You may not have heard of Yorkshire Pudding, but if you have, you may think it is something you eat with a spoon. This small batch Yorkshire pudding recipe is a great way to try it!
The beloved “Puds,” as they are called in the UK (short for puddings,) is a delightful cousin to the American popover. Stay with me, and I will explain. It’s pretty much the same batter, with slight differences in how you bake them.
In her iconic book, The Compleat I Hate To Cook Book, author Peg Bracken has this to say about Yorkshire Pudding. “No one knows who started the unfounded rumor that Yorkshire Pudding is risky or in any way a test of cooksmanship. These individual puds can be easily made by anyone bright enough to blow her nose.”
Naturally, I started with Peg’s simple recipe that she promised “would produce splendid Yorkshire Puddings so golden brown and exuberantly puffed-up, it’s almost embarrassing.”
The exact origins of Yorkshire Pudding are not certain, but it’s a dish believed to come from the north of England. The prefix “Yorkshire” was first recorded in a publication by Hannah Glasse in 1747, in “The Art of Cookery Made Plain and Simple.”
She coined the term to differentiate the light and crispy nature of the batter puddings made in northern England from those in other parts of the country.
In early times, Yorkshire pudding was tavern food made by setting a pan of thin batter under a hunk of beef roasting on a spit in the hearth. The drippings did not go to waste and gave the batter a savory flavor.
The pudding was then cut into serving-size pieces and served to the customers to help ease their hunger.
The meat was very expensive in England then, which helped stretch it into more servings. Yorkshire pudding is still a revered accompaniment to a dinner of roast beef.
There may be fifty ways to leave your lover, and there are probably almost that many ways to make the perfect pud. In The US, you see dozens of ways to make the “best” chili, for example, and everyone thinks theirs is perfect.
I suggest you start with this simple recipe for puds and tweak it as you go along. For example, I have seen recipes with one or three eggs and advice that your batter should always be cold, while others say it should be room temperature.
In my opinion, the ins and outs of Yorkshire pudding seem to be a Goldilocks scenario. Some people like their puds to be very light-colored and soft, while others like them to be crisp and browner.
Play around until you find your own “just right.” All you need are flour, milk, eggs, and salt. The ingredients are cheap, and the whole process doesn’t take much time.
Combine the ingredients in a bowl and whisk until everything is blended. Don’t worry about a few lumps in the batter. I love using my batter bowl with a pouring lip to fill the baking cups neatly.
You can use muffin tins or custard cups, as I did. There are also pans made specifically for popovers or puds. If you use custard cups, make sure they are oven-proof. I searched a thrift store to find my Fire King and Pyrex cups. If you use custard cups, it’s good to line them up on a baking sheet to catch drips.
Put about a teaspoon of oil in each cup. It can be beef drippings, olive oil, butter, or shortening like Crisco. Next time, I will try bacon drippings and serve them for breakfast. Put the baking cups in a 425-degree oven and let the fat get good and hot.
Pull the baking vessels you chose out of the oven and close the door immediately so the oven stays hot. Fill the vessels half full of batter and return them quickly to the oven.
When the cool batter meets the hot baking vessel, the batter rises quickly, forming the unique hollow center! It is fun to watch through the window of the oven door. Bake for about 25 minutes or until you achieve your ideal shade of golden brown.
I read a suggestion to pierce the puds with a skewer as soon as they come out of the oven to let the steam escape, but I found it unnecessary because each happy pud made its own little steam vent as they baked.
When the cool batter meets the hot baking vessel, the batter rises quickly, forming the unique hollow center! It is fun to watch through the window of the oven door. Bake for about 25 minutes or until you achieve your ideal shade of golden brown.
I read a suggestion to pierce the puds with a skewer as soon as they come out of the oven to let the steam escape, but I found it unnecessary because each happy pud made its own little steam vent as they baked.
The answer is not much. Both use the same batter. The key difference is that Yorkshire puddings are a savory accompaniment, so your oil should be meat drippings or neutral fat such as shortening.
Puds are usually baked for less time, so they are softer and paler in color and a little “eggier” inside. Puds are traditionally served with beef and potatoes swimming in onion gravy, which are used to scoop up every delicious bite!
Popovers are crisper and a touch darker in color. They are delightful with butter and jam. Oddly enough, popovers were one of my earliest baking adventures. I vividly remember baking them for my younger brothers while I was still in elementary school!
You can easily reheat these. The best way is to put them in a 350-degree oven for about 10 minutes.
Here is an easy recipe for a small batch of popovers or Yorkshire Pudding made from a simple batter of eggs, milk, flour, and salt.
Have you ever had Yorkshire Pudding or a popover? What did you eat with them? Bread or rolls are always a special treat with a meal. Some of our favorites are Easy Beer Bread, Quick French Bread Recipe, and Easy Zucchini Muffins.
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Love, GB (Betty Streff)
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