What is Yorkshire Pudding?
Not a custard, Yorkshire pudding is more like a cross between a soufflé and a cheese puff (without the cheese). The batter is like a very thin pancake batter, which you pour into a hot casserole dish over drippings from roast beef or prime rib. It then puffs up like a chef’s hat, only to collapse soon after you remove it from the oven. Given that it’s loaded with beef drippings (read fat) or butter, or both, Yorkshire pudding is probably not the thing you want to eat regularly if you are watching your waistline. But for a once a year indulgence, served alongside a beef roast? Yummmmm.
How to Make Yorkshire Pudding
Yorkshire pudding is traditionally made in one pan (even more traditionally in the pan catching the drippings from the roast above). You can also make a popover version with the same batter and drippings in a muffin tin or popover pan.
Let the batter rest for at least 1 hour. Don’t rush this.Give it a good whisk before pouring the batter into the pan or muffin tins.Let the oven fully preheat before you add the dish with the drippings.Preheat the pan with the fat in it for 10 minutes after you have fully preheated the oven.Conventional wisdom holds that once the dish is in the oven, you shouldn’t open the door. We’ve seen contradictory evidence—opening the oven door a few times is, in fact, okay—but if you really want to get to the bottom of it, try it both ways and see.
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Let sit for 1 hour. For the traditional sheet pan version, place the drippings in a 9x12-inch dish (metal or ceramic is best), coating the bottom of the dish. Heat the dish in the oven for 10 minutes. Bake popovers (in a muffin pan or popover pan) for 10 minutes at 450°F, then reduce the heat to 350°F and bake for 5 to 10 more minutes, until puffy and golden brown. Bake a baking pan of Yorkshire pudding for 15 minutes at 450°F, then reduce the heat to 350°F and bake for 15 to 20 more minutes, until puffy and golden brown. Cut into squares to serve.
