The Cottage Smallholder

Wow! Amazing Yorkshire puddings

I’ve always been rather proud of my Yorkshire puddings. But this recipe new puts my usual offerings totally in the shade. These puds puff up, keep their shape and are 100% guaranteed to be a success.

I was given this recipe by a checkout lady at Tesco many months ago. It is such an easy, no fuss recipe that I didn’t even bother to write down the measurements of ingredients. This weekend I decided to finally test it out.

I put the trays into the oven to heat up. It’s well known that the secret of great Yorkshire puds is to have the fat or oil very hot – ideally smoking. Danny was keen for me to put my puds into the oven to fit in with his timings. So feeling a bit under pressure I didn’t give the oil enough time to heat up to smoking point. As I poured in the mixture there was hardly a hiss.
“Oh no,” I shrieked,”I’ll have to make them again tomorrow.”
“That’s fine, Conchita. I’d happily have Yorkshire puds every day.”
But that wasn’t really the point.

Imagine my surprise when I discovered that the puds had risen perfectly. And even better they didn’t droop – they were crisp on the outside and soft and delicate in the middle. If these worked so well without the fat being hot enough what would they be like if the fat was actually smoking? That’s why I can guarantee 100% that these Yorkshire puds will work for you if you follow the recipe below exactly.

I think that the other key trick with Yorkshire puds is to make the batter and let it rest in the fridge for at least and hour before making the puds. Several hours would be fine as long as you remember to whisk the batter just before pouring it into the tray. Incidentally I use old fairy cake tins inherited from my mum. Individual Yorkshire puds seem so much more special that one large one that everyone slices into.

If the temperature that these puds need to cook is higher than your roast, don’t worry. They can be made whilst your joint is resting. A rested roast tastes far better than a joint straight from the oven.

One word of warning: these puds are extremely moreish – I guzzled four and if there had been more going spare they would have snatched by me too. We’ve now made the waist increasing decision to serve Yorkshire puds each Sunday with every kind of roast. Yum.

Yorkshire puds keep well in the fridge for a few days too. Next time I’m going to make lots more for breakfast snacks – perfect with savoury or sweet toppings.

Easy recipe for Yorkshire Puddings

Find a measuring jug or a set of American cups. All the ingredients are equal in volume rather than weight. I used my one third American cup and this made six individual puds. If you are using a measuring jug, 100ml would make about eight puds.

Ingredients:

One third cup/100ml of white plain/all purpose flour
One third cup/100ml of eggs – two of our eggs filled the cup
One third cup/100ml of milk

Olive oil or lard to put in the baking tray

Method:

Add the flour to a bowl and break in the eggs. Whisk the eggs into the flour – a fork would do – until there are no lumps

Add the milk and whisk until there are no lumps. Put the bowl of batter into the fridge for at least an hour before making the puddings

Put a little oil or lard into the sections of baking tray and place on the top shelf of a pre heated oven – 220c/200c fan. When the oil is very hot, whisk the batter once again and pour into the individual sections. Pop in the oven, top shelf, for exactly 20 mins. Do not open the oven door during this time.

Prepare for rapturous applause.