British Food Fest

Yorkshire Pudding: Is It Just Bread?

To us Brits, the classic Yorkshire Pudding is just a tasty British food staple that we have the chance to enjoy every Sunday with our roast dinner. But we sometimes forget that the rest of the world might not be so familiar with the UK’s most popular food.

Among the most common questions about scrumptious British cuisine that we find ourselves answering, is this: “is Yorkshire Pudding bread?”

The answer is (of course) no, Yorkshire Pudding is not bread. There’s some key differences between Yorkshire Pudding and bread, such as Yorkshire Pudding being cooked with oil or dripping (roasted), whereas bread is baked. Also, Yorkshire Pudding is made from flour, eggs and milk, while bread is made using flour, yeast and water.

There’s also several more differences, as we’ll come onto shortly. But first…

What Is Yorkshire Pudding?

Yorkshire Pudding is one of the most famous regional British delicacies, being an incredibly popular dish from Yorkshire in England. The traditional Yorkshire Pudding is a savoury oven cooked food item made from flour, eggs, milk and a pinch of salt.

Despite the name, Yorkshire Pudding is not traditionally a dessert (although there are ways to make Yorkshire Pudding into a dessert). We often find ourselves apologising to the rest of the world for confusing and weird British food names, and this is another one of those occasions.

Yorkshire Pudding was originally served as a starter dish alongside gravy, but these days it’s most typically eaten as part of a roast dinner. The second most common of the ways to eat Yorkshire pudding is with toad in the hole, another one of Britain’s classic dishes.

Why is Yorkshire Pudding called a Yorkshire Pudding?

Nowadays we often refer to Yorkshire Puddings as ‘Yorkshires,’ ‘Yorkshire Puds,’ or sometimes ‘Yorkies’, but Yorkshire Pudding was actually called ‘Dripping Pudding’ originally, and later renamed. They’re called Yorkshire Puddings because they originate from Yorkshire in Northern England.

The traditional British delicacy that is Yorkshire pudding made in the olden days was done using dripping (the fat coming from roasting meat), hence the previous name. This method of cooking ‘Yorkies’ is still used today by Brits who like to cook them traditionally and want maximum flavour. Otherwise oil is used.

Yorkshire Pudding vs Bread: What’s The Difference?

British food blogger Nicky proves that Yorkshire Puddings are definitely NOT bread…

So bread is made with flour, yeast and water, and is baked, whilst Yorkshire puddings are made from flour, eggs and milk, and are roasted. Here’s what else makes the two dishes different:

  • As a result of the ingredients used, bread is made from a dough, whereas Yorkshire Puddings are made from a batter.
  • While flour is the main ingredient used to make both bread and Yorkshire pudding, for bread you’d typically use a strong flour, while plain ‘all-purpose’ flour should be used for Yorkies.
  • Believe it or not, you don’t need self raising flour to make Yorkshire Pudding, whereas this is more common with bread. In fact, it’s best not to with Yorkies, because the added salt and raising agents in the flour may affect the structure and taste of the finished product…
  • With bread, it’s the yeast that makes it rise, whereas it’s the eggs that facilitate the rise of Yorkshire Puddings.
  • Another slight difference is that the dough used to make bread is typically left to prove and rise before being cooked, whereas Yorkshire pudding batter is simply left to rest and the rising solely happens in the oven.
  • Both bread and Yorkshire Puddings can be eaten hot or cold, but Yorkshires are considered best when eaten hot, either alongside a roast dinner or as part of toad in the hole.

Aside from bread, it’s often said that Yorkshire Puddings are similar to some other delicacies from around the world, such as the American Popover, the Takoyaki from Japan and Dutch baby pancakes. But obviously, none of these compare either.

Yorkshire Pudding Recipe

To prove that Yorkshire pudding isn’t the same as bread, here’s an epic Yorkshire pudding recipe for you to try:

Ingredients

140g plain flour (this is about 200ml/7fl oz)

4 eggs (200ml/7fl oz)

200ml milk

Vegetable oil, for cooking

Method

STEP 1

Heat oven to 230C/fan 210C/gas 8.

STEP 2

Drizzle a little oil evenly into two 4-hole Yorkshire pudding tins or two 12-hole non-stick muffin tins and place in the oven to heat through.

STEP 3

To make the batter, tip 140g plain flour into a bowl and beat in 4 eggs until smooth.

STEP 4

Gradually add 200ml milk and carry on beating until the mix is completely lump-free. Season with salt and pepper.

STEP 5

Pour the batter into a jug, then remove the hot tins from the oven. Carefully and evenly pour the batter into the holes.

STEP 6

Place the tins back in the oven and leave undisturbed for 20-25 mins until the puddings have puffed up and browned.

STEP 7

Serve immediately.

In Summary

So now you know. Yorkshire Pudding is most definitely not bread, but what it absolutely is, is one of the ultimate traditional British delicacies you need in your life…

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British Food Fest