This classic English dish is cooked in a crispy Yorkshire pudding with savory pork sausages. Serve with gravy on top for the ultimate comfort food.
Toad in the hole. It may not sound like something you would want to put in your mouth. But once you learn what it is, you’ll find that it’s actually an epic dish!
If you’ve never tried or heard of toad in the hole, you’re in for a treat.
Not only will I tell you what this strange-sounding dish is all about. I’ll also teach you how to make it and give you tips and tricks on perfecting it.
Plus, it’s effortless to make and ridiculously tasty. Once you’ve tried it, I’m sure you’ll add it to your weekly rotation.
What Is a Toad in the Hole?
Now to answer the million-dollar question. What is toad in the hole?
Toad in the hole, also called sausage toad, is an English dish made with sausages covered with Yorkshire pudding batter and baked to perfection.
You may eat it as is, but people usually top it with onion gravy and serve it with veggies.
The dish goes all the way back to the 18th century and is said to have been created by the poor to stretch their meat.
So, why on earth is it called toad in the hole?
Well, according to our British friends, the sausages seem like they are peeping through the pudding. They resemble toads poking their heads out of their burrows as they wait for prey.
I’m not sure if I agree with this, but it sure is tasty!
So, let’s just forget about the name for now and focus on this: smoky and savory sausages wrapped in a blanket of crisp Yorkshire pudding.
Now, doesn’t that sound fantastic?
Ingredients
You’ll need surprisingly little for this recipe, only five key ingredients (plus S&P). They are:
- Pork sausage. You can use any kind of sausage, including chicken, beef, or vegan. However, pork sausage provides the best flavor. You’ll also need to ensure you get the sausage in link form. Patties won’t work for this recipe.
- Vegetable oil. For baking the sausage. Any neutral-flavored oil will work.
- Flour, eggs, and milk. These ingredients are all you’ll need to perfect your Yorkshire pudding batter.
And don’t forget the salt and pepper to season the dish to suit your tastes!
How to Make Toad in the Hole
Follow these simple steps to make the perfect toad in the hole:
1. BATTER. Make the batter, then cover and rest in the fridge for 1 hour.
2. BAKE. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit then bake the sausages for about 10 minutes.
3. POUR. Remove the sausages from the oven and pour the batter over the top. Bake for 30-35 minutes until the edges are puffed and golden.
Once it’s ready, remove it from the oven and serve. Enjoy!
Tips and Tricks
Here are a few tips to make this recipe even simpler:
- Give the batter time to rest. After preparing the batter, pop it in the fridge to chill. Leaving it there for 60 minutes will allow the flour to rise, which will give you crisp, light, and even Yorkshire pudding.
- Use a metal baking dish instead of ceramic. Metal absorbs heat well, and you want your cooking vessel to get as hot as possible. It’s important for the vegetable oil to be super hot and bubbly, as this will help the Yorkshire pudding to rise properly.
- Use oil with a high smoke point. Vegetable or canola oil is fine. Don’t use olive oil.
- Add lard. Animal fat gets hotter than vegetable oil. So, if you want to guarantee that your pudding will rise, add a little lard to the dish before you bake the sausages. This will make the sausages release a bit of their fat.
- Add onions. Give your dish an extra depth of flavor by adding some cooked onions to the sausage. This will provide a stunning aroma and sweetness to your dish.
- Experiment with other add-ins. Flavor your pudding with garlic powder, mustard powder, or Worcestershire for that extra oomph.
- Vary the sausages. Some great ones include Italian sausages, Jimmy Dean breakfast links, and Hillshire Farm Smoked Sausages. Mmm. Get in my belly! If you don’t have any sausages on hand, that’s okay too! You can use whatever meat you have. Perfect if you have leftovers from last night.
- Don’t open the oven while baking. This is especially important during the first 20 minutes. Opening the door will cause the oven’s temperature to drop, which might cause your batter to not rise.
- Freeze leftovers. You can freeze leftover toad in the hole for another day. Cut it up into individual serving sizes, wrap them in foil, and freeze. The dish will last for up to 3 months in the freezer.
What to Serve with Toad in the Hole
As I’ve said, toad in the hole is traditionally served with onion gravy. And I’m here to teach you how to make a super easy yet drool-worthy gravy.
Onion Gravy
Normally, gravy is made with the meat juices of a roast, but since we’re not working with one, we’ll need to improvise.
To give the gravy a deep and luscious flavor, cook it with red onions! Here’s how:
- Heat butter over medium-high heat.
- Add sugar and diced onions to the pan.
- Caramelize the onions in the butter for 15-20 minutes.
- Whisk in flour and beef stock.
- Season with salt, pepper, and another secret ingredient: Worcestershire sauce.
- Simmer until warm.
Then, your onion gravy is ready to go! Check out this post for the recipe.
As for the sides, well, you can never go wrong with some simple creamy mashed potatoes and roasted Brussels sprouts.
Toad in the Hole
8
servings10
minutes40
minutes232
kcalThis classic English dish is cooked in a crispy Yorkshire pudding with savory pork sausages. Serve with gravy on top for the ultimate comfort food.
Ingredients
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
3 eggs
1 1/4 cup milk
8 links thick pork sausages
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Instructions
- Sift the flour into a large bowl and stir in the salt and pepper. Make a well in the middle and add the eggs. Whisk slowly by hand until blended. Pour in the milk and whisk until smooth and lump-free. It should be thin.
- Cover the batter and refrigerate for 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit (200°C).
- Pour the oil into the bottom of an 8×12 or 9×9 baking dish. Place the sausages in the dish in a single layer and bake for 10 minutes, flipping halfway through.
- Take the sausages out of the oven. Whisk the batter then immediately pour it over the hot sausages. Return the dish to the oven and bake for another 30-35 minutes or until the batter has risen and turned golden brown. If the underside seems a little soft – that’s okay, that’s how it’s supposed to be.
- Let it cool for a few minutes, then serve with onion gravy and enjoy!
When I made the dough and cooked it, it was like a heavy biscuit. What did I do wrong?
Hi Nancy, sorry to hear it didn’t come out right! You may have potentially overmixed the batter, or it could even be that your baking dish size affected the rise/fall of the dough. Also, be sure to use room temperature milk in the batter, not milk straight from the fridge.