Yorkshire Pudding

This is the breakfast with many names…Dutch Baby, Puff Pancake, Dutch Pancake…
I prefer the name Yorkshire Pudding, because telling people that I am making a Dutch Baby for breakfast always causes a bit of confusion. Whatever you want to call it, this delightful, buttery, custardy breakfast dish has become a staple in our home. I make it at least once a month, for our Sunday brunch. I made it Christmas morning. I’ve even served it as dessert at a Kroll family dinner. What I love about this dish is the surprise it offers! As the mixture of butter, eggs, milk and flour bakes, it puffs up and curls in on itself like an ocean wave. It bakes differently every time and I love that. Yorkshire Pudding never looks the same from time to time, but it is always delicious. The first time I tasted it, I marveled at its thick, custardy texture. I was expecting, by the look of it, to taste something light and fluffy. But instead it is a solid, filling, simple custard pancake. That’s the best I can do in describing it. You’ll just have to try it…

My intention in sharing recipes on this blog is not to suggest that I know best or that the way I do things is correct! In reality, I am a twenty four year old woman who is bright eyed and bushy tailed in her endeavors to cook, but who is just beginning to learn the basics. Rather, I am sharing these recipes to document the foods that bless our taste buds here at the Kroll cottage. I do not put heavy emphasis on doing things right in the kitchen but instead I like to embrace an element of chaos and spontaneity (I believe I can thank my mother for this approach to cooking. Thank you, Mom! I love you.) With that being said, I do love to follow recipes. It lends a structure, a comfort and a guiding hand through challenging dishes or it can just be a reference point, a starting block, for your own creativity.

So, here is the recipe I use for Yorkshire Pudding…

What you will need:

baking dish- this could be a cast iron skillet, or (as I use) a pie dish
a hot oven — 400 degrees fahrenheit
6 tablespoons of butter (or more, if you’re like us and butter is a main food group)
3 eggs
3 tablespoons of sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 1/4 cup whole milk
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt

Instructions:

First, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Put the butter into your cast iron skillet/pie dish. Place in the oven until butter is melted.
Meanwhile, combine the eggs, sugar, vanilla, milk, flour and salt in a bowl.
Remove hot dish from oven once butter is melted. Swirl the butter all around until the dish is completely coated! Pour the batter into the dish like this:

Then, return dish to oven.
I like to place a baking tray under the pudding because the butter tends to drip while it bakes.
Bake for about 20–22 minutes, until the “pancake” is puffed in the center and golden brown all along the edges. Mine always tend to have a puddle of butter in the center that sort of crusts over at is cools and it is SO utterly wonderful for the taste buds.
Remove from the oven and sprinkle with powdered sugar, if you’d like.
The puff WILL deflate as it cools. Fret not, it loses none of its tastiness.
I love cutting it into pie slices and serving with jam or a dollop of yogurt.

There you have it! Yorkshire Pudding! And my first recipe blog post. And Alex made us delicious coffee.

Happy Sunday, everyone!

Elle