Crisp Yorkshire Puddings

Before you start

Yorkshire puddings are the British roast-dinner side made from a plain batter of eggs, flour and milk poured into very hot fat. They puff into crisp, golden cups with soft, slightly custardy bases, perfect for holding gravy. Like popovers they rise on steam alone, but they are baked in meat dripping or oil rather than butter, and served with roast beef rather than jam.

Many cooks measure the batter by volume: equal volumes of eggs, flour and milk. Crack the eggs into a measuring jug, note the level, then match it with flour and with milk. This scales to any number of eggs and is close to the weights given here. Two other details matter more than anything: rest the batter for at least 30 minutes (overnight in the fridge is even better), and get the fat in the tin genuinely smoking hot before the batter goes in.

Ingredients

• 4 large eggs — about 200 ml in volume
• 140 g (1 cup plus 2 tbsp, spooned and leveled) all-purpose flour
• 200 ml (¾ cup plus 1 tbsp) whole milk — or half milk, half water for crisper shells
• ½ tsp fine salt
• 60 ml (4 tbsp) beef dripping or a high-smoke-point oil — such as sunflower or canola; 1 tsp per cup

Method

1. Crack the eggs into a jug and whisk with the salt. Whisk in the flour until you have a thick, smooth paste with no lumps, then gradually whisk in the milk until the batter is the consistency of single cream.
2. Cover and rest the batter for at least 30 minutes at room temperature, or refrigerate it for up to 24 hours. If chilled, let it stand out for 20 minutes while the oven heats.
3. Heat the oven to 230°C (450°F), or 210°C (410°F) on a convection setting, with a rack in the upper-middle position and no rack above it.
4. Put 1 teaspoon of dripping or oil into each muffin cup and place the tin in the oven for about 10 minutes, until the fat shimmers and just starts to smoke.
5. Whisk the batter once more. Working quickly with oven mitts, move the tin onto the open oven door or a heatproof surface and pour the batter into the cups to about half full. It should sizzle as it hits the fat. Return the tin to the oven immediately.
6. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes without opening the door, until the puddings have risen high above the tin, the sides are deep golden brown and crisp, and the bases look set.
7. Serve at once with roast meat and gravy. If they must wait, keep them in the turned-off oven with the door ajar for no more than 5 minutes.

Tips for success

• Use a metal tin rather than silicone or glass. Metal gets the fat hot enough to set the batter on contact, which is what launches the rise.
• Swapping some of the milk for water gives lighter, crisper walls; all milk gives a softer, richer pudding.
• Make the batter while the meat roasts, then raise the oven temperature for the puddings while the meat rests under foil.

Substitutions

Beef dripping

Sunflower, canola or vegetable oil all work and reach the needed heat. Dripping adds a savory flavor; olive oil and butter burn at this temperature and are not recommended.

Whole milk

Semi-skimmed milk, or a mix of milk and water, gives crisper, slightly less browned puddings.

Muffin tin

A 20 x 30 cm (8 x 12 in) metal roasting pan makes one large shared pudding, sometimes called a tray Yorkshire. Use 3 tablespoons fat and bake 25 to 30 minutes.

Variations

Toad in the hole

Brown 6 sausages, put them in a 20 x 30 cm metal pan with 3 tablespoons hot dripping, pour the batter around them and bake 25 to 30 minutes until risen and the sausages are cooked through.

Herby Yorkshires

Whisk 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme and a grind of black pepper into the batter before resting.

Troubleshooting

Puddings rose then sank

The oven door was opened early or they came out underbaked. Leave the door closed for at least 20 minutes and bake until the sides are firm and deep brown.

Flat, pancake-like puddings

The fat was not hot enough or the batter was too thick. Heat the fat until it just smokes, and thin the batter with a splash of water if it is thicker than single cream.

Greasy, soggy bottoms

Too much fat in each cup or not enough heat. Use about 1 teaspoon per cup and make sure it sizzles hard when the batter goes in.

Storage

Yorkshire puddings are best freshly baked. Cool leftovers, refrigerate for up to 2 days and reheat at 200°C (400°F) for 4 to 5 minutes. They also freeze well for up to 2 months; reheat straight from frozen for 6 to 8 minutes. Refrigerate leftover batter and use within 24 hours.

Safety notes

Hot dripping can spatter and cause serious burns; keep children and pets away and pour the batter on a stable surface. Do not taste raw batter. Contains wheat, egg and milk.