Toad in the Hole
Toad in the Hole is a classic English comfort food dish in which sausages are baked inside a puffed, crisp Yorkshire batter. The curious name is thought to come from the way the sausages poke out of the baked batter like toads emerging from a burrow, though some food historians suggest the name relates to the dish's rustic early presentation. The recipe dates back to the 18th century, a time when meat was expensive and households used the batter to make sausage portions seem more generous. The key to success lies in the very high oven temperature and the hot tray, which make the batter puff up dramatically the moment it is poured, a cooking trick passed down through generations.
English sausages
Pork sausages cooked whole in the tray
Fluffy batter
An egg, milk and flour mix that puffs up
Very hot oven
The batter only rises at high heat
Onion gravy
Classically served with onion gravy
Ingredients 4 servings
- 8 English pork sausages
- 140 g plain flour
- 4 large eggs
- 300 ml milk
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- Salt and black pepper
- 2 large onions, thinly sliced
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 300 ml beef stock, for the gravy
How to make it
- 1Preheat the oven to its highest temperature, around 230°C.
- 2Pour the oil into a baking tray and heat it in the oven for 10 minutes.
- 3In a bowl, whisk the flour with the eggs, milk, salt and pepper until you get a smooth batter, then let it rest.
- 4Brown the sausages quickly in a pan on the stove just for colour.
- 5Take the hot tray out of the oven, add the sausages and immediately pour the batter around them.
- 6Bake for 25-30 minutes without opening the oven door, until the batter puffs up dramatically and turns golden and crisp.
- 7Separately, slowly cook the onions with brown sugar until caramelised, then add the beef stock and reduce to a thick gravy, served alongside.
Nutritional info
per serving (~400 ml)
Estimated nutritional values.
Pairs perfectly with
