G F Friendly
Toad in the Hole
sausages in batter pudding
There are three main things to remember when making this variation of the traditional English dish. 1) The batter needs to be prepared at least an hour before cooking begins. 2) The sausages will continue to cook when they are placed in the batter. 3) When the baking dishes are taken from the oven to add ingredients, then returned for further cooking, this process should be completed quickly to retain the heat, but care must be taken to avoid burning yourself.
3 sausages OR 6 chipolatas
6 Tbsps plain flour
1 egg (2 if using GF flour)
¼ tsp salt
milk
canola oil OR extra light olive oil
2 X 10cm diameter ramekins
Place the flour and salt in a plastic bowl and make a well in the centre. Crack the egg into this and begin stirring in using a wooden spoon. Don't ask me why, but metal equipment doesn't seem to work as well. Do this gently, adding milk as the flour is taken up, taking care to remove lumps. Continue adding milk until creamy, but not too runny. Lightly beat with the spoon for about a minute, then set aside. Beat again every 20 minutes or so until ready to cook.
If using long sausages, twist from the middle then cut. Pan-fry these until just cooked and drain on paper towel, then wrap together in a small piece of aluminium foil. When the batter has had time to rest, heat the oven to 200°C (175°C fan forced). While waiting for this, into each ramekin pour about a tablespoon of oil, or sufficient to cover the bottom. Place these on a baking tray (easier to handle when hot), then pop in the oven for 12 minutes to heat the oil.
Beat the batter one last time. Remove the ramekins and pour in about 1/3 of the batter into each while the oil is still hot. Place the foil-wrapped sausages on the tray and return the lot to the oven, baking for about 25 minutes, or until the puddings have started browning and are rising above the top edge of the ramekins (try not to burn). Remove once again, carefully unwrap the sausages and put three in each batter cup, pushing them down into the soft batter base. Pour in the remaining batter, dividing equally, then return to the oven, reduce heat to 180°C (165°C fan forced) and continue cooking 15-20 minutes, or until centre batter is golden brown.
Serves 2 if you're hungry, or 4 if you are all being really good!
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