Toad in a hole is a British dish made by cooking sausages in a Yorkshire pudding batter. It is a popular pub food and comfort dish, often served with onion gravy. It should be eaten immediately and not cooked in a convection oven.
Toad in a hole, or toad in a hole, combines two British favorites to produce what many consider to be a tasty dish, but certainly not fat-free. Essentially, it’s a sausage covered and cooked in Yorkshire pudding. It is a favorite pub food and also a classic dinner dish.
This dish is sometimes confused with eggs in a basket, where an egg is cracked into a slice of bread with a hole in it and fried. This is not the traditional definition for the term, although the two may occasionally be confused by those unfamiliar with British foods.
The traditional toad in a hole will use bangers, which are large pork sausages. Yorkshire pudding recipe is not what Americans would call a real pudding, but a dish made from flour, milk and eggs. This batter then coats the sausages and the result is a very browned, raised crust that encloses the meat.
Yorkshire pudding, with or without sausages, depends on fats rising quickly. Most chefs use bacon fat or butter in the bottom of the pan to get the pudding’s dramatic rise. Most chefs recommend avoiding margarine or vegetable oils, as they often have an unpleasant, burnt taste that distracts from the dish.
When the toad in a hole is cooked, it must be eaten immediately. The pudding part deflates quickly and you’ll lose the drama of the presentation. Often, this dish is made for special occasions such as Christmas dinners, and in the UK it is often regarded as one of the best comfort foods.
At Renaissance fairs across the United States, toad in a hole is a frequent offering from food vendors. It is usually cooked in individual portions, as it is not the type of food that can be stored and reheated with any degree of success. Making individual “toads” can be a fun method at home too. This way, each person can then deflate their pudding with a knife and fork as they start eating it.
The dish is often served topped with onion gravy and is quite easy to make. Cooks can get bangers stateside, and Yorkshire pudding uses simple ingredients. The only caveat is that chefs shouldn’t cook the dish in a convection oven. The circulating hot air will cause a very puffy pudding at first, but it quickly deflates long before it’s even fully cooked, resulting in a chewy mess.
Cooks should also be patient while the toad in a pit is cooking and not open the oven very often to check if it is rising. This can cause the pudding to deflate prematurely.
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