Why can't I make Yorkshire puddings ???

my revered mother, who was not from Yorkshire made very fine Yorkshire pudding. no idea how she did it though. sorry, no help. but it was Yorkshire pudding. always singular. it was made in a tray and cut into squares. i have never found anything like it since.
long ago days, and her sharpening the knife on the granite slab in the back yard, and plucking the mint.
wish i'd told her how wondrous it all was. but too stupid to realise it would all be gone so soon. and her.

DD just recommended a gf recipe with more eggs.

I'm useless with a one egg recipe. Never had the knack. But with more eggs, easy risers!

As said by many others the oven has to be really hot before the batter goes in, plus the fat has to be sizzling before pouring the batter into the tin, so melt it first in the pre-heated oven. (I often place the tin onto a low gas flame whilst pouring the batter so that the fat remains sizzling, then put it back promptly into the oven). The batter really benefits from resting beforehand, too. I prefer using lard to oil. Delia has a good batter recipe and remember, the flour has to be plain flour, not self raising.

HurdyGurdy I think you're right and it doesn't matter what recipe or method you use, it won't work if the oven isn't hot enough.

I sent this recipe to my American friend and it worked for her first time. It never fails. It takes a couple of minutes to prepare, does not need to be made in advance.

Make the batter in a 1 litre kitchen jug so it pours easily into the tin. Crack the eggs in first to avoid flour remaining in the bottom.

For 12 Yorkshire puddings (bun tin size)

3 large eggs, room temp.
100 grams plain flour.
130 mls cold water, NOT milk. (130mils of water weighs 130gms so can be measured on the scales).
Pinch of salt.
Lard for the baking tin (NOT oil, it leaves a sticky residue on the pan over time and causes the puddings to stick).

Place eggs, flour, water and salt into the jug, eggs first. With a table fork, beat for a minute or two until creamy. Do not be concerned if there are some flour lumps in the batter.

Heat the oven to 220℃. Put knobs of lard into each compartment of the cooking pan and place in the oven until melted. Remove the pan and brush the lard up the sides of the compartments with a pastry brush. Return the pan to the oven for a couple of minutes.

Beat the mix again with the fork for about 10 seconds, take pan from the oven and pour the batter into it, lumps and all.

Bake immediately for 25 - 30 mins. Check after 20mins and reduce heat to 200℃ if necessary.

It has to be plain flour and 1 egg to every 2 ounces of flour. Heat the oil very hot and take the batter to the oven to retain the heat. I only use 2 eggs for 4 ounces of flour and they rise all the time!

Thank you all.

I half suspect the oven's just not getting hot enough. They were cooking on gas 9.

I know plenty of people swear by gas ovens, but oh my days - I absolutely loathe mine

I've got an oven thermometer, but the numbers are too hard to read. I don't think the oven's getting up to the correct temperature. Time to get an engineer out, I think.

We did have lovely pancakes though, with the leftover batter

I will try again in the week using some of the recipes and hints/tips above, and hope for the best.

Otherwise, I think Santa needs to bring a new cooker, don't you?

200ml milk, semi skimmed
4oz plain flour - must be plain
4 eggs

Beat well until smooth, leave to stand , ok over night in the fridge. A liitle oil in to the pans, hot over - 200 or gas equivalent, should heat quickly just a few minutes, then the secret is to work fast and clean, pour the batter into the center of each cup, don’t splash the sides it effects the rise, then straight into the oven 25 minutes, do not open door.

Ps. They should start to cook around the edges as soon as the batter hits the tins.

Really hot oven, mine is 220°c.
4 oz plain flour
2 eggs
Pinch of salt
Enough milk to make a batter the consistency of single cream.
(I use a bit less milk and before I put them in the oven I add really cold water to get the correct consistency). This is a tip I had from a Yorkshire friend.

Put a small amount of oil or lard into Yorkshire pudding tins and heat in the oven until really hot.
Por the batter into the tins and bake for 30 minutes or until nicely browned and well risen.

Enjoy.

Plus....you need to be Yorkshire born and bred to make the best ones.?

Is your tin deep enough?
It looks too shallow.

Going by the photo, yours look too pale, which I would say means the oven isn't hot enough, the oil isn't hot enough when the batter goes into it or they need to be in the oven for longer - or even a combination of these.. An extra egg might to the trick.

... or buy the ready-to-heat ones off the shelf - not the frozen ones - at Waitrose! They are really ?

Brian Turners method, works every time. Take two identical glasses and in one crack eggs (I use one or two for six puds). Place second glass next to first and using the level of the eggs as measure line put plain flour to same line. Put flour into a jug and then use the glass again to measure milk. Combine all ingredients in the jug.
Oil in tin into hot oven, when ready pour batter and cook top of oven about 15mins.
Same as annsixty.

3 eggs to 4ozs flour and half a pint of milk. Whisk well. Pour into VERY hot fat. Cook 30 minutes. Brilliant Yorkshires

Fan ovens are not the best for Yorkshire puddings, sponge cakes or anything that needs to rise.

I missed out eggs there in the first line, should read break two or three eggs into one glass.
Also leave in the fridge for several hours so that the cold batter goes into hot fat.

Get two drinking glasses, tall, same size, break two or three into one glass.
In the other measure plain flour and salt to taste to the same level as the eggs reach.
Put the flour into a large basin, fill that glass with milk up to the same level as the eggs.
Add the eggs to the flour and start to stir in , when incorporated start to add the milk gradually and whisk vigorously.
Whisk until it is really smooth and the surface is covered in small bubbles.
Bake as above in a hot oven in smoking oil or lard.
Job done.

Perhaps you need to get your oven thermostat checked.

When we didn’t have guests my Yorkshire puds were fine but always flopped if there was an audience.

In my last post, I was referring to what Smilelesssaid at 20.15, about her recipe ( 4oz plain four, half a pint of milk and one egg.)

I used the quote function, and have only just noticed that somewhere along the way I must have done something wrong, causing the quote to disappear!

@HurdyGurdy are you using a deep muffin pan or a shallow tartlet tin? I can't tell from your pic. If you are using a deep pan, I'm wondering if your oven thermostat is correct? Those puds should be much more browned in the time you have given.

I could never make yorkshire puddings until I found James Martin's granny's recipe. If you google it you'll find it uses a lot of eggs and suggests refrigerating the batter overnight. The secret is to open the oven door after the first 10 minutes to let the steam out, then shut it and leave them to bake.

That's the same recipe that my mum and my grandma used, and that I have always used (all of us Yorkshire born and bred ☺).

The hot oven is essential.
I never managed to make good Yorkshire puddings in the twenty years we lived on a boat, because I couldn't get our calor gas oven hot enough but no problems at all since moving on land and having a 'normal' cooker.