-2-3-4 ratio for cake, which I had to look up and it's one part butter, two parts sugar, three parts flour and 4 eggs, with the first 3 being cups or 240ml and you should use a 9" cake tin.
I hope that helps.
All the best, Brian.
Hi Brian is It self raising flour or plain.
It's plain flour, I have updated the recipe to make it clearer 🙂
Thank you for this super easy recipe for popovers.
They really do come out perfectly every time.
I just thought I would add-in that I don't posses any dariole molds, and so resorted to using a muffin tray.
I worked wonderfully and so it now has another purpose.
Thanks again.
Yes, a muffin tray works a treat, glad you like them, if you want to do something really awesome, sear some sausages and place them in a roasting tin, make a large batch of this mix and pour it over the sausages and into a hot oven... Toad in the hole 😀
I have to admit that every time I try to make Yorkshire puds it's never been truly successful. To my shame I gave up and bought Aunt Bessies. However, I've just spotted your recipe and it does look pretty easy so I'm gonna give it a whirl. Please wish me luck!
No luck required! Equal quantities of each ingredient a sprinkle of seasoning and let it reast. The hot oven, hot (hard) fat and leave it alone, don't keep opening to peak and you will be absolutely fine 🙂
@Brian Jones, you are absolutely correct. I've tried this recipe twice, once for individual toad in the hole and once for individual plain 'ole yorkshire puds and both time they came out perfect. I'm so glad I found this, thank you!
All credit to Mr Brian Turner, it's gotta be almost 25 years since I acquired this recipe and it has never failed me!
Greetings from Canada! I’m trying this tonight with our roast. I’ve never heard of a dariole mould. What can I use instead?
Hey Elaine, I would suggest using a muffin tin, you will need to use less pudding mix in each one and they will not be as tall but they will still work. Just use half of the amount in each "hole" and make twice as many for a pretty standard sized muffin tin.
Greetings from Yorkshire. Here when times were hard we used to have a 3 course Yorkshire pudding dinner, Yorkshire pudding with gravy as a starter, Yorkshire pudding with the roast dinner and Yorkshire pudding with jam or fruit as a dessert.
The puddings were made in the large roasting tin and cut into squares and the last one went into the oven while the main course was being eaten. Half of the last pudding was sprinkled with dried fruit before going in the oven and drizzled with golden syrup when it was cooked and the other
half had jam spread on it when it came out of the oven. Lovely.
Right back at ya from the Hungarian countryside!
I remember stories of those days, I do remember stealing Yorkies whilst my grandparents were preparing Sunday dinner 😮 I've even eaten them as part of real fancy 9 course degustation menus. I don't really have a sweet tooth but certainly,get how they work as a sweet munch too! Proper good versatile grub 😀
Tell me Brian, Would you actually make Yorkshire puddings to freeze so you always have them to hand to use please!
Hey Barbara, I have honestly never tried but I also don't think that I would. The cooking time for Yorkshire puddings is the perfect resting time for a larger cut of meat and even if you have no time to rest the batter they still work out great just thrown into a hot oven.
I haven't made Yorkshire pudding in quite a while... these look perfect! How did you prepare the Brussels sprouts? They look beautiful!
Oh my gosh, those are BEAUTIFUL Yorkshire Puddings!! Nice job Brian! Being American, Yorkshire Puddings are not something that were a part of my traditions growing up but I have been making them on Christmas for the past few years and I absolutely adore them.
Oh, I love Yorkshire puds too much - we also make them at home and no longer buy them for ages - Before, I was always reluctant to make them assuming that they won’t be coming out right - not only that they do come out right, they are so much better than the frozen ones that you can buy from supermarket - your ones look amazing Brian!
I haven't made Yorkshire pudding in quite a while... these look perfect! How did you prepare the Brussels sprouts? They look beautiful!
Thanks Katherine, the Brussels are just simply steamed and then glazed in butter... I like butter, a lot! 😉
Oh my gosh, those are BEAUTIFUL Yorkshire Puddings!! Nice job Brian! Being American, Yorkshire Puddings are not something that were a part of my traditions growing up but I have been making them on Christmas for the past few years and I absolutely adore them.
Thanks Tristen, good to hear that the humble Yorkie has managed to leap across the Atlantic 🙂
Oh, I love Yorkshire puds too much - we also make them at home and no longer buy them for ages - Before, I was always reluctant to make them assuming that they won’t be coming out right - not only that they do come out right, they are so much better than the frozen ones that you can buy from supermarket - your ones look amazing Brian!
Thanks Ramona... They are so simple to make and the hot and quick method means they cook in the amount of time it takes to rest a joint of meat, perfect Sunday lunch fodder 😀
Beautiful photographs, Brian. I love to make Yorkshire puddings, and I agree, it seems funny to buy them frozen. I have the same feelings you do every time I see frozen pre-made pancakes. Or cups of pre-made Jell-O. In any case, the puddings! Love them! I always make way too many, which is fine with me, because I love them microwaved for a few seconds the next morning, with a dollop of butter and jam.
Cheers Jeff. I have heard of the butter and jam thing in the morning before, I can't remember where though, gonna have to give it a try 🙂 I have to confess I have never seen frozen pancakes, good job though as I think it would cause a brain malfunction 😉
Merry Christmas,
Okay I'm American so yeah I'm handicapped as far as weights and measures go... I DO own a scale.
Totally understand the "eye balling" the recipe. But what the heck is that pan you are talking about?
Anyway I'm just going to make my mother's recipe hoping to impress my daughter's Scottish BF. I'll try your soon.
Merry Christmas to you to Cheryl... A dariole mould is a classic patisserie mould from France, they are available in lots of sizes... If they are called something else in the US I am unsure but I did a search on Amazon.com and found them no problem, they should be pretty cheap 🙂
I've never made Yorkshire pudding before...always intimidated! This recipe looks easy enough...I think I could actually do it, woo!
Many people seem to think that but it really is simple 😀
I love Yorkshire pudding and I am so pleased you suggest lard/dripping to cook them in, which is the proper way (in my opinion).
Lovely looking recipe and they turned out really well.
Couldn't agree more there is still room for 'hard fats' in the kitchan as far as I am concerned... I don't use them everyday but there are times when they are just the right thing to use and everything else is wrong 😉
I haven't made Yorkshire pudding in ages, your version looks sooo good! I will have to try it 🙂
Yay for more people eating Yorkies 😀
What an epic Yorkshire pudding! They are difficult to get right, but sooooo worth it! Funny that something so simple can sometimes not work out. Great tips.
I find them pretty simple to be honest, thi sI think is the only recipe that I swear by volumes... I see most recipes using weights which does not make sense, they don't even specify which size egg which is bonkers, a medium egg can be as small as 53g in the UK where as a large can be up to 73g almost a 40% difference in size.
I had yorkshire pudding for the first time at a prime rib steakhouse for a friend's birthday. WOW are they delicious and excellent for soaking up all the delicious meat juices! I was so impressed by their presentation - they look so fancy and hard to make - that I'm impressed by the ease of this recipe. Thanks for sharing!
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Us Brits are not really known for our complicated food 😉 They really are incredibly simple and take about the same time to cook in a hot oven as a roasted piece of meat takes to rest so it is a match made in heaven and like you say they are the perfect gravy mops 😀
@Brian Jones, Thanks so much for this easy uncomplicated recipe for Yorkshire pudding. My late mother always made a dish of it when we had roast beef. She was born in Scotland and her mum always did these. Yay I’m so pleased to have the recipe. Many thanks
You are more than welcome Jane, happy to trigger happy food memories, they drive so much of what I do.