Do you make beautiful Yorkshire puddings?

[Titsalinabumsquash]

I have once again, (despite being a former chef!) managed to produce hard, flat discs that should have been Yorkies.

My children are after the puffed up, airy beauties they get a Toby Carvery posh restaurant.

Come and tell me the secret please.

Nope. Mine taste like cardboard. Aunt Bessie is the key

I think you need to make your oil really hot. Whack the oil into the tray and put it in the oven. When it's really hot, add the mix.

Really hot oil and letting your batter sit for half an hour before cooking works for me.

I follow Nigella's recipe. It's basically back to front mixing. So Eggs and milk whisked together with salt and pepper. Rest for 15 minutes then sieve in the flour and whisk together.

Put in very hot oil and bake at high temp. They rise massively and seem to be completely foolproof. They really have never let me down.

YY to hot oil, never use less than 2 eggs and make the batter as early in the day as you can and give a little whisk every time you go past!

I second the hot oil point - one tablespoon of sunflower oil in the bottom of each hole in a muffin/cupcake tin and heat that in the oven at 200c. Once the oven is at temperature it should only take 5 mins or so to bring tin and oil up to temp. Once hot, Keep the tin on the oven shelf and quickly pour each hole in the tin half to two thirds full of batter and return to the oven for 20 mins or so. I use a basic recipe, such as Delia Smith for the batter.

whatever the recipe says add an extra egg. My mums tip, and mine have never failed since, they used to be total disasters

I use the Delia recipe - 3oz flour, 1 egg, 150 ml milk 75 ml water. Very hot fat and very hot oven and NEVER open oven door until they are ready (oh and I come from Yorkshire!). Sometimes I double the quantity and make one big one in a baking dish rather than individual ones - it looks spectacular.

I only use 1 egg, maybe that's the problem.

I shall give all your ideas a try before returning to the mothership that is Aunt Bessie

I use a recipe from the BBC Good Food website but I use three large eggs instead of four.

Can't link on my phone but they're called "Best Yorkshire Puddings"

They come out absolutely huge but deliciously light. I make 12 every Sunday and DP eats at least 7 without fail

Yay to extra egg. I made some gorgeous Yorkies on Sunday, and used two eggs, less milk, but same amount of flour. The batter was thicker, not watery like I normally do it.

I too heat up oil in the wells of the tray, and cook at 220'c.

I use Jamie Oliver's recipe now but he likes his a bit stodgy, rather than the thin ones full of air. So probably not like the Toby carvery posh restaurant ones. He uses an extra egg though.

I use 2 eggs plus extra white, 115g flour, salt, 175ml milk, 50ml water. Cook v hot in animal fat.

1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted and cooled, plus 1 teaspoon for the pan
4 3/4 ounces plain flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup whole milk, at room temperature

Heat the oven to 200 degrees C

Combine the 1 tablespoon of butter, the flour, salt, eggs and milk in a food processor or blender and process for 30 seconds+. The horsepower of the blender adds bubbles, which will give you lift, resting will let them escape, so don't rest it.

Divide the batter evenly among the cups of the yorkie pan, filling each one-third to one-half full. Bake on the middle rack of the oven for 40 minutes, taking care not to open the oven door. Remove them to a cooling rack and pierce each one in the top with a knife to allow steam to escape.

I persisted for years using the Delia recipe and no one ever really enjoyed my Yorkshire Puddings. Then DD made some from her children's cookbook that had no water and had more eggs and they were a revelation. I thought it was just me being rubbish, but
no, they work for me as well. Now everyone asks for second or third helpings.

But I see that Delia works for LillianGish so maybe it was just me ...

I add an extra egg and add a spoonful,of cornflour

Yes. NEVER use Delia. She is crap. Use Jamie Oliver's recipe for toad in the hole batter.

I use the BBC good food recipe,
4 eggs
140 grams of flour
250 mls of milk.

I add salt pepper and mustard powder to mine and they are fantastic....I'm sure my mil hates me for the fact I make better yorkshire than her

Oh and absolutely have to have the oil spitting hit. When you pour the mixture in you should start to see it cook

Argh hot*

I think this is a Jamie recipe.
Muffin tin smoking hot with plenty of oil. Oven turned up as high as you can.
125g plain flour.
3 eggs, made up to 3/4 pint with milk.
Whisk together, season and allow to stand for 30 mins or so.

Cook for 20-25 mins.

My Yorkshire puddings are enormous and never fail through lots of coaching from my mother.

I use the volume method. 3 eggs in a measuring jug, note the measurement. Add the same volume of milk then whisk, then add enough flour to increase it again by the original volume. Whisk lots, let the batter stand for half an hour.

Don't use olive oil for your fat, it doesn't get hot enough. Add batter when it's smoking hot. I turn it down a bit to about 230 once the puddings are in though or they can get a bit brown while soggy in the middle.

Watch until golden and very risen and don't open the door. Serve as a starter with onion and cucumber in vinegar and gravy! Oh yeah.