Ingredients
-
- 140g T65 flour
- 4 large eggs
- 140ml whole milk
- 60ml cold water (plus another 20ml before baking)
- 5g salt + 1 tsp pepper
- A splash of Cotswold Gold Rapeseed Oil (about 1 tsp per well of the USA Pan tin)
Big Puffy Yorkshire Puddings
Crisp Edges, Chewy Centres, Pure Joy.
I’ve taken a classic recipe and given it the BakeryBits treatment using golden rapeseed oil, beautiful French T65 flour and baked in a USA Pan tin so they rise like a sourdough starter on its best behaviour.
Crisp edges, satisfyingly chewy centres they’re everything you want from a Yorkshire, just… bigger, better and deeply proud of themselves.
(Just don't tell any Yorkshiremen that France, the United States and the Cotswolds helped out!)
If you want smaller puddings then you can use the same method and recipe for a USA Pan 12 cup muffin tray.
Method
1. Mix your batter (the old-school way):
Grab a bowl (obviously I used the BakeryBits Batter Bowl) and a fork and make sure your elbow is at fully charged.
Add the flour, salt & pepper and gently mix together. Make a well in the middle of the flour, then crack in one egg and beat it in.
Repeat with all the eggs until the mix is thick, much like a stubborn cake batter (make sure there are no lumps of flour left).
Slowly add the milk, then the 60ml water whilst whisking with your fork until it’s the consistency of thick, unwhipped cream.
2. Chill out:
Pour into a jug and refrigerate.
Overnight chilling gives better results as it improves the flavour and gives a better rise. (Yorkies like a nap).
3. Heat things up:
Add a little rapeseed oil to each well of the USA Pan tin it should be enough to just cover the bottom of each well.
Pop the tin into a cold oven and set it to 220°C fan.
Let the tin and oil get completely hot. This is crucial as the hot tin and oil will cause the cold batter to lift and get puffy.
4. Final mix:
Your batter should look like it has separated in the fridge which is exactly what you want.
Add the extra 20ml cold water and give it a brisk beat so it springs back to life.
5. Bake and rise like a champion:
Carefully remove the smoking-hot tin, working quickly but safely, pour the batter into each well so they are 2/3 to ¾ full.
Then pop the tin straight back into the oven.
- 15 mins at 220°C, do not open the door! They’re easily offended and will shrink back if you do this.
- Then drop to 180°C for another 10 mins or until they are looking crisp, golden and magnificent.
6. Serve immediately:
Dish them out straight away if possible (if you get caught out and they have sat on the side for a while, just pop them back into the oven for a minute or two to crisp back up again).
You can freeze leftovers or make ahead and freeze them but the absolute best results are the ones straight from the oven.
The reason why this version works so well:
- T65 flour is that perfect Goldilocks flour that gives structure with crispy walls and a chewy centre.
- Rapeseed oil handles high heat without too much smoking.
- USA Pan tin straighter sides = dramatic rise plus the width makes for impressive Yorkies that can hold a copious amount of gravy.
It’s pretty much edible architecture!
