Yorkshire Pudding
The single most important thing on an English Sunday table. A tall, crisp-edged crown of batter, hollow in the middle, ready to hold a pool of dark gravy. Get the fat smoking hot, do not open the oven door, and remember: a Yorkshire is puffed by faith and physics, not by prayer.
Ingredients
140 g plain flour
4 large eggs, at room temperature
200 ml whole milk
1 tsp flaky sea salt
6 tsp beef dripping or vegetable oil
Method
- 1
Whisk the flour, eggs, milk and salt into a smooth batter with no lumps. Rest, uncovered, for at least an hour — resting is not optional.
- 2
Heat the oven to its maximum, at least 230°C. Put a teaspoon of dripping into each hole of a heavy 12-hole muffin tin (or a Yorkshire tin) and slide onto the top shelf until the fat is smoking hot.
- 3
Give the batter a final vigorous whisk. Working quickly, pour the batter into each smoking-hot hole, filling about two-thirds full. It should sizzle immediately.
- 4
Slide back onto the top shelf and shut the door. Do not open it for 20 minutes.
- 5
Bake for 20–25 minutes until dramatically puffed, deeply golden and crisp all over. Serve at once, straight from the oven to the plate.
Cook's notes
Room-temperature eggs and a smoking-hot pan are the two non-negotiables. If in doubt, get the tin hotter and rest the batter longer.