You’ve been making Yorkshire Puddings incorrect – James Martin shares 5 prime methods

It’s National Yorkshire Pudding Day (Feb 2) and what better reason to learn how to finally perfect those Sunday dinner must-haves. TV chef James Martin has now revealed his five top tips

Yorkshire puddings can be a right nightmare to perfect in a roast dinner, often ending up sunk or collapsed, and nobody fancies a doughy or charred pud on their plate – right?

But fear not, Yorkshire’s own top TV chef James Martin has come to the rescue with his top tips for nailing those Sunday dinner delights – and just in time for National Yorkshire Pudding Day.

It turns out that there are five steps that you must follow to master the perfect pud and you must refrain from one thing even the best of us can’t help but do…

Get your measurements spot on

James’ own Yorkshire pudding recipe packs in more eggs than most, which he reckons gives the puds that extra oomph and rise. The culinary whiz keeps it simple with his ingredients for the perfect puds:

• Eight eggs
• Eight ounces of flour
• A pint of milk

Don’t go mad with the mixing

On an episode of Park’s Top Table, James dished out advice on why using a mixer might leave your Yorkshires tougher than you’d like.

He suggests getting stuck in by hand and not to fret about lumps. The star chef said: “It doesn’t matter about the lumps, don’t be beating it too much to get rid of the lumps.

“Don’t be beating it too much to get rid of all the lumps at this stage. The more you mix it, the tougher the mixture becomes.”

Give your batter a break

Allowing your batter to rest is key for achieving that impressive rise in your Yorkshires. James usually lets his sit overnight, but if you’re short on time, a few hours will still do the trick.

The pro chef dished out some top tips on This Morning, saying: “You need to make that the day or two before or at least four or five hours to chill it in the fridge.”

Stop opening and closing the oven door

He warned against the temptation of checking on your Yorkshire puddings by opening the oven door. This common mistake can cause your puds to flop as you let out too much steam.

We get it, you’re eager to check on your creations, but doing so might just stop them from rising to their best potential.

James recommends leaving the batter to bake for about 30 minutes without fiddling with the tray.

However, he does admit there’s a crucial moment when you should open the oven door…

Nail the ‘sweet spot’

Despite popular belief, James says it’s okay to open the oven door when the Yorkshires are nearly done. Just crack open the door for a couple of seconds after 30 minutes, he advised ITV viewers: “Open the door slightly after 30 minutes, the steam will slightly come out, then close it.”

“Don’t bang it, just close it.”

He explained that this lets out the steam which otherwise causes the puddings to collapse: “What will happen is the steam generates in the oven and it will cause the Yorkshire puddings to collapse.”

“You just need to let it out so they’ll dry on the outside and be nice and soft on the inside.”

And voilà, you’ve got yourself the perfect Yorkshire puddings to impress even the harshest critics around the Sunday dinner table