Equipment
Ingredients
Batter
- 140 g plain flour
- 4 eggs, room temperature
- 200 ml whole milk, room temperature
- 3 g salt
Sausages and Fat
- 8 pork sausages
- 30 g beef dripping
Nutrition (per serving)
Method
In a mixing bowl, whisk the eggs and plain flour together until completely smooth. Gradually whisk in the whole milk and salt until the batter resembles the consistency of single cream.
Leave the batter to rest at room temperature for at least 30 minutes. This allows the starch to hydrate and the gluten to relax, ensuring a lighter and taller pudding.
Preheat the oven to 220 degrees Celsius (430 degrees Fahrenheit). Place the beef dripping or vegetable oil into a metal roasting tin and put it in the oven to heat up.
Carefully remove the hot roasting tin from the oven. Add the pork sausages and return to the oven for 10 minutes, allowing the sausages to brown slightly and the fat to become smoking hot.
Working quickly, carefully remove the roasting tin from the oven. Pour the rested batter around the sausages; the hot fat must sizzle violently as the batter hits it. Immediately return the tin to the upper-middle shelf of the oven.
Bake for 30 to 35 minutes at 220 degrees Celsius (430 degrees Fahrenheit) until the batter is deeply golden, puffed up, and crisp. Crucially, do not open the oven door during the baking process, or the batter will instantly collapse.
Chef's Notes
- Always use a metal roasting tin rather than glass or ceramic. Metal conducts heat much faster, which is essential to create the immediate blast of heat required to puff the batter.
- Resting the batter is not optional. Giving the flour time to absorb the liquid leads to a significantly taller, airier structure with better flavor development.
- Toad in the Hole demands a very hot oven and a high smoke-point fat. Beef dripping provides the most traditional flavor and crispness, but standard vegetable or sunflower oil works perfectly. Avoid olive oil or butter, as they will burn at 220C.
- For the ultimate British comfort meal, this dish must be served generously ladled with a rich, dark onion gravy and a side of buttery peas or cabbage.
Storage
Refrigerator: 3 days — Will lose crispness in the fridge. Best reheated in a hot oven.
Freezer: 1 month — Freeze fully baked. Reheat from frozen in a 180C oven.
Reheating: Reheat in a 180C (350F) oven for 10-15 minutes until warmed through and re-crisped.
