Genius Yorkshire Pudding

I hardly ever cook a roast dinner on Sundays.  By the time we get back from church and I call my mom, I am too tired, but I had taken a roast out yesterday and I stuck it into the slow cooker while we were at church and the next thing you know potatoes were roasting, swede was boiling, I had the peas and carrots on and a delicious gravy was made.  I know I have shown you my yorkshire puds before, but the pictures were really pants and so I wanted to redo them.   These photos are so much better than the original ones!




This is my late Father In Law's recipe and it is an excellent recipe which turns out light and crisp yorkshire puddings every time . . .  no matter if you cook them individually or in one big tin!



He was a cook in the Canadian Military and a darn good one at that.   He knew how to make killer Yorkshire puddings.  It's all in the technique.  If you follow these recommendations, your puddings will always be great too!

 

Make sure all of your ingredients are at room temperature before you begin.  Not sure why this works but it does.  Make your batter and then let it sit for one hour (at the very least).  This helps the gluten to develop and makes for a very light and tall pudding.



The oil/dripping/fat in your baking tin has to be VERY hot.  So hot that the puddings begin to cook as soon as you pour the batter into the pan.  For this reason you will want to mix the batter together in a beaker that  you can easily pour from, and yes, heat that oil in the pan in the oven almost until it begins to smoke.



Really hot oil  makes sure that your batters don't stick to the pan and ensures a really crisp finish.  Nobody wants a soggy Yorkshire pud!



Just look at that crisp tall finish!  It's the best!  I start them in a very hot oven and then I slowly decrease the temperature for 10 degrees ever 5 minutes of the cooking time.  This helps to keep them crisp, yes   . . .  but also makes sure that they don't get burnt.  The initial high heat sears them and then the lowering of temperature at intervals helps keep em crisp and keeps em cooking without them burning.

 

A tall, light and crisp Yorkshire pudding is a thing of beauty.  They're not hard to make or complicated . . .  they just take time and these few extra little steps.  Trust me when I say they are worth all of it.



 *Yorkshire Puddings*
Makes 12
Printable Recipe

I wonder who it was that discovered that with just a little flour, milk  and eggs you could create something that is so crispy, light and delicious!  Sunday lunch just wouldn't be Sunday lunch without a couple of these on the plate.  These turn out perfect every time, as long as you follow the directions to a "T."  Not hard to do really as they are very simple.

2 large free range eggs, at room temperature
1 tsp salt
1 1/3 cups milk, at room temperature (308ml)
1 cup flour (140g)
a little oil or dripping

Make sure all your ingredients are at room temperature before beginning.  Beat your eggs together in a large measuring jug until very light.  Whisk in the milk.  Sift the flour into a bowl along with the salt.  Make a well in the middle and add the wet ingredients all at once, pouring them into the well, and then whisk them in, slowly incorporating the dry mixture from the sides until you have a smooth batter.  Now, this is the important bit . . . COVER IT AND LET IT SIT ON THE SIDEBOARD FOR ONE HOUR.

Preheat your oven to 230*C/450*F.  Place a small amount of oil or dripping into each cup of a 12 cup muffin tin.  Place the tin into the hot oven to heat up until the fat is hot and sizzling.  remove from the oven and quickly divide the batter amongst each muffin cup, filling them about 2/3 full.  Return to the oven and bake for 20 minutes, until well risen, browned and crispy, reducing the oven temperature by 10 degrees every five minutes.  Serve hot with plenty of gravy!!



Now that's  a tunnel of love, perfect for cradling some delicious gravy.  Mmm mmm mmm . . . now that's what I call genius!

Bon Appetit!

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