Lightly crispy and fluffy on the outside, soft and chewy in the middle and gorgeously golden-brown in colour, a perfect Yorkshire pudding is almost a work of art – but as even the most accomplished chefs will know, they’re really not easy to master.
We’ve all experienced the disappointment of limp, flat, burnt or even runny Yorkshire puddings, but don’t be disheartened; with a little troubleshooting, you too can be a Yorkshire pudding pro!
The annual Yorkshire Day takes place each year on 1st August, but with our Yorkshire pudding secrets (and science) below, you can enjoy pudding perfection at any time of year. Do you have any tips for flawless Yorkshire puddings more to add to our list? Leave us a comment below, or send us a tweet @BunzlLockhart – if you don’t mind sharing!
Adding water to the batter will make your puddings lighter and crispier
Yorkshire puddings are made up of the basic ingredients of flour, eggs, and milk, but some recipes call for water to be added to the batter too. The general rule of thumb is that substituting some, or even half of the milk in your recipe for water will make your puddings lighter and crispier, so try this modification if your puds are too dense or soft.
The amount of eggs that you use matters, too – use an equal amount of flour, eggs and milk or water. For six servings of Yorkshire puddings, you should use four large eggs.
The batter must have the consistency of single cream
Start with the flour and eggs, and then add your milk (and water if you wish) gradually until you achieve the desired consistency. Then leave the batter at room temperature for around 15 minutes – enough time for you to heat the pudding tin and fat in the oven, ready for baking.
All lumps must be completely removed from the batter
A lumpy Yorkshire pudding batter could never a perfect pudding make, so use a large balloon whisk to beat the batter thoroughly and get plenty of air into the mixture. If you really want to remove every tiny lump, pour it through a fine metal strainer, then give it one last whisk.
The fat must be smoking hot in the pan before you cook the batter
If your Yorkshire pudding tin isn’t hot enough before the batter is added, all attempts are destined to flop – so add fat or oil to the tin, and heat in the top of the oven at 230?C for 10 minutes first (and keep it at that temperature when cooking). It must be smoking hot before you pour in the pudding mixture, and the batter should sizzle when you drop an oil into the fat. Keep the tin hot on the hob as you add the mixture.
Speaking of the fat, traditionally Yorkshire puddings are made with beef fat or lard, but a vegetarian and vegan-friendly option is to use vegetable oil (never olive oil or butter), which can be heated to the required high temperature without burning.
The Yorkshire pudding tins must not be over-filled
Over-filling your Yorkshire pudding tin will lead to heavy puddings, which won’t rise to lofty heights. Whether you’re making individual Yorkshire puddings or a large pud to carve up, only fill the tin about a third of the way for optimum puds.
Never open the oven door during cooking
For Yorkshire puddings to soar, the temperature must too – so never open the oven door when they are cooking, to keep the oven as hot as possible. If opening the oven door is absolutely essential your Yorkshire puddings won’t be ruined, but they just won’t rise as much as they should.
For everything you need to whip up picture-perfect Yorkshire puddings, take a look at our range of Catering Appliances to find the ideal oven for your restaurant kitchen, plus our huge Kitchen Equipment collection for whisks, mixing bowls, Yorkshire pudding tins and much more.
Do you have any Yorkshire pudding tips of your own to add to our list? Or have you found any of ours helpful? Let us know by sending us a tweet @BunzlLockhart!
FAQs
The Yorkshire pudding tins must not be over-filled
Why is my Yorkshire pudding not rising enough? ›
Why are my Yorkshire Puddings not rising? Here are my top tips for troubleshooting; The fat isn't hot enough (it should be smoking hot). The oven isn't getting hot enough (needs to maintain a 220C/425F temperature).
How do you make Yorkshire pudding rise higher? ›
Resting the batter overnight is key for developing better flavor. Forget about cold batter: letting it rest at room temperature helps it rise taller as it bakes. A combination of milk and water gives the Yorkshire puddings extra rise and crispness.
Why don t Yorkshire puddings rise with self raising flour? ›
It may seem logical that self-raising flour will give Yorkshire puddings more height, but those extra raising agents aren't required. In fact, they can have the opposite effect and result in a flat pudding. You should always use plain flour – except, perhaps, if you're making vegan Yorkies.
Can you put too much oil in Yorkshire pudding? ›
When the oil is hot enough, the batter will immediately cook and seal on the outside, allowing them to set and rise properly. The #2 way that Yorkshire Pudding fails, is adding too much oil to the pan.
What happens if you put too much milk in Yorkshire puddings? ›
Always use equal volumes of egg, milk, and all-purpose flour. If you use too much flour, the resulting pudding will be heavy and dense. Without enough egg, there will be insufficient air beaten in for a successful rise. Too much milk will make the batter too loose.
Does baking powder help Yorkshire puddings rise? ›
No and here is the reason why! It must be plain flour (no baking powder). 1/ High temperature oven. Yorkshire puddings rise due to quick cooking of the flour and steam being formed in the batter mixture, hence the requirement of a very hot oven and hot oil as you pour the batter into the yorkshire pudding tin.
Why do my Yorkshire puddings keep going flat? ›
One of the main reasons why Yorkshires don't rise is because the oil isn't hot enough, so make sure it's bubbling and sizzling as you pour your batter in. Make sure you aren't over-filling the tin – fill each hole about a third or halfway up, any more and they may collapse through the weight of batter.
Should Yorkshire pudding batter be thick or runny? ›
What consistency should Yorkshire pudding mix be? For perfect Yorkies, you need a consistency of heavy cream, so really quite runny but not milk-runny. To make sure you achieve this I suggest pouring half of the liquid in and then slowly adding more until you reach the consistency.
Why did my batter not rise? ›
Be careful with the cake batter. We advise folding the ingredients together, not beating them, as this will keep the mixture aerated. Check your oven is at the correct temperature. If it is too hot, the cake doesn't have time to rise, and if it is too cold it will rise too high and then sink at the end.
Let your batter rest
While it doesn't need to be cold, your batter should have time to rest. Our no-fail yorkies recipe recommends transferring your batter to a jug after mixing, then leaving it to rest for at least 15 minutes.
What if my flour is not self rising? ›
Here's our Test Kitchen's simple method to make self-rising flour: For every cup of self-rising flour, substitute one cup of all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon baking soda.
What happens if you accidentally use plain flour instead of self-raising? ›
If a recipe calls for self-raising flour it is doing so because it is relying on the raising agents in that flour to make the baked good 'rise'. If you use plain flour instead and don't add any raising agents you will most likely end up with a very flat, dense bake!
What is the secret to making Yorkshire pudding rise? ›
There is a secret to every Yorkshire pudding recipe when it comes to getting Yorkshire puddings to rise properly. In fact there are two. The first is to let the batter rest once you've mixed and the second is to heat your tin and beef dripping so it's piping hot when you do pour the batter in.
Why is my Yorkshire pudding not risen? ›
The fat must be smoking hot in the pan before you cook the batter. If your Yorkshire pudding tin isn't hot enough before the batter is added, all attempts are destined to flop – so add fat or oil to the tin, and heat in the top of the oven at 230? C for 10 minutes first (and keep it at that temperature when cooking).
How to tell if oil is hot enough for Yorkshire pudding? ›
At the oven (this is safer than carrying a tin of hot oil across the kitchen), carefully pour some batter into the middle of the oil in each hole, remembering that it is very hot. Watch out as the oil will sizzle a bit as the batter hits it.
Why is my pudding not thickening? ›
However, you can add, if, if your rice pudding di or vanilla pudding didn't thicken it is not only because of the kind of milk you used, you generally you need to use some kind of a starch, either arrow root or corn starch.
Why do my Yorkshire puddings fall flat? ›
The most likely cause is that the fat in your tins isn't hot enough when you pour in the batter. I use beef dripping in my tins. Make sure to put a decent amount in each tin, don't just smear the tins with it. Your oven needs to be very hot 230°c.
Why do my Yorkshire puddings have soggy bottoms? ›
Another top tip from Adam: to avoid soggy bottoms, try flipping your Yorkshire puddings two-or-three minutes before the end of cooking time. It will dry the bottoms out and ensure you get a nice, even crunch. But remember to flip them carefully, using a utensil; they'll be boiling hot!
Should Yorkshire pudding mix be thick or runny? ›
The batter doesn't need to be chilled. Should Yorkshire pudding batter be thick or runny? The batter should be about as thick as double cream (so easily pourable but with some body).
