The Best Yorkshire Pudding and Toad in the Hole Recipe.
Feb 4th is Yorkshire Pudding Day and a perfect excuse to indulge in some comfort food. Toad in the hole with onion gravy.
What’s not to love, Yorkshire puddings, sausages and onion gravy, made with pork neckbone broth.
I always cook my Yorkies in cast iron, and like them risen at the edges and dipped in the middle - otherwise, they are a popover. I have a cast iron muffin pan for the small yorkies or I use my cast iron skillets.
There are tons of recipes out there, some use water, some beer, and some use a lot of eggs.
I have been making my recipe for over 30 years. I use more milk than flour because when I was self-sufficient, many years ago, I had a house cow and lots of milk, but I had to buy flour, and eggs were sometimes in short supply, so my original recipe only used 1 egg.
Ingredients
Toads
1 lb our Breakfast or Cumberland sausages
Yorkshire Pudding Batter
The Yorkshire pudding recipe makes 6 muffin tin yorkies or 1 large frying pan size
2 eggs
1 cup full-fat milk
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
good pinch of salt
1 - 2 tbsp lard
Onion gravy
2 onions sliced
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
2 tbsp butter
500 ml pork or chicken stock
Soy sauce
Instructions
Start with the Yorkshire Pudding Batter
Make the Yorkshire Pudding batter. I mix mine in a jug, it’s easier to pour and saves washing up. Start with the eggs, then add flour, salt and milk. I always use a stick blender, but you can hand-whisk or use an electric beater, however you like to mix your batter.
Rest the batter for at least 30 mins, but the longer the better, overnight if possible. This batter is now ready to use for Yorkshire puddings or to make Toad in the Hole.
How to use the batter.
To make Yorkshire Puddings
While the batter is resting, preheat the oven to 425 ℉
Preheat your Yorkshire pudding tin: Put a small amount of lard in the bottom of your muffin tin or your skillet - whatever you are using to cook your puddings in. I use cast-iron skillets or cast-iron muffin tins, but you can use any oven-proof dish.
Get your batter ready: When your lard is sizzling hot, take the batter from the fridge and give it another quick blitz or whisk.
Pour your batter: Take your tin out of the oven and quickly pour in the batter.
Cook: Put the tin back in the oven and bake for 25-30 mins. They should come out of the tine easily when they are cooked.
To make Toad in the Hole
Preheat the oven to 425 ℉
Brown the Sausages: I use a cast-iron skillet. Cook sausages until just browned; don’t overcook because they will cook more in the oven.
Remove the sausages and add 2 tbsp lard to the pan, then put it in the oven and get the lard sizzling hot.
Get your batter ready: When your lard is sizzling hot, take the batter from the fridge and give it another quick blitz or whisk.
Get your Toads ready: Put the sausages back in the skillet and then pour the batter over them. Put it in the oven for about 40 mins. I usually take a quick peek at 30 mins.
Serve with onion gravy and your favourite veg. We like cabbage seasoned with salt and pepper and fried in butter or bacon fat.
Onion Gravy
While the toad in the hole is cooking, Melt 2 tbsp butter in a pan and fry the sliced onions.
Make a Roux: Once the onions are soft, sprinkle the flour over and stir to mix, then add a quarter cup of stock.
Thicken: Stir over a medium-high heat and as the gravy thickens, keep adding more stock, a little at a time, bringing it to a boil each time to cook out the flour. Add as much or as little stock as you like to your desired thickness.
Season the Gravy: I always use soy sauce to season my gravy. Thai mushroom soy sauce is my current favourite, and sometimes I add a drop of oyster sauce too, yes, I know it’s not traditional - that would be to use Bisto or Oxo.
Enjoy! Let me know if you have a gluten-free version
Different Flours
I have made Yorkshires with different flours, and they have all worked. Just replace them with the same amount.
Gluten Free: Replace the all-purpose flour with Cornstarch/Cornflour for a Gluten Free Yorkshire Pudding.
Fresh Milled Flour: I use a hard red wheat flour and they turn our perfectly every time.
