There is evidently a curse on my toad in the hole…

So brave to faff about with toad in the hole after a stressful journey. Well done you. I would have done penne pasta I think, especially if dh eats anything.

I sympathise! My Yorkshire puddigs are awful, and never willingly make them, or toad-in-the-hole. However, I am asked to every so often, and they are eaten with no complaint (otherwise they know what would happen!) but I am always dissatisfied.
The best bit is making them - I follow my grandmother's instructions and can hear her as I beat the batter just so. Sometimes I ask her - if I've done it all right, why don't they puff up?
I'm sorry to say that my top tip is to use beef or pork fat, so that they are tasty, come what may.

Oh, the angst! My sympathies.

Soggy toad-in-the-hole is yummy though ?, especially cold the next day.

You could make a bun tray of mini ones- twist your sausages in half.
They always puff up better this way.

I always use SR flour, and they do ‘puff up’.
A tip...make sure the fat/oil you use is red hot before tipping in sausages and batter to cook, and in a really hot ( pre heated)
Oven.

My yorkshire puddings always used to turn out like pancakes until I found James Martin's recipe. He seems to use a lot of eggs but they puff up beautifully. The secrets seem to be making the batter the day before and leaving it in the fridge and opening the oven door to let the steam out after the first 10 minutes cooking.

Having been brought up in Yorkhire I always use plan flour , beat batter well and leave in fridge for at least an hour or overnight , then beat again . I use lard in the tin , get it very hot! I lift the tin from oven and put on gas ring to maintain the heat then carefully pour the batter in . Then immediately put back in the oven. I also mix batter with half milk and half water . Good luck !

If you want puffed up yorkshire puddings always use plain flour!

Yes to adding extra eggs. They are raising agents. Our old recipes were written usually when eggs were more expensive or difficult to obtain. I always part cook sausages in the oven then add the batter to the hot fat. Another thing my batters always rose up in magnificent style with just one egg years ago but noticed it changed when my oven changed. No fan oven then!

As per St. Delia, lemongrove, the oven was preheated red hot, sausages pre- oven cooked for 10 mins, before the tin with sausages went on the hob to be heated even further before pouring the batter in!

It’s definitely a curse. I have somehow evidently offended the god/goddess of toad in the hole at some point. How do I placate him/her?

I would say extra eggs definitely. My TINTH was cursed for sometime until I added more eggs.

Thank you, BigBertha1 - there was only one large egg in the recipe, so if I try it again, I’ll use 2.

The oil does need to be red hot, that is the usual problem, it takes real courage to do that.

Have used this recipe from slimming world , this makes 6 individual,, or ST for 2.
They are humongous
3 Eggs
60g SR flour
75ml milk..I always use skimmed and medium eggs.

Make sure oil sizzles, pour into individual bun tin, I yse cup cake tin/ victoria sandwich tin,works well doubled up also .
Enjoy.