far too easy to buy these frozen, pre-made ones now, but they are so easy to make and can give great satisfaction when you see them rise and puff up
over the years this has been my most requested recipe and until 2 years ago (when they changed thier system) this recipe was in Google's top 3 for over 5 years
eggs
4
pc
milk
4
tbs
flour - plain
1
cup
lard or dripping
sq
pre-heat oven to 200 to 220°C
combine the egg and milk thoroughly with fork and season with salt & pepper
whisk in enough of the flour (not all may be required) to form a nice pourable batter; one that is nicely thick but can be easily poured from a jug (how thick is too thick, how thin is too thin is a matter of trial and error and will soon be become evident after you have made a few batches)
pour into a measuring jug and allow to rest for 30 minutes before using
place sufficient dripping, lard or vegetable oil to 1/5th fill the moulds of a deep sided muffin tray place in the oven to pre-heat for approx. 15 minutes
when both the moulds and oil are hot, (the oil should be almost smoking) partially remove moulds from oven and pour in the batter and 3/4 fill the moulds (if it does not start to sizzle immediately, stop and continue to heat oil and try again)
place on the middle shelf and bake for approx. 15 minutes until risen, golden brown and slightly crisp – they should have a hole in the middle and a hollow centre
remove from the oven and carefully turn them over and place back into the oven to crispen the base and sides for 2 to 3 minutes
remove from the oven and remove from the muffin tray
serve as soon as possible (if the puddings seem to be starting to collapse after a minute or so, this is a sign of them not being fully cooked place back into the muffin tray and place back into the oven)
chef notes
to get a good rise one must fill the mix with as much egg as possible. Unfortunately the recipe here then is not 'foolproof' in amounts, as the size of the eggs cannot be guarantees (they do differ in amount by as much as 20gm per egg), so it is best to adjust the flour rather than the egg. The trick is to pack the mixture with eggs!
use deep sided muffin trays and heat these trays up prior to use. Everything must be super HOT !!
put in a good measure of hot oil, dripping or lard into each mould and heat until it just starts to give of a slight haze but not quite smoking (approximately 180°C) the moment the batter is poured in, it will sizzle, begin to cook and rise at the sides immediately. This gives that 'hollowed' centre look that can be filled and will hold the gravy
do not worry about the oil content too much: if you want perfect 'Yorkies' you have to live with it and most of it will still be there when they are cooked and can be poured away for re-using when you remove the final, cooked product
with experience you will be able to judge when they can be removed and not fall flat / deflate. If you notice that they are beginning to flatten, pop them straight back in the oven for a few more minutes, this allows the correct amount of hardening / crispening of the outer walls to develop and holds the shape and size
to the basic batter can be added all manner of flavourings such as pesto, chopped garlic, tumeric, saffron etc. Which are best added to the egg mixture before the flour is added
yorkshire puddings make a great appetiser when the centre is filled with the likes of butter chicken, lamb saag, a thick beef stew or just good ole baked beans
