Mary Berry Yorkshire Pudding
Everyone loves a big pillowy Yorkshire pudding and you can guarantee success with this Mary Berry Yorkshire pudding recipe, which Mary has been making to serve with Sunday lunches for many years.
MUST-SEE VIDEO BELOW: Using the same equipment, same oil, same oven and same batter Ben Goshawk shows how you can up your game from Method ☹ to Method 3 level Yorkshire puddings.
Equipment and preparation: you will need a 12-hole deep bun tin, or two four-hole Yorkshire pudding tins or a large roasting tin. Ben uses a 6-hole tin.
less than 30 mins
10 to 30 mins
Serves 4-6
Equipment
Mixing bowl – see Amazon’s Choice
Electric whisk
Jug
Bun tray – see Amazon’s Choice
Ingredients
- 100g/3½oz plain flour
- ¼ tsp salt
- 3 large free-range eggs
- 225ml/8fl oz milk
- sunflower oil
Method
- Preheat the oven to 220C/425F/Gas 7 (200C fan).
- Measure the flour and salt into a bowl and make a well in the centre. Add the eggs and a little milk. Whisk until smooth and gradually add the remaining milk. This can be done with a wooden spoon, but is easier with an electric hand-held whisk. Pour the mixture into a jug.
- Measure a dessertspoonful of oil into each hole of the 12 bun tray, or a tablespoonful in each hole of the four hole tins, or three tablespoonfuls into the roasting tin. Transfer to the preheated oven for five minutes, or until the oil is piping hot.
- Carefully remove from the oven and pour the batter equally between the holes or the tin.
- Return the batter quickly to the oven and cook for 20-25 minutes (35 if making the Yorkshire pudding in the roasting tin), or until golden-brown and well-risen. Serve immediately.
Mary Berry Yorkshire Pudding Recipe Tips
Mary Berry Yorkshire pudding can be made completely ahead and reheated in a hot oven for about eight minutes. The batter can be made up to two hours ahead. The cooked puddings can be frozen and cooked from frozen in a preheated oven for about 10 minutes. It is very important to get the oil piping hot. As soon as the batter is poured in it will set and start to cook giving you crisp well-risen puds.
Mary Berry Yorkshire Puddings: Your Burning Questions, Answered
What’s Mary Berry’s secret for perfect Yorkshire puddings?
If you’ve ever watched Mary Berry whip up Yorkshire puddings, you’ll notice she keeps things simple. Her “secret” isn’t some wild ingredient—it’s all about getting the basics right: a smooth batter, really hot oil, and a blazing oven. She’s a big fan of sunflower oil, and she’ll tell you not to skimp on letting that oil get piping hot. Pour in the batter, get the tray back in the oven fast, and don’t peek! The result? Yorkshire puddings that rise up tall and proud, crisp on the outside, and fluffy inside. Foolproof, she promises.
Why do my Yorkshire puddings flop instead of rise?
Oh, the heartbreak of a flat Yorkshire. Mary’s seen it all. Usually, the culprits are cold batter, oil that’s not hot enough, or an oven that’s lost its nerve (or heat). And if you open the oven door to check on them? Disaster. Yorkshire puddings are dramatic—they need heat and zero interruptions. Let the batter sit out and warm up a bit before baking, and double-check that oven temp.
Does Mary Berry sneak baking powder into her recipe?
Nope. No baking powder here. Mary sticks to the classics: plain flour, eggs, milk, a pinch of salt. The magic is in the eggs and the steam from the hot oven. If you see a recipe with baking powder, it’s not the Mary Berry way.
What’s the magic oven temperature?
Crank it up to 220°C (200°C fan) or Gas 7. Hotter is better.
How long should the batter rest?
At least half an hour. Mary’s happy if you let it sit even longer, as long as it’s at room temperature when it goes into the oven. (She’s patient. Yorkshire puddings are worth it.)
Can you make them ahead of time?
Absolutely. Mary’s no stranger to a busy Sunday. She’ll bake her Yorkshires, let them cool, then pop them back in a hot oven for a few minutes to crisp up when it’s time to eat. You can even make the batter the night before, stash it in the fridge, and bake fresh the next day.
What fat does Mary Berry use?
She usually goes for sunflower oil. It gets nice and hot without burning. If you’re feeling traditional, beef drippings work too—just don’t tell Mary if you make a mess.
Up your game to Level 3
Ben Goshawk takes us through 3 methods for Yorkshire puddings. By the end of this video, you’ll know how to make sky-high Yorkshires every time.
Yorkshire Pudding: The Rise of Britain’s Golden Giant
Picture this: you look through the glass of the oven door and watch as pale, liquid batter transforms into towering golden cups or maybe it looks like you’re making pancakes. That’s Yorkshire pudding magic right there – a dish so simple it’s almost insulting, yet so temperamental it can reduce grown adults to tears.
The Humble Beginning
Nobody really knows who first thought, “You know what? I’m going to pour some batter into beef drippings and see what happens.” But thank goodness they did. Somewhere in Yorkshire during the 1700s, someone struck culinary gold with nothing more than flour, eggs, milk, and salt. The genius wasn’t in the ingredients – it was in the timing, the heat, and probably a fair bit of luck.
Back then, this wasn’t some fancy side dish. Working families used Yorkshire pudding as clever economics. Serve it first, fill everyone up on cheap batter, then stretch that precious bit of meat a little further. Smart? Absolutely. Delicious? Even better.
When Sausages Went Swimming
Possibly the most unappetizing name for something so tasty. Some bright spark decided to plop sausages into the batter before baking. The sausages peek out like little heads surfacing in a golden pond, hence the charming name that makes visitors wrinkle their noses until they take their first bite.
Mary Berry swears by her mix for this classic combo, and honestly, when Mary speaks about baking, we all listen.
Sunday Royalty
Yorkshire pudding didn’t just win over common folk. King George V declared it his favorite dish, which must have been quite something for a monarch who could literally eat anything he wanted. That royal stamp of approval turned a practical peasant food into a national treasure.
These days, Yorkshire pudding anchors the Sunday roast like a golden fortress. Families still gather around tables laden with beef, gravy, and those magnificent puffy towers, carrying on a tradition that’s survived wars, rationing, and even the invention of frozen dinners.
Mary Berry’s Secret Weapons
Here’s where things get interesting. Mary Berry – Britain’s baking grandmother – has cracked the code on getting Yorkshire puddings to reach for the sky. Her trick? More eggs. As flour became more refined over the years, she noticed the old ratios weren’t cutting it anymore. Add extra eggs, cut back slightly on the milk, and watch those puddings climb toward heaven.
Got full-fat milk? Swap out a quarter of it for water. Sounds wrong, but Mary’s rarely steered anyone astray in the kitchen.
The Waiting Game
Patience pays off with Yorkshire pudding batter. Let it sit for at least half an hour – up to two hours if you can manage it. The flour needs time to drink up all that liquid properly. Think of it as the batter taking a little nap before the big performance.
Resist the urge to open the oven to have a look! Opening that door is like letting all the air out of a balloon. Keep the heat blazing hot and don’t even think about checking until they’re deep golden brown. Those puddings need to set their structure before facing the cold, cruel world.
The Second Act
Life happens, and sometimes you need to make Yorkshire puddings ahead of time. Good news: they reheat beautifully. Eight minutes in a hot oven brings them back to life. You can even freeze the cooked ones and resurrect them in about ten minutes straight from the freezer.
Beyond the Original
While purists might clutch their pearls, Yorkshire pudding has spawned countless variations. Some cooks sneak herbs into the batter, others experiment with different meats or create miniature versions for parties. The basic principle remains the same: hot fat, cold batter, high heat, and crossed fingers.
Whether you’re serving them alongside Sunday beef or stuffed with bangers, Yorkshire pudding represents something quintessentially British – taking the simplest ingredients and turning them into something that brings people together around a table. Not bad for a bit of batter that learned to fly.