Perfect Yorkshire puddings?

The Yorkshire pudding, loved by many, made by few - growing up, being southern, we called them batter puddings and they were made fresh every week. They were a staple part of Sunday lunch then, as they are now - but if you wanted them, you had to make them. It was only later I realised there was some form of traditionalism with them - for me, I don't care if it's beef, pork or chicken - I want a Yorkshire pudding every time - I haven't tried them in a toasty yet, but maybe one day, with beef, gravy and horseradish.

Thanks to a popular aunt, the craft of making them has been lost to a generation, brought up on ready made meals and convenience, I had my first and only ready made, microwavable Sunday Lunch in 1992 - it tasted like the cardboard and plastic it came in - I've not had one since, but elements from it are still out there, individually packaged - the roast potatoes, gravy granules, pre-roasted meats and vegetables and of course frozen Yorkies. Ready in 5 minutes - I get it, I just don't like it.

In terms of a roast, they are quite a quick part of the meal - the meat comes out and while it's resting, the pudd's can go in, 20 minutes later they are ready. Golden brown and crisp. When you get good at them, you will have to remove a shelf in the oven so they can reach their potential.

I suppose the reason they have a reputation as one of those tricksome sides, which either work or not. Certainly, I've managed to mess them up plenty of times - pancakes are not suitable. The main reason I used to struggle with pudd's is because I rather foolishly refused to look up a recipe - I self-assuredly thought I could whip up a batter by eye which would be the envy of all lunches - and after a lot of failure, I eventually developed a recipe which had impressive results, but I struggled to scale it down for domestic use. Another reason, may be because of their history. Traditionally Yorkshire puddings would have be made using a cast iron pan, failing to heat the iron pan, which are hardy and heavy, could lead to unsatisfactory results, with the pan taking time to heat up, it might take a while for the batter to get going and it could set before optimum leverage has occurred. A Yorkshire pudding requires a lot of heat, in a high oven, the egg needs to souffle around the curved edge, then set and dry quickly so that the proteins are held in place. A modern, thin steel pattie (cake) tin negates the requirement for a pre-heat because they heat really quickly.

Really, the key to a good Yorkshire pudding, which will make your guests gasp in anticipation, is the batter. I combine a good online recipe, with a little baking magic (not real magic) and know how from my grand parents. They passed this technique onto my Dad, and he passed it to me. Though when he explained it, he said it was because "you don't want heavy milk weighing down the batter." Any pastry or bread always benefits from steam. The addition of water, either in the mixture itself, or thrown into the bottom of the oven, helps the mixture to rise up - whether you are making bread, or choux buns, it really works.

Below is my recipe for Yorkshire puddings, I used it most recently for a great classic - Toad in the hole.

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Ingredients. Makes 4 large, or a lot of small ones.

140g plain flour

4 eggs

195ml Milk

5ml water

sunflower oil, or beef dripping for cooking

Method.

Pre-heat the oven to 230'C, Fan 210, Gas mark 8

Drizzle a small amount of the oil or warm up beef fat into each cup of the tin.

Beat 140g flour and 4 eggs together until smooth (helps to avoid lumps)

Add the milk and water, now stir until completely lump free

Season with salt and pepper (for an interesting twist, add tarragon)

Bake for 20 - 25 minutes. There's no real reason not to open the oven, except they may take a little longer.

For Toad in the Hole, bake the sausages for ten minutes on one side - turn over and pour in the batter - bake for 20 - 25 minutes, or until the "hole" is crisp and brown.

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