Billowy Yorkshire Pudding Recipe

Classic British food has lots of history, featuring different dishes that have evolved over the years into world-wide favorites. If you're from America, and aren't familiar with Yorkshire pudding, you might assume that it's a sweet, creamy concoction that you eat with a spoon, but this type of pudding is different. Originating from Yorkshire, England, this pudding is actually a savory pastry that is traditionally served with gravy, alongside meals like a Sunday roast, Irish stew, and mashed potatoes. 

Recipe developer Miriam Hahn brings us this recipe and says, "Yorkshire pudding is very similar to the American popover, and is actually quite easy to make. The interesting technique of heating up oil or fat drippings in a muffin tin until it's extremely hot, then adding a pancake-like batter on top, creates a light, billowy, bread-like vessel for savory fillings like gravy." Keep reading to learn how to make a batch of this famous British side dish.

To make this recipe, you only need a short list of ingredients. You'll need some all-purpose flour, salt, thyme, rosemary, whole milk, eggs, and oil. "If you want to make this the true, authentic way, you can use roast beef drippings instead of the oil," Hahn shares. "The savory spices add to the delicious flavor of the Yorkshire pudding, but you can leave these out if you prefer a simpler end result.

Grab the flour, salt, thyme, and rosemary to a large bowl, and stir with a whisk to break up any clumps. In a small bowl, beat the eggs and milk together, then pour this into the flour mixture. Stir well until smooth, cover, and place it in the fridge to chill for 30 minutes. Hahn says, "This is an important step because we want a strong temperature contrast when we pour the cold batter into the steaming hot oil." As the batter is chilling, preheat the oven to 425 F.

Add 1 teaspoon of oil to each slot of a 12-slot muffin tin. Place this in the oven for 10 minutes, until the oil appears to be scalding hot, and sizzling slightly. When the batter is sufficiently chilled, take it out of the fridge, and stir. Then, remove the muffin tin from the oven, and pour about ¼ cup of batter into each muffin slot.

Pop the muffin tray back into the oven for 20 minutes. "You'll want to resist the urge to open the oven door to check the pudding at any time [while it's] baking. They are delicate just like a soufflé, and deflate quite easily. So, turn the oven light on for checking through the oven window glass," Hahn shares. Once the timer goes off, your Yorkshire pudding is ready to serve. Although they will deflate over time, the Yorkshire pudding will last for up to 3 days if stored in a sealed container in the fridge.