At my house, if there wasn’t a Yorkshire pudding Christmas dinner was a bust. My mother always used a well-worn copy of The Joy of Cooking for hers and it worked no matter how many glasses of champagne had been downed.
I’ve been in charge for the past couple of years, and haven’t had the Joy to refer to, so I’ve been using this recipe adapted from Serious Eats. The secret is to let the batter rest, preferably overnight, so try to plan ahead.
Yorkshire Pudding
- 4 large eggs (200g; 7 ounces)
- 150g all-purpose flour (5.25 ounces; about 1 cup plus 2 teaspoons)
- 175g whole milk (6 ounces; 3/4 cup) (see below)
- 25g water (.85 ounces; 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 100ml beef drippings*, lard, shortening, or vegetable oil (about 1/2 cup)
Combine eggs, flour, milk, water, and salt in a medium bowl and whisk until a smooth batter is formed. Let batter rest at room temperature for at least 30 minutes. Alternatively, for best results, transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate batter overnight or for up to 3 days. Remove from refrigerator while you preheat the oven.
Adjust oven rack to center position and preheat oven to 450°F (232°C). Divide drippings (or other fat) evenly between two 8-inch cast iron or oven-safe non-stick skillets. Preheat in the oven until the fat is smoking hot, about 10 minutes.
Transfer the pans or tins to a heat-proof surface (such as an aluminum baking sheet on your stovetop) and divide the batter evenly between the two pans (they should be filled about 1/4 of the way). Immediately return to oven. Bake until the Yorkshire puddings have just about quadrupled in volume, are deep brown all over, crisp to the touch, and sound hollow when tapped. Skillet-sized ones will take around 25 minutes. Serve immediately and enjoy!
My verdict:
Pretty spectacular! The secret is to make the batter ahead of time and chill it at least overnight. Besides making the puddings essentially fool-proof, it’s one less thing to do while you’re opening gifts and preparing a big meal.
If I’m home and have my scale, I use the weights, but if not, use a measuring cup. I use 1 cup of 2% milk instead of the whole milk water mix.
Cast iron skillets work great for this so use them if you have them.
*ask your butcher for extra suet or fat for the roast and use that for the drippings for the Yorkshire pudding.
Yes, it’s the same except that for popovers (if I’m remembering correctly), you use melted butter instead of suet and cook them in muffin tins. My brother used to make popovers all the time for breakfast. I think Dutch babies are the same too, but in a big pan.
Funny, but even though my dad’s family hails from England, Yorkshire pudding was not a tradition in our home. However, Sunday morning popovers were! I can still remember my mom bringing the piping hot popovers to the table, where we’d each quickly grab one and push a bit of butter and homemade strawberry jam into the soft, steamy inside of the popover. Wonderful memories! Is Yorkshire pudding essentially the same recipe?
The fat skimmed from the jus. I always ask for extra suet when I get a roast so there will be fat for the Yorkshire pudding (and gravy)
Q. Ann, are the drippings the au jus or the fat skimmed from the jus?