How To Make Great Yorkshire Puddings Every Time
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How To Make Great Yorkshire Puddings Every Time

Yorkshire puddings are every right-thinking person’s favourite accompaniment to a roast, but they have a reputation for being tricky to get right at home. That’s not entirely fair, however. Seven top chefs gave us their easy tricks and tips for making sure yours rise to the occasion…

Tom Westerland

The Lake House at The Gilpin

“Sunday lunch wouldn't be Sunday lunch without yorkies – whether you're having beef, chicken, pork or a nut roast. Make your batter the night before, as this yields a fluffier, bigger, better yorkie. Just cling-film it and leave it to rest in the fridge overnight. To get that picture-perfect, classic shape (and to stop them going wonky) heat the fat properly and pour the batter directly into the very middle of the tin.”

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Sandy Jarvis

The Culpeper

“Most people like to go for the classic ‘equal parts by volume’ recipe, but I like a slightly different ratio: six eggs, 300ml of milk and 190g of plain flour. I think it gives a slightly more structured pudding. Whisk the eggs, flour and a bit of milk first to make a thick batter without lumps, then slowly add more milk. Leave to rest in the fridge for at least an hour to allow the starch cells to soak up the milk. Season just before you use the batter (any earlier and the salt will break down the egg). Heat up your tray in the oven – at 210ºC ideally – then add rapeseed oil and heat for a further 5 minutes. Pour in the cold batter. Those soaked cells will explode, giving off steam that will create the light pudding once the egg cooks. I prefer a large tray so you get some light crisp bits and some more substantial bits, rather than individual puddings. My best advice is to do it Yorkshire style and have your puddings as the starter with onion gravy before your roast. If you really want to push the Yorkshire boat out, save some for actual pudding with some jam. In front of Last of the Summer Wine, drinking Yorkshire Tea. Wearing a flat cap.”

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Cesar Fernandez

Miele

“For the best Yorkshires, rest your batter for at least 30 minutes – or even better, make it one or two days in advance and keep in the fridge. If you don’t want to create a mess, either make or decant the mixture into a measuring jug. Then make sure your oven is piping hot before baking your Yorkshire puddings. Once you’ve added your batter, shut the over door and cook for about 25-30 minutes. Keep the door shut until they are crisp and golden to avoid them deflating!”

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Jaan Yilmaz

The Crusoe, Largo

“At The Crusoe, we always make sure to have lovely big crunchy Yorkshire puddings. For this I’d recommend making your batter the day before and chilling the mixture overnight to give it time to prove like a bread dough. We use an equal measure of cracked eggs, plain flour and milk, so make sure to weigh these using scales or a measuring jug. Combine using a hand whisk or blender to remove all the lumps and cover before placing in the fridge overnight to let the batter grow spongey. When you’re ready to cook, whisk the mixture again. I’d recommend investing in good quality non-stick Yorkshire pudding pans and popping these into the oven at a high temperature to preheat. You want to add extra virgin olive oil for depth of flavour, but be careful of smoking oil when cooking at home. I fill our Yorkshire pudding tins almost to the top, as you’ll only have them rise upwards during cooking and the batter should be light enough not to overflow. Now for my real secret tip: no one wants an undercooked Yorkshire pudding, so make sure you flip the puddings over for the final few minutes of cooking to make sure they’re golden and crisp on the outside.”

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JERU

Ryan Marshall

Marine Troon

“I use a standard veg oil in the Yorkshire pudding trays, each with the same amount of oil in them. Preheat the oven to 200ºC. Heat the oil in the trays until it’s smoking hot. Gently stir the batter to reform it. Pour the mixture into the holes until it’s just touching the top. Put the tray straight back into the oven as quickly as possible. Leave them to bake for 20 minutes until they’re nice and crisp. I like using a higher temperature so they reach a decent height faster. This also helps to crisp them up, so they don’t soak up the greasy oil.”

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Taalib Adanse

VIP chef at Arsenal Football Club

“Use a little sparkling water in your batter for extra oomph and rise, and always let your batter rest before putting it in the oven. I also like to use beef, goose or duck dripping for extra tasty yorkies. Olive oil is a no no for me, as it doesn’t get hot enough. Sunflower or vegetable oil is okay in a pinch. Make sure your fat is hotter than a volcano before adding batter to the tin. Give them a quick 3-5 minutes at full heat before turning the heat down. And no peeking! Don’t be tempted to have a look, just trust the process. For super impressive yorkies, you can use an extra egg white, which will give them skyscraper height.”

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Roy Ner

Jeru

Use equal parts of everything. The best and simplest recipe is equal parts of flour, milk and eggs. Either weigh everything out or do one or two cups of each depending on how many you're feeding. This is a two-step heating tip that ensures no soggy bottoms and a better rise. Heat up your muffin pan in the oven before oil and batter on the highest setting. Then put a teaspoon of oil in each pan and heat for approximately six minutes in the oven until smoking hot. Then put a spoonful of batter into each pan. If you have any leftovers, put in a knob of butter and sprinkle of sugar and lemon zest, and heat up in the microwave for 30 seconds for a delicious dessert. Serve with yoghurt.

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