Mrs Beeton’s Yorkshire pudding recipe is a classic recipe used by generations of cooks. Her original recipe is for one large traditional Yorkshire pudding, but you can use the same recipe in a muffin pan to make individual-sized Yorkshire puddings.
Yorkshire puddings served with roast meat and thick salty gravy are a beloved traditional British food.
A traditional recipe for Yorkshire pudding was published by Mrs Beeton in her famous Book of Household Management in the late 19th Century. As with many of her recipes, it became the standard recipe for making Yorkshire puddings for many households in Britain and across the world, and is still used in many kitchens to this day.
I have reproduced the original recipe here, tested in my test kitchen, and translated it using modern cookery terms in the recipe card below.
Mrs Beeton’s Yorkshire Pudding Recipe – The Original
Here is the original recipe as written by Mrs Beeton. It is recipe number 1930 in her Book of Household Management.
Scroll down to the recipe card below for the modern measurements and instructions.
1930.—YORKSHIRE PUDDING.
Ingredients.—1 pint of milk, 2 eggs, 4 heaped tablespoonfuls of flour, salt, dripping.
Method.—Put the flour and a good pinch of salt into a basin, make a well in the centre, break in the eggs, stir, gradually mixing in the flour from the sides, and add milk by degrees until a thick smooth batter is formed.
Now beat well for 10 minutes, then add the remainder of the milk, cover, and let it stand for at least 1 hour.
When ready to use, cover the bottom of a pudding-tin with a thin layer of dripping taken from the meat-tin, and while the tin and dripping are getting thoroughly hot in the oven, give the batter another good beating.
Bake the pudding for 10 minutes in a hot oven to partially cook the bottom, or, if more convenient, place the hottest shelf from the oven on the meat stand, and at once put the pudding in front of the fire, and cook it until set and well-browned.
“Yorkshire” pudding is always cooked in front of the fire; when baked in the oven, the term “batter pudding” is applied to it by the people in the county whence it derives its name.
Time.—About 40 minutes. Average Cost, 6d. Sufficient for 5 or 6 persons.
Notes from testing the recipe
- I found using today’s measurements that 1½ cups of milk was the right amount to make the batter the correct consistency.
- Use a muffin tin to make individual Yorkshire puddings. The recipe makes around 12.
- Bake for entire cooking time in an oven for 25 minutes or more depending on your preference for crispness in Yorkshire puddings.
Mrs Beeton’s Yorkshire Pudding Recipe Card
Mrs Beeton's Yorkshire Pudding Recipe
How to make Yorkshire puddings the way Mrs Beeton did.
Ingredients
- 1 cup plain flour (all-purpose flour)
- 1½ cups milk [Note 1]
- 2 eggs
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
Instructions
- Sift flour and salt into a bowl.
- Make a well in the center, and add the eggs.
- Light beat together gradually adding the milk until it has mixed into a smooth batter.
- Pour batter into a measuring jug and leave it to rest for at least 20 minutes [Note 2].
- Put 2 tablespoons oil into a pie dish, or 1 teaspoon of olive oil into each hole of a 12 hole muffin pan. Place the pan in the oven.
- Preheat your oven to 220°C / 425°F.
- Working quickly, remove the muffin tin from the oven. Remember to close oven door to keep it hot.
- Fill each hole two-thirds full with batter and get the muffin tray back into the oven as soon as you can. Do not open the oven door again for at least the first 20 minutes of cooking time.
- Cook your Yorkshire puddings for 25-30 minutes [Note 3] or until golden brown and cooked to your preferred crispiness.
Notes
- Mrs Beeton's original recipe uses 2 cups (1 pint) or milk. During testing I found that 1½ cups milk gave a better consistency for the batter.
- The original recipe states the batter should be rested for 1 hour, but I found 20 minutes was just about sufficient.
- The original recipe required the pan to be cooked in the oven for ten minutes and placed in front of the fire. Since most homes do not have a roaring kitchen fire these days I omitted this step and cooked them just on an oven. 25-30 minutes.