Toad In The Hole Recipe | Rise Every Time | Hint Of Helen (2024)

FAQs

Why does my toad in the hole batter not rise? ›

Getting your Yorkshires to rise:

Toad in the Hole needs a hot dish with plenty of oil. Using a metal baking tin and adding the batter quickly is recommended. Also, the dish needs to be large enough so that the batter can creep around the edges (at least 30cm x 25cm ideally).

Get a flexible silicone pan (loaf or shallow square both fine) and your toad in the hole will never stick. They're pretty cheap, and very much worth it. You should also be able to use less oil this way, just shake the sausages around to coat the insides before the batter goes in.

Dishes like toad in the hole appeared in print as early as 1762, when it was described as a "vulgar" name for a "small piece of beef baked in a large pudding". Toad in the hole was originally created as a way to stretch out meat in poor households. Chefs therefore suggested using the cheapest meats in this dish.

One vital tip: don't open the oven while the batter is cooking. If you do, it will collapse and you'll end up with a pancake. And when the toad in the hole looks like it's ready, give it another 5 minutes in the oven – it will be perfect when you take it out.

What is the best baking tin for toad in the hole? A metal tin with fairly high sides is best because metal is a very efficient conductor of heat and getting the batter hot is essential for a good rise.

Keep Batter Cool and Oven Hot

A successful rise will come from the combination of a cold batter going into a very hot oven. The oven should be as hot as possible—the highest setting your oven can handle (450 F to 500 F) without burning everything to a crisp.

Top Tips for the Best Ever Yorkshire Puddings

The batter should be the consistency of pouring cream and you should let it rest for about an hour in the fridge. Cold batter and hot oil are the successful combination for a well risen and crisp pudding.

There should be a sizzle when you pour the batter into the hot oil. The batter will immediately start cooking, resulting in higher and crispier puds. The hot pan also means your Yorkies are less likely to stick to it when you remove them later.

The most commonly accepted explanation for its name is that the sausages resemble toads peeking from a crevice made of crisp batter.

Toad in the hole is a traditional British dish consisting of sausages cooked in a Yorkshire pudding batter and served with an onion gravy. Toad in the hole was among the dishes served at the Leaky Cauldron in London.

Why is Toad in the Hole soggy? ›

There are a few things that will make your batter soggy and stop it from rising nicely. You need to make sure your batter is a good consistency – not too thick and not too thin. This recipe seems to work nicely for us. If your batter still isn't rising well it could be that you haven't used enough oil.

Serve at the table with the Toad in the hole, mashed potatoes, greens and baked beans or maybe a green salad if you're feeling a little guilty!

Yes, the batter should be runny, about the consistency of heavy cream. Here is my very quick, easy and amazing cheap recipe together with some important points which will make sure the puddings are a success.

Whilst the toad in the hole is baking DO NOT open the oven door – this will result in your batter deflating. Cook the toad in the hole for about 30 minutes – check through the oven door (look through the glass if you have a glass door) and check it is browned.

FREEZE AHEAD: Once cool, put the toad-in-the-holes on a lined baking tray and freeze for 4 hours. Pack in freezer bags and freeze for up to one month. Reheat from frozen on a baking tray covered loosely with foil, in a preheated oven at 200°C/fan 180°C/gas 6, for 15-20 mins or until piping hot throughout.

Bake doesn't rise, or the texture is just wrong

An over-mixed batter overworks the gluten in the flour, resulting in weaker gluten structures. This makes your cake flat and destroys its fluffy texture. Fold your dry ingredients into the wet ones lightly with a spatula and do not stir too hard.

Add more yeast, blend in the starter, or knead in more flour to help initiate rising. Dough that has expired yeast, too much salt, all-purpose or cake flour, or antifungal spices like cinnamon might have trouble rising.

If your liquid is too hot (i.e. boiling) it will kill the yeast and prevent the rise. If it's not hot enough, the yeast won't have the heat needed to bloom. Use a thermometer to measure the liquid's temperature before using.