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Yorkshire Pudding

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The best part of cooking for friends that just graduated college with me, is usually all of is will eat anything.  But, still trying to impress, while cooking prime rib for a holiday meal, I decided to try to impress with this UK tradition as a side, and did some research into a great way to cook and present.  

 I dove a little deeper and discovered that Yorkshire pudding is really nothing more than the British equivalent of the popovers that my mother loves. Sure, our popovers are baked in specialized tins and typically served sweet while Yorkshire puddings are served with beef drippings and gravy, but conceptually, they’re pretty much exactly the same.

I stumbled across a great recipe, and with some advice and a few tweaks, made a crowd pleaser, almost by accident.  This one really has been a hit, and for a few reasons:

  • Resting the batter overnight is key for developing better flavor.
  • Forget about cold batter: letting it rest at room temperature helps it rise taller as it bakes.
  • A combination of milk and water gives the Yorkshire puddings extra rise and crispness.

If you are doing a beef dish, or specifically, prime rib…give this a try. Not many do, so you will impress.

Yorkshire Pudding
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Yorkshire Pudding

Course: SidesCuisine: UK, BritishDifficulty: Easy
Servings

8

servings
Prep time

5

minutes
Cooking time

30

minutes

Ingredients

  • 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 notes)

  • 2g kosher salt (about 1/2 teaspoon)

  • 25g water (0.85 ounces; 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons) (see notes)

  • 100ml beef drippings, lard, shortening, or vegetable oil (about 1/2 cup)

Directions

  • 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 (230°C). Divide drippings (or other fat) evenly between two 8-inch cast iron or oven-safe non-stick skillets, two 6-well popover tins (see notes), one 12-well standard muffin tin, or one 24-well mini muffin tin. 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 every well (or between the two pans if using pans). The wells should be filled between 1/2 and 3/4 of the way (if using 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. Smaller ones will take about 15 minutes, popover- or skillet-sized ones will take around 25 minutes.
  • Serve immediately, or cool completely, transfer to a zipper-lock freezer bag, and freeze for up to 3 months. Reheat in a hot toaster oven before serving.

Notes

  • Yorkshire puddings come out best when the batter has been rested for at least one night; however, they can be cooked immediately after forming the batter if time requires it. Form the batter as directed in step 1 and immediately proceed to step 2 without refrigerating it. The quantity of batter doesn't divide easily into standard 6-well popover pans, but you can scale up the recipe by 50% in order to make a full 12 popovers instead of 8. If using skim or low-fat milk, omit the water and increase amount of milk to 200g (7 ounces; 1 cup minus 2 tablespoons).

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