Yorkshire Pudding(s)

Not anything like Jell-o brand . . .

Yorkshire puddings are a popover that are a typical accompaniment to a British Sunday roast.  The batter is dead simple and the technique isn't hard, but the devil is in the details.  This recipe makes 12 "puds" but you can halve it for smaller groups. 

BTW, the guy over at seriouseats.com has done a scientific test of all the lore surrounding these beauties.  So beat his suggestions and testing against my recipe.

Now back to cooking...here we go..

You'll need;

• 1.5 cups AP flour
• 1.5 cups milk
• 4 eggs
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 5 Tbsp vegetable oil
• a muffin/cupcake pan

Mix the eggs, flour, salt and milk until there are no chunks.  I transfer the batter into a 4 cup measuring cup cup after mixing.  The spout is the key to success later.

I would've mixed in the beaker, but my whisk doesn't get into the corners.

Refrigerate the batter for at least 30 minutes. 

25 minutes before you want to serve these you should preheat the oven to 450F and remove the batter from the fridge.

After the oven has come to temperature put about 1 tsp of vegetable oil (or a 50-50 mix of oil and roast drippings if you can swing it) into the bottom of each cup of the muffin pan.  The oil should be  1/4 in deep (less than 1 cm).

Put the pan into the oven to preheat the oil.  Ready the batter by giving it a last second stir.

Rinse off the spoon and keep it handy. 

When the oil is just smoking remove the pan from the oven and fill each cup 3/4 full of your batter.  Sizzling is normal at this point. Less batter is better than more.

Work quickly but use the spoon to catch drips so that there is no batter outside of the cups.

Put the pan back in the oven and ignore them for 15 to 20 minutes.  This is when the magic happens.  They will rise like crazy in the middle 10 minutes. Think souffle.

After 15 minutes look through the window to check on your puds.  If they have risen and are brown on top they are done.  If they have risen but are not brown leave them in for a few more minutes.  If they haven't risen then you are not having Yorkshire Pudding with dinner and should warm some bread or dinner rolls.

11 minutes . . .

If you don't have a window you will have to crack the door (gently) at the 15 minute mark.  As long as you aren't an Orc this should be fine.

15 minutes.

When they come out leave them sit in the muffin pan for 1 minute and then get them to the table.  They will stay warm if you put them in a basket/bowl and cover with a towel.  If you eat them right away they will have an uncomfortable amount of steam emanating from them. Watch your face!

If there is a lot of oil left over in your pan it means that you used too much.  Excess oil will cause some of them to collapse because of the weight of the oil on top.

Too much oil afterwards. No wonder some collapsed.

If you aren't eating these with a meal then sprinkle a little salt on top or spread some butter on them.

Key Ideas:

• Hot oil meets cool batter.
• No batter on the lips of the pan maximizes the chance of an even rise.
• Don't molest them for 15 minutes.
• The less you fill the cups, the taller they will puff (counter-intuitive)
• If you can use beef drippings with the oil you will be a hero.

Soft Pretzels

Uncle Matt's Saturday specialty.

What's a 4 letter word for hooters that ends in s? Oh! Owls.

I like making pretzels when I get up on a Saturday that I don't have anything to do.  They make great snacks over the weekend.  The 2 rising periods give me a chance to attack the NY Times Saturday crossword.  I haven't come up with a great cheese sauce yet, but I eat 'em plain or with a little mustard.  I will put the best cheese sauce that I have made at the bottom of the recipe.

You'll need;

• 16 oz (by weight) of all purpose (AP) flour
• 1 cup of warm water (95F-115F)
• 1/4 cup cool  water
• 2 Tbsp sugar
• 1 Tbsp salt
• 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 pkg active dry yeast
• 1/2 to 2/3 cup baking soda (for the pre-bake boil)
• 1 egg yolk (for the wash)
• Coarse salt (opt)

Combine the warm water and sugar in the bowl of your stand mixer.  Sprinkle the yeast on top and stir.  Wait 5 to 15 minutes to proof the yeast. (No sense making dough if it ain't gonna rise) A little foam on the top indicates that the yeast has taken the bait.

Add the flour, salt and oil and attach the dough hook.  Run on slow speed until a dough ball forms.  If it is too loose then add a bit of flour, if too sticky add some of the cool water.  Add enough water so that the dough includes all the flour but doesn't stick to the bowl.

I only had to add 1 Tbsp of cool water to get perfect dough.

Knead on med speed for 4-5 minutes.  If you are doing this by hand you will be getting a workout.

Remove the dough to a lightly floured surface and clean out the mixer bowl.  Dry it and oil it lightly.

Return the dough to the oiled bowl, cover with a towel and put it in a warm place to rise for 45-60 minutes.

The oven is the safest place.

Doubled in size.

Divide the dough into 8 equal portions (for big pretzels) or 12 portions (for smaller ones -- I never make the smaller ones).

On a non-floured surface roll the portions out into ropes at least 24 in long.  Form the ropes into a "U" shape and then cross the ends to make a pretzel shape.  If you can't imagine this, go to your local Auntie Em's and watch them for a New York minute.  It aint hard.

You need to roll them out further than you think 'cus they spring back.

Even though this looks right, it will make the "fat baby" style pretzel.

Place the proto-pretzels onto a greased, insulated cookie sheet, or onto parchment paper on a cookie sheet.  Rest again for 45-60 minutes.

See, they puffed up again.  Roll 'em thinner to avoid this.

Preheat your oven to 450F.  Dissolve the baking soda in 5-8 cups of water in a pot.  Bring to a boil and dip each pretzel into the soda water for at least 30 sec.

Let drip and return to cookie sheet. In the interest of full disclosure, I have always had trouble with my pretzels sticking because the water washes away the oil on the cookie sheet.  Use a baking mat or parchment paper for best results.

Not the same pretzel that I showed in the water.

Whisk the egg yolk with a tablespoon of water and brush over the tops of the pretzels.

Sprinkle coarse salt on the pretzels that you want salted and bake for 12 minutes.

I would salt all of them, but D likes 'em unsalted.

Let 'em cool at least 5 minutes before you stick 'em in your mouf.

Added Bonus!  Here's the cheese sauce.

You'll need;

• 1 Tbsp butter
• 2 Tbsp flour
• 1 cup milk
• 1-1.5 cups shredded cheddar cheese
• salt, pepper and cayenne

Melt the butter in a sauce pan and whisk in the flour. You're making roux.  Cook the roux long enough to remove the raw flour taste (~2 min), but don't scorch it.

Remove from heat and add the milk.  Season with a pinch of salt, some twists of pepper and one shake of cayenne.  Whisk thoroughly and return to heat.  Bring to a boil while stirring constantly.

Reduce the heat and add in the cheese a little at a time.

Once all the cheese is in and melted you are done!