How to make Yorkshire Puddings

Yorkshire Puddings are a very English tradition. For our family it was very traditional to serve them with Beef Roasts at Sunday Dinners and for Holiday meals too. Although not the healthiest choice, I do make them  for special occasions, or as a quick fix to a winter meal.  Comfort Food has it's place, I do believe we can all indulge in a treat now and again. If you are serving an Au Jus or a Gravy, Yorkshire Puddings are the perfect little cups for for catching all of the richness of their flavours.




The trick to a Good Yorkshire Pudding is making sure you have a very hot Pan and that your Oil is up to temperature. I have posted this same recipe once before for Toad in a Hole.



Adding a stuffing or any other ingredient to a Yorkshire pudding as it bakes, will change the results. It's all about the temperature when you pour the mix into the oil.



As a note: if you are learning to cook, and you need to know how to make a gravy, Au Jus to Gravy
I have described everything I know about both sauces. You can have a look there for instructions, hints and tips.




I have a muffin tin which is reserved specifically for making Yorkshires. Over time it has developed a coating, similar to that of a well used cast iron pan.  It is quite black, but it works perfectly for Yorkshires, they don't stick and I do not need to worry about ruining a new pan. If you are using  a brand new, non stick muffin tin for Yorkshires, you may see burnt marks on the metal after you have baked them. The heat is pretty intense and most pans will mar and be left with burned areas.




Recipe for 12 Yorkshire Puddings


3 Eggs
1 TBSP Cold Water
1 Cup of Milk
1 1/4 Cup of All Purpose Flour
1/4 TSP Salt

1/2 TSP of Vegetable Shortening per muffin cup.



HINT:

You can use different fats as well. Clarified Butter, Beef Lard  or Bacon Fat will also work. You can use regular butter, but it will smoke and "spit", it is not as safe nor effective  The Yorkshires will look a little darker too. Do not use Olive Oil, it doesn't hold up to the High Temperatures as well as The aforementioned fats do.



Instructions

Per-heat your oven to 450 F

Mix your ingredients, dry ingredients first, then add the wet and blend or process until smooth.

You can use a whisk. Be prepared for one heck of a work out if you do use a whisk and note that the ingredients must be whisked until smooth.

Once your mix is ready, add your Muffin tin into the oven (centre rack) and allow the oil shortening to completely liquify.

5 to 7 minutes. The hotter the oil the better.

Remove Muffin tin from oven, quickly pour your mixture into each cup, as evenly distributed as you can. Variations in the amounts will effect the final Yorkshires's size and shape.

Place back in the oven. They will take between 15 to 20 minutes to completely rise. Remove from oven once the tops are a golden brown.

A quick note: Just like Bread, altitude levels will change cooking times. The higher the altitude, the longer the cook time. These would rise, for me, completely at 20 minutes.




Tips for Best Results:

Use a blender or a food processor to combine your ingredients.

Refrigerate the batter for at least 20 minutes, then whip once more on the processor or blender prior to pouring.

Add Flour and Salt first, pre-mix.

Add your Eggs, then your Milk then your cold water.

Pulse the Ingredients until evenly blended with no lumps.

Push any dry ingredients back down into the bowl if they stick to the sides and pulse again.

I  do enjoy Yorkshire Pudding and Gravy. If I am making a Holiday Meal, whether it's a Turkey, Beef or Roast Chicken, I will make the  Yorkshire puddings as a side. They are fluffy little bites that are a must have based on the traditions of my own upbringing.

Please enjoy!

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