Toad in the Hole Recipe (2024)

Last Updated on: October 26, 2023

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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!

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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?

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Ingredients

You’ll need surprisingly little for this recipe, only five key ingredients (plus S&P). They are:

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  • 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 dish:

1. Preheat. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

2. Bake the sausage. Pour the oil into a baking dish. Then, arrange the sausages in a single layer in the oil. Bake for 10 minutes. Meanwhile…

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3. Make the pudding batter. Combine the flour, eggs, and half a cup of milk in a medium bowl. Whisk the ingredients together.

Slowly pour in the rest of the milk, whisking constantly until the batter is uniformly smooth. Season with salt and pepper.

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4. Complete the dish. Remove the sausages from the oven and pour the batter over them. It should cover them about 3/4 of the way.

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Return the dish to the oven and bake for another 35 minutes. The center should rise and turn golden brown when the dish is ready.

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 30 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:

  1. Heat butter over medium-high heat.
  2. Add sugar and diced onions to the pan.
  3. Caramelize the onions in the butter for 15-20 minutes.
  4. Whisk in flour and beef stock.
  5. Season with salt, pepper, and another secret ingredient: Worcestershire sauce.
  6. Simmer until warm.

Then, your onion gravy is ready to go!

As for the sides, well, you can never go wrong with some simple creamy mashed potatoes and roasted Brussels sprouts.

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Toad in the Hole Recipe

Servings

8

servings

Prep time

10

minutes

Cooking time

40

minutes

Calories

232

kcal

Ingredients

  • 8 links of pork sausage

  • 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil

  • 2 cups of all-purpose flour

  • 4 eggs

  • 1 cup milk

  • salt and pepper (to taste)

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
  • Pour the vegetable oil into the bottom of an 8×12 or 9×9 baking dish. You can use a metal or ceramic casserole dish. Place the sausages in the dish in a single layer and bake for 10 minutes in the preheated oven.
  • While waiting, whisk flour, eggs, and 1/2 cup of milk in a medium bowl. Gradually mix in the rest of the milk until the mixture forms a smooth batter. Season with salt and pepper.
  • Take the sausages out of the oven and pour the batter over them, covering them 3/4 of the way. Place the dish back into the oven and bake for another 35 minutes or until the center has risen and turned golden brown. If the underside seems a little soft – that’s okay, that’s how it’s supposed to be.
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Toad in the Hole Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Why do they call it Toad in the Hole? ›

The most commonly accepted explanation for its name is that the sausages resemble toads peeking from a crevice made of crisp batter.

Why does my Toad in the Hole batter not rise? ›

Top tips for making Toad in the Hole

But I repeat: DO NOT OPEN THE OVEN DOOR until at least 25 minutes into the cooking time. If you do, your batter will sink. Use a tin rather than ceramic dish: This will help your batter to rise as it will reach a higher temperature.

What is Toad in the Hole made of? ›

Usually in America, toad in the hole refers to an egg cooked in the hole cut out of a piece of bread. But in England, it's sausages cooked in what is essentially Yorkshire pudding. To me, the English version is more whimsical, perhaps because Mr. Toad is my favorite character in The Wind in the Willows?

Which type of meat would you find in a Toad in the Hole? ›

Toad in the hole is a traditional English dish consisting of sausages in Yorkshire pudding batter, usually served with onion gravy and vegetables. Historically, the dish has also been prepared using other meats, such as rump steak and lamb's kidney.

Why is Toad in the Hole soggy? ›

However it is most likely that the batter isn't quite cooking properly due to the dish. Stoneware tends to heat up very slowly and doesn't give the instant hit of heat that the batter needs to help it to rise properly.

What do Americans call Toad in the Hole? ›

Egg in a Basket features an egg fried in the hole of a buttery slice of bread. The dish goes by several other names as well; Americans sometimes call it Toad in the Hole, but that title more properly refers to the traditional English dish of Yorkshire pudding with sausage and onion gravy.

What tin is best for toad in the hole? ›

Use a metal (or enamel-coated metal) baking tin if possible – a large, reasonably deep dish is best. Using a metal tin means the tin it will get hotter and the heat distribution will be more even. Mine is a rectangular enamel roaster, approx 31cmx25cm and 5cm deep.

How do you fix a soggy toad in the hole? ›

If your toad in the hole is soggy, it might be due to there being too many sausages in the tin. Try to make sure they're spaced far apart from each other to allow the batter to get crisp. Also, to make sure the Yorkshire pudding rises, don't be tempted to open the oven as it's cooking.

What do you eat with toad in the hole? ›

Serve at the table with the Toad in the hole, mashed potatoes, greens and baked beans or maybe a green salad if you're feeling a little guilty!

What is a fun fact about toad in the hole? ›

Toad in the Hole is said to be known as far back as 1787 but the most famous reference is in Mrs. Beeton's Cookery Book first published in 1861. There are many old tales of where it got its name with the most popular being that the small sausages or meat bits used in years gone by resembled toads peeking out of a hole.

Why is it called Yorkshire pudding? ›

It has been suggested the pudding was given the name “Yorkshire” due to the region's association with coal and the high temperatures this produced that helped to make crispy batter.

What do you call toast with an egg in the middle? ›

It is called egg in the basket, and many other names. It is an egg fried in a hole of a slice of bread.

How runny should Yorkshire pudding batter be? ›

Basically it's equal parts eggs flour milk. Originally Answered: Should Yorkshire pudding batter be runny? Yes, the batter should be runny, about the consistency of heavy cream.

What is Yorkshire pudding made of? ›

Yorkshire pudding is a savory popover-like dish made from a simple blend of eggs, milk, and flour. Yorkshire pudding was originally made with drippings from roasted meat, but many modern recipes use oil and butter in its place.

Can you use self raising flour in batter? ›

Do you use plain or self-raising flour for the batter? Self-raising flour helps add air, which results in a light, crispy batter. If you only have plain flour at home, add a little baking powder to the batter.

Who came up with the name Toad in the Hole? ›

'Toad in the hole' is just a quaint little nickname given to sausages in batter - or Yorkshire pudding, as we proudly call it in the U.K. The origins of the name are shrouded in mystery, but seem to date from the 18th century, when you can find references to 'pigeons in a hole' in old recipe books.

Why is toad called toad if he is a mushroom? ›

Toad's English name appears to have been inspired by the word "toadstool", a word used to describe mushrooms, including those featuring umbrella-like cap-and-stem form characteristics, which Toad's design portrays along with the character's general resemblance to a mushroom.

Does Toad in the Hole have toads? ›

The toads are sausages and the 'hole' is Yorkshire pudding, an egg-based batter similar to savoury pancake or crepe batter. Getting the Yorkshire pudding “Hole” to rise, is the tricky part of this recipe. You want it to puff up in the oven around the sausage “Toads”.

Do toads live in a hole? ›

By mid-October, most toads and toadlets have retreated to dry banks, holes used by small mammals, compost heaps, amongst dead wood, under garden buildings and other places offering shelter. They will stay in these sites through the winter, but may take advantage of mild patches of weather to forage.

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