The amazing Yorkshire Pudding ...

... which isn't a pudding at all

In this post, I’m hoping to convince you that you absolutely want to be able to make Yorkshire Pudding, and teach you how, and show you several incredible things you can make, once you learn the art.

What exactly is Yorkshire Pudding?

This is a batter (flour, eggs, milk) poured into oil that is so hot that it doesn’t get absorbed into the batter, but instead puffs the batter up into amazing cups that are crispy on the outside and soft underneath.

The origin of Yorkshire Pudding can be traced back to the county of Yorkshire, in the north of England, where some genius noticed that when a piece of beef is roast in a pan, then taken out to rest before eating, the pan is full of beef fat (called ‘dripping’) and if you throw a batter into the fat while it is hot, you get a lovely fluffy accompaniment to your meat.

Many Brits still cook and eat Yorkshire Pudding like a traybake, but more frequently it is cooked in something like a muffin tin, to make exquisite individual puddings. Here’s the difference - Yorkshire Pudding crisps up around the edge, leaving a soft center. In the traybake style you get lots of center, so more soft, spongy batter.

Unless you flavor it, the Yorkshire Pudding is a little like an American pancake - it has little actual taste, but the texture is fabulous. So let’s talk about how it is made and how to add bursts of deliciousness.

How to make a Yorkshire Pudding

I’m not planning to give an actual recipe in this post - if you want one, go here. Instead, I just want to be chatty about the things that matter.

First, whereas many good cooks don’t need to weigh and measure, this is a dish where it’s easy to get the batter wrong, and you won’t really know about it until the eating part, and it’s a bummer to have gone to all that trouble for something that’s imperfect. I recommend you actually weigh this one out.

Secondly, you’re going to use a liquid. It’s tempting to think that cream will be better than milk, but you need lightness for this dish. You can mix full fat milk with water - better still, use sparkling water. Or skimmed milk is perfect. And since you’re using milk, it really makes a difference to flavor your milk. If you’ve got a bit of advance notice, then cut an onion in half, and put it, roots and skin and all, into your milk with some peppercorns and a bay leaf, bring it to the boil, then immediately set aside so that the flavors seep into the milk.

Thirdly, use eggs at room temperature.

Fourthly, your batter needs to rest before you pour it into the hot fat. It’s really tempting to give it a quick whisk, but refrain, please.

Finally, the oil you use makes a difference. You need something that gets very hot without burning and I’ve tested almost everything. This is natively a vegeterian dish, so I choose not to introduce animal fat, and of all the things I’ve tried, vegetarian Crisco is really perfect. (Brits, Trex works well too.)

Four stunning things to do with Yorkshire Pudding

Option One

Nothing. Just put them on a plate with a meal that would benefit from the addition of a cup. In the UK, they are a staple with Sunday lunch, where there is often roast beef, gravy, crispy potatoes, cauliflower in cheese sauce, peas. You can’t beat putting a little of everything into the ‘cup’ that the Yorkshire Pudding makes and eating it with your fingers. It would also work well with pulled pork, or with bolognese sauce, or with some flaked fish and a lovely seafood sauce.

Option Two

Make it the star of a dish, instead of an afterthought. In this image, I used bacon and mushrooms, with a mushroom gravy and some pearls of balsamic vinegar. The bacon is optional. Basically, fill the Yorkshire Pudding with anything you like, giving it a little moisture along the way.

Option Three

If you’ve never heard of Toad in the Hole, then here’s your chance.

This is a wonderful family dish. Use a large tin, fill it with hot oil and sausages (if you can get Taylors British Bangers then you’ll really taste this dish as it was intended) and pour your batter in as usual. Serve it with something wet - a sauce of your choosing.

Option Four (my personal favorite)

In the United Kingdom, we have this glorious stuff which we often called treacle but is properly known as golden syrup. You can buy it easily in the States (see here). I’d love to pretend that it’s a healthy equivalent to other sugars, but it’s not. It’s just as wicked and decadent but much, much more delicious. Pour a little heavy cream and a little golden syrup into a yorkshire pudding and pick it up with your sticky fingers and eat it like there’s no tomorrow. You’ll be so glad that you did.