ingredients
flour
240 gm
eggs - large 4 pc
milk 2 tbs
dripping sq
production
Combine the egg and milk thoroughly with fork (do not
whisk)
Add the enough of the flour and using a whisk combine
to form a thick yet pourable batter; one that is nicely
thick but can be easily poured from a jug. How thick is
too thick, how thin is too thin is a matter of trial and
error and will soon be become evident as you make a few
batches
Add a little salt to taste
Place the muffin tray / moulds in the oven to pre-heat
(180° - 200°C) for 15 minutes. The oil may also
be added at this time and heated in the oven or may be
heated separately and poured in. I find that putting in
enough oil to 1/5th of the mould works best.
When both the moulds and oil are hot, pour in the batter,
if it does not start to sizzle immediately, stop and continue
to heat and try again
Place on the middle shelf and bake for approximately12
minutes until risen, golden brown and slightly crisp.
A tray on the top shelf will help prevent them browning
too much as this deflects the falling heated air particles
(use this tip when baking cakes etc too!)
Remove from the oven and carefully (as they will be hot)
remove from the tray and serve as soon as possible
Remember to pour away the fat while still warm to be
re-used and pop the puddings in the oven if they seem
to be starting to collapse after a minute or so
chef notes:
To get a good rise one must fill the mix with as much
egg as possible
using only a drizzle of milk. Unfortunately the recipe
here then is not 'foolproof' in amounts, as I cannot guarantee
the size of eggs that you use and they do differ in amount
by as much as 20gm per egg, so it is best to adjust the
flour rather than the egg. The trick is to pack the mixture
with eggs!
Use deep sided muffin trays and heat these trays up prior
to use.
Put in a good measure of hot oil into each mould. If
the oil is really hot, until it just starts to give of
a slight haze but not quite smoking (approximately 180°C)
the moment the batter is poured in, it will sizzle, begin
to cook and rise at the sides immediately. This gives
that 'hollowed' centre look that can be filled and will
hold the gravy.
Do not worry about the oil content too much: if you want
perfect 'Yorkies' you have to live with it and most of
it will still be there when they are cooked and can be
poured away for re-use when you remove the final, cooked
product.
With experience one will be able to judge when they can
be removed and not fall flat / deflate. If you notice
that they are beginning to, pop them straight back in
for a few more minutes, this allows the correct amount
of hardening / crispening of the outer walls to develop
and holds the shape and size.
understanding the complexities
What about these problems many people have making them
. . . why do they not rise? Why do they fall flat? Should
they be crisp or soft? The latter for me is a totally
personal issue, some like them soft, some crisp on the
outside and soft in the middle. When you lash them with
a gravy does it make any real difference?
But to answer the main problems people have with them,
rising and falling flat. One must think and understand
about why and how this happens to answer it. They rise
mainly because of the egg content in the mixture . . .
NEVER add baking powder! For this rising to occur the
mixture needs instant heat, this creates steam and they
puff up and rise - so the oven, etc must all be pre-heated,
a slow gentle heat or cold oven will not work.
They will fall flat if they are removed from the oven
too soon. If they do not slightly crispen on the outside
the structure of the egg and flour mixture does not fully
'dextrinise' meaning its structure will not hold its own
weight . . . think of building a sky scraper out of wood,
eventually it will buckle and collapse under its own weight.
Cooking times will always vary, as everyone's oven is
slightly different and because we tend to open and close
the door to remove the meat, the potatoes, etc. So the
12 minutes I have given here is approximate only, one
will need to judge and modify accordingly.
yorkshire pudding the where?
Well the name suggests of course Yorkshire, but other
counties in the UK make claim to its origin also.
yorkshire pudding the why?
I have always been told that originally it was not actually
served with the roast beef, but before the meal itself,
drenched in a rich gravy. Apparently, it was created to
be served as a stomach filler. Times being hard and meat
an expensive item in most working class family budgets,
as such the traditional Sunday roast in the UK being quite
an event and something to look forward to each week.
With a generous amount of beef flavoured gravy, the Yorkshire
pudding not only tasted like beef, it had a texture similar
to it and cheaply filled the stomach . . . meaning the
small portion of beef actually served did not seem as
meagre as it might have actually been. Any that were left
over would be served for afternoon tea with jam, cream,
etc and why not, they are just a form of 'cake' after
all! For other ideas on Yorkshire puddings with a difference,
see my Chef Notes after the recipe.
These days of course we serve it as an accompaniment
to the roast beef, gravy, along with the traditional roast
potatoes, vegetables, etc. Creamed horseradish of course
also being a must.
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg)
