February 2 marks National Yorkshire Pudding Day here in the UK, and there’s nothing more divisive when it comes to a roast dinner than whether or not to add Yorkies.
If you aren’t adding fluffy Yorkshire puddings to your Sunday lunch, then you’re well and truly missing out.
But if you are, then we’ve got some top tips from chefs to help you take yours to the next level adding more flavour and making them the best they can be.
Making Yorkshire puddings couldn’t be simpler, as it’s just a case of mixing up flour, eggs, and milk, and pouring the batter into some very hot oil, before whacking it in the oven. But according to Josie Savry, director of The Ox and The Rose & Crown, the key is to make the batter in advance.
She tells Metro: ‘My most important tip is that you have to make your Yorkie batter the day before. It needs time to slightly ferment, you’ll see some bubbles in the batter, then bring to room temp before putting your batter into your well-oiled tray. What’s more, at my pub The Ox, the rule is the bigger the better. So don’t be afraid to use large trays for those large Yorkies.’
And Luca Mastrantoni, head chef at Ekstedt at The Yard agrees. For his Scandinavian-inspired Sunday roast, the batter is left to rest for at least an hour, but ideally overnight to give ‘better texture and rise’.
His other top tips include making sure the oil in your tin reaches 200 to 200C and avoiding opening the oven door at all costs while the Yorkshires are cooking, or they could deflate – which would be tragic.
But the most interesting tip of all came from Tim Dela Cruz, head chef at Smiths of Smithfield Restaurant, who revealed that he adds a secret extra ingredient to his Yorkshire Puddings for ‘adventurous flavour’.
He explained: ‘When I’m making Yorkshire puddings at home for a Sunday roast, I use equal amounts of milk, plain flour and eggs, but then add a little touch of saffron to the mix. This gives it a lovely colour and some added flavour.’
But these aren’t the only extras you could add, and he’s also not opposed to turning a Yorkshire pud into a pudding… literally.
Tim continues: ‘For those wanting to be more adventurous, I would also recommend adding some slight spicing such as turmeric and chilli powder, or if you prefer something sweet, twist your Yorkie into a dessert with some chocolate and marshmallow toppings – almost like a smore!’
Some might be appalled by the idea of eating a Yorkshire Pudding as a dessert, but it’s important to remember the batter is the same as that of a pancake – which we have no qualms about smothering in Nutella or maple syrup.
Traditionally though, Yorkshires are actually meant to be consumed as a starter, and not with the main dish.
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Who knew?!
The original purpose of the pud was that you filled up on the stodgy batter to start with, meaning you didn’t need so much of the meat and vegetables that followed – which was perfect for big families with tight budgets.
So there you have it, you can now make the best Yorkshire Puddings, and you know exactly when to eat them.
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And if you’re in need of more tips for your lunch, we also recently learned how to make Marcus Wareing’s ‘perfectly crispy’ roast potatoes. The trick is not about which potatoes you use, but how you cook them, and you have to make sure not to over boil them.
James Martin's Yorkshire Pudding recipe:
For James Martin’s Yorkshire pudding batter, he uses eight eggs, one pint of whole milk and 225 grams of plain flour. That’s going to make a lot of batter – so we’d suggest halving that for a more manageable quantity unless you’ve got a crowd to feed.
How to make Yorkshire puddings:
The Yorkshire puddings will take about 20-25 to cook – but take them out before if they look puffed up and have browned.
To make the batter, simply beat the eggs, and them to the flour and then mix in the milk gradually while stirring the whole time.
Once you have your batter, get a muffin tray and pour a little vegetable oil into each well. Heat the oven to 200 degrees before putting the tray in so the oil can heat up.
After the oil has been warmed through, use a jug to pour your batter into each section of the tray – taking care that you have even quantities in each part.
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