Easy Yorkshires: cooking for one

Everyone I know loves Yorkshire puds.  I certainly do but recently I have been singularly unsuccessful in making them as they have ended up solid and soggy rather than light and crispy.   I know all about the hot fat and the not opening the oven door but still no luck.

Brian Turner.

Fortunately, an online friend, Rachel, told me about the recipe she uses which is based on a Brian Turner recipe found here.

As you can see, if you follow the link, it is based not on weight but on volume/capacity.  Three cheers.  I know they freeze well but one person does not necessarily want twelve little puddings at one time.

As I wasn't sure, I used a bun tin with smaller spaces and I ended up with six little puds.  To my shame, I ate them all.  So if you use a muffin tin or similar, I would say the amounts below would make four puddings, two for straight away and two (if you have the self control) for the freezer.

Ingredients based on one egg (easily scaled up)
1 medium egg (which was 50 mls)
The same volume of half and half milk and water (so 25mls milk and 25 mls water)
50 mls plain flour
a pinch of salt, a grinding of black pepper and a dash of vinegar
(Mr Turner says he has no idea what the vinegar does but it is part of his granny's recipe so he uses it)

Method:
Preheat the oven to 220 - it needs to be smoking hot.  Put a little fat in whatever you are using to bake them in - I used a little cake tray and turkey dripping.  Put the tray into the oven to get really hot.

You need to measure the egg first, then pour it into a small bowl and wash and dry the container.
Measure out the same volume of plain flour and add to a clean bowl. Then measure out half the volume of milk and half of water.  Add the milk, water and egg to the flour and beat well into a batter.  Add a pinch of salt, a little pepper and a dash of vinegar.

Pour the batter into the smoking hot baking tray - the batter should sizzle as it goes in.
Pop into the oven and bake until done.  If you make smaller Yorkshires they will be cooked quicker but don't open the oven door until nearly the end.  Mine seemed to do quite quickly - around 15 to 20 mind but bigger ones would take longer.

That's it!  They were lovely.  I think I have found my easily remembered and successful template recipe for Yorkshires.  Better late than never!