Help: Perfect Yorkshires

[TiG]

I love Sunday lunch and I can make yorkshires but I can never get all 12 to raise perfectly with sides.

Usually get 6 perfect and 6 that just don't manage to make the sides stay up and end up more like a pancake than a yorkshire.

It seems to be split by where they are in the oven, Is this problem temperature related?.

TiG

[malfunction]

Might be that you aren't getting the oil hot enough - meant to get it smoking hot in the oven before adding the mix. Either than or not enough egg.

[Nick]

Easiest answer here is to cook them in batches, putting them where the 6 that work go.

Sounds to me like your oven isn't heating evenly, either that or you're not giving enough space between the trays of yorkies for the air to flow properly.

[Saracen]

I've been having trouble Yorkshires for a year or more. Never had any trouble before, but cam having great trouble getting the bastard things to rise these days - at least, without sticking baking powder in to give them a boost.

I thought it was just me, but my mother-in-law has been having the same problem, as have several others, including her next-door neighbour, who's only been baking Yorkshire's (albeit in Nottinghamshire ) for about 70 years.

We've come to the conclusion that something has changed in the flour. We've tried different brands, we've tried different temperatures, nothing seems to work. They come out half-cooked and stodgy.

To be honest, I've given up. Morrisons Yorky's aren't bad at all, cook in about 4 minutes and are at least consistent. They're nowhere near as good as home-brew's, but are edible (which is more than I can say for the cardboard creations you get from most pre-cooked jobs).

[TiG]

Thanks for the comments, interested about egg, how many do you use for a mix of 12 batters?, 1 or 2 eggs?.

Seems i may be 1 egg short of proper batter mix?.


TiG

[malfunction]

Well my wife uses Jamie Oliver's recipe (I'm sure that name will cheer up Deckard )... Off the top of her head it's 2 eggs for about 8 puddings and the oven should be as hot as it goes - the oil really should be as hot as you can get it (obviously not great if you've only got one oven and the roast potatoes and meat are in there too). If you're already using 2 eggs try 3?

[TechnoKitty]

I let the side down and use Aunt Bessies :/

My Southern boyfriend once asked me 'Do you just call them puddings up there?'

[Stoo]

Aunt Bessies are great

[Russ]

tig, is it teh same six that cook right and wrong? could be your oven.

[TiG]

This is the wierd thing, If I get the fat that hot they all fk up. The way it splits depends on the temperature of the fat, I find that if i get the fat cooking the batter mixture before it gets back in the oven they tend to screw up.

TiG

[Nick]

Ok, try filling your yorkie moulds 1/4 full of fat, get it real hot, then VERY carefully swirl the tray so the fat coats the inside evenly. Now tip out the excess and pour in your yorkie batter.

You have to be quick to do this, or the oil and tray cool down too much.

One of the mistakes I've made in the past is to have the oven too cool and too much oil in the tray, so I ended up with deep fried dough cookies. The oven has to be as hot as it'll go. If the yorkies are browning too fast when they've risen, ease the oven temp down a tad.

Don't forget that opening and closing the door cools the oven down, so whatever you're cooking you should always close the door of the oven, even if you're just checking something as it can lose all its heat and then things just won't cook porperly.

[Lujan]

WEll, I had a go at cooking 12 of these yesterday in a muffin tray.

The batter mix consisted of 6oz of Sainsburys Plain Flour, 3 medium eggs, 6flz oz of semi-skimmed milk, 4fl oz of water and a pinch of salt and pepper. I had the mixture ready about 2hrs before I needed to use it.

When the lamb joint was done, I took some of the juices and poured a little into each section of the tray. The fat cooled down so I was able to rub it around the tray so the yorkies wouldnt stick.This was placed in the oven at 220oC for a few mins until it was smoking. Then I poured the batter into each bit and cooked them for about 25mins.

They all rose nicely. Crispy on the outside but a little too dry on the inside. Tasty tho

[Ferral]

If you add a touch of normal pepper (Not the black stuff you gring, the normal brown powdery stuff !!! - Very technical !) It actually helps the yorkies rise, make sure you keep any outside doors closed and the oven door closed also during the cooking time or they will go flat !