British Yorkshire Pudding

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •12-cup muffin tin or popover pan
• •Large mixing bowl
• •Whisk
• •Measuring cups with pour spouts
• •Offset spatula or butter knife

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the batter

   Crack the eggs into a large mixing bowl and beat them vigorously until frothy and lightened in color, about two minutes by hand. The eggs provide all the lift this batter will ever have, so don't shortchange them. Add the milk and whisk until fully combined. Sift the flour and salt directly over the wet ingredients, then whisk until you have a smooth batter with the consistency of heavy cream. A few small lumps are acceptable. Aggressive overworking is not.

   Room temperature ingredients are non-negotiable. Cold eggs and milk produce dense puddings that refuse to rise properly.
2. 2

   Rest the batter

   Cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel and let the batter rest at room temperature for at least one hour. This allows the flour to fully hydrate and the gluten to relax. Rested batter produces puddings that rise higher and develop crispier shells. You can prepare this in the morning and leave it covered until dinnertime.

   The batter can rest for up to four hours at room temperature or overnight in the refrigerator. If refrigerated, let it return to room temperature before baking.
3. 3

   Heat the fat

   Position a rack in the center of your oven and preheat to 425°F (220°C). Place a 12-cup muffin tin in the oven as it heats. Once the oven reaches temperature, carefully add approximately one teaspoon of beef drippings or oil to each cup. Return the tin to the oven and heat until the fat is shimmering and just beginning to smoke. This takes seven to ten minutes. The fat must be dangerously hot. Anything less and your puddings will stick and refuse to rise.

   Beef drippings from your roast provide the most authentic flavor. Collect them in advance and refrigerate. Lard or vegetable oil works if drippings aren't available, but the flavor will be less complex.
4. 4

   Fill and bake

   Give the rested batter a final quick whisk to recombine any settled flour. Working swiftly (the fat loses heat rapidly), remove the tin from the oven and pour batter into each cup, filling them roughly halfway. You should hear an aggressive sizzle the moment batter meets fat. If you don't, your fat wasn't hot enough. Immediately return the tin to the oven.

   A measuring cup with a pour spout or a ladle makes quick work of filling. Speed matters here, so have your tools ready before opening the oven.
5. 5

   Resist the urge to peek

   Bake for 20 to 25 minutes without opening the oven door. This is the moment where discipline separates the triumphant from the disappointed. Every time you open that door, you release heat and steam that the puddings need to rise. At 20 minutes, peek through the oven window. The puddings should be deeply golden and puffed well above the rim of the tin. If they're pale, give them another three to five minutes.

6. 6

   Serve immediately

   Remove the puddings from the oven. They will begin to deflate slightly within minutes, which is expected and proper. Use a small offset spatula or butter knife to release them from the tin. Transfer to a warm platter and serve at once. The ideal Yorkshire pudding has a crisp, golden exterior that shatters when pressed and a soft, almost custardy interior that soaks up gravy like a sponge.

   If serving as part of a large Christmas dinner, time the puddings to come out of the oven just as the roast is being carved. They wait for no one.

Chef Tips

• •Save beef drippings throughout the year by pouring off the fat from roasts and steaks into a jar stored in the refrigerator. By Christmas, you'll have a collection worthy of proper puddings.
• •For a single large pudding, use a 9-inch pie dish or cast iron skillet. Increase baking time to 30-35 minutes and slice into wedges at the table.
• •The equal ratio of eggs to flour to milk (by volume) is the traditional formula. Memorize it and you'll never need a recipe again.
• •Avoid bread flour, which has too much protein and produces chewy, tough puddings. All-purpose or plain flour is correct.
• •If you're roasting beef for Christmas dinner, pour the pudding batter into the drippings in the roasting pan after removing the meat to rest. The resulting single giant pudding, golden and soaked with meat juices, is spectacular.
• •These puddings pair beautifully with the robust flavors of a proper onion gravy or the pan juices from a standing rib roast.

Advance Preparation

• •Batter can be made up to 24 hours in advance and refrigerated. Return to room temperature before baking.
• •Beef drippings can be collected and frozen for up to three months. Thaw completely before using.
• •Yorkshire puddings can be baked up to two hours ahead and reheated in a 400°F oven for 3-4 minutes. They won't be quite as spectacular as fresh, but they'll still be delicious.
• •For large gatherings, prepare multiple batches of batter and bake in shifts. Keep finished puddings warm in a low oven (200°F) while the next batch bakes.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 52g)