British - Yorkshire Pudding Problems...

SatNavSaysStraightOn

SatNavSaysStraightOn

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Yorkshire Pudding, its a regional thing. Possibly limited to the UK? I have no idea really. Anyhow this is the problem. It is a batter that goes into the oven and is expected to rise. It is savoury and served with sausage, chips, gravy, peas or chops, lamb, peas and gravy etc., If you cook the sausage with the batter at the same time, it becomes Toad in the Hole, but the idea is still the same.

The recipe is simple.

100g plain flour (I usually use a 50:50 mixture of strong to plain flour)
2 eggs
275ml milk (milk alternative in my case)
pinch of salt

You pretty much mix all of it together, let it stand for an hour and then pour into a metal tin where the oil is sizzling hot and bung in the very hot oven (425F) until it has risen, and should be really brown and crispy. Roughly 40 minutes. You do NOT under any circumstances open the oven door, that is a catastrophic mistake to make with it.

The problem is that my husband can not for the life of him get the batter to rise and I have no idea why. I can't easily make it myself (due to my current mobility issues relating to a bad back) and I have been trying to get him to follow instructions.

Usually the batter will rise about 3 inches or more around the edges and they should turn dark brown. The insides should not rise or not rise much, but should cook. It's a skill. The oil that you put into the baking tin (or pyrex bowl) and heat up prior to the batter being added, should be very, very hot. Seriously hot. And you must get it into the very oven immediately.

So does anyone have any ideas on what he is doing wrong please, because all we get are flat 'pancake' like puddings where the batter has cooked (usually) but not always all the way through. They taste correct, they just don't look correct.

They should look like these. we are aiming for the larger version, less oil and calories involved ...

Yorkies_in_cast_iron_frypan.JPG Yorkshire_Pudding.jpg
(from wiki)

So please, what is he doing wrong. It has always worked for me. That recipe has been in the family for years.... literally decades.... and I have run out of ideas, not to mention eaten too many failures of recent - some not so edible either. I'm at a loss. :speechless:

Original recipe which he is following. It works when I do it, it worked when my Grannie did it... it doesn't work for my husband... :rolleyes:

Yorkshire Pudding Batter_1024.jpg
 
equal flour ,eggs and milk then use a stab mixer to mix ,then i use straight away,nice deep individual tin ,smoking oil straight in the oven ,do not open door till well cooked as they will fall ,if you need to flip them over and put them back in the oven ,never fails for me
:chef:
 
Is this like something similar to popovers? Looks like it. I've never made it before.
Sometimes, recipes call for part of the fat drippings from a beef roast, like Prime Rib. :stop:
 
If he is doing everything else right, it sounds like he is opening the oven door. :laugh:
 
I'll be following this thread with interest - I can never get my Yorkshires quite right either!
 
Shermie said:
Is this like something similar to popovers? Looks like it. I've never made it before.
Sometimes, recipes call for part of the fat drippings from a beef roast, like Prime Rib. :stop:
Click to expand...
You just need an oil with a high smoking point, normal vegetable oil is fine, but olive oil or butter would be no good. The idea of using beef fat is just to get extra flavour.
 
The Velvet Curtain said:
Is he overbeating it and developing the glutens. I had a similar problem when I tried mixing the batter with an electric whisk.
Click to expand...

Lullabelle said:
Over beating.
Click to expand...

I think the pair of you could be onto something here. I have heard him whizzing it away in my Omniblend... suspect this is probably the cause!
I will get him to hand beat it next time and see what happens. Will probably update next weekend when we are next due a Yorkshire pud!
Everything else seems fine. Smoking hot veg oil, highest temp the gas oven will allow, even got dedicated Yorkshire pudding tins! (he went out a used some of our nectar points on them without consulting me!) not opening the oven door until they are ready to come out... etc so I will settle for the over whisking them!
thank you.
 
SatNavSaysStraightOn said:
I think the pair of you could be onto something here. I have heard him whizzing it away in my Omniblend... suspect this is probably the cause!
I will get him to hand beat it next time and see what happens. Will probably update next weekend when we are next due a Yorkshire pud!
Everything else seems fine. Smoking hot veg oil, highest temp the gas oven will allow, even got dedicated Yorkshire pudding tins! (he went out a used some of our nectar points on them without consulting me!) not opening the oven door until they are ready to come out... etc so I will settle for the over whisking them!
thank you.
Click to expand...

When the hot tins come out of the oven for filling make sure the tins are placed onto a hot not cold gas/electric ring.
 
Lullabelle said:
When the hot tins come out of the oven for filling make sure the tins are placed onto a hot not cold gas/electric ring.
Click to expand...
We always heat the oil and tin on the gas ring in the first place. That and the strong flour was two of the things that came from us both working in commercial kitchens in our 20's.
 
You don't beat yorky batter you whisk it or as I do use a stab mixer,and then only to mix the batter together ,it's another job easy to do but easy to get wrong
 
I would love to help you out with this, but I have a similar problem. I love cooking and even worked professionally at one point in my life. However, the one thing I can't make is a decent Yorkshire pudding! I will be following this thread for all the suggestions made on here.
 
right - we have tried the not over mixing it and that didn't work either. they are still sadly not rising (at all) and rather anaemic looking!
He has even purchased an over thermometer which has simply confirmed that the brand new gas over is heating to the correct temperature!

I continue to suffer in silence! :speechless: :whistling: :stop:


:scratchhead:
 
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