Toad in a Hole
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This is an Americanized version of the British Classic Toad in a Hole. My version features Bangers in a light and airy Yorkshire Pudding with Brown Gravy.
A MORE traditional Toad in the Hole would be made IN Britain, have a thick onion gravy, and use sausages from the local area. Mine uses brown gravy, the ONLY kind of bangers I can find and it’s made in Alaska.
There IS an American Version of the Toad in a Hole that is NOT this type of recipe. That version features a piece of bread with the center cut out and fried together with an egg.
Another name for the American version a Hole in the Wall, or at least that’s what we called it.
What you need:
- bangers or any kind of sausages, beef or pork sausages work well
- large eggs
- flour
- salt
- milk
- vegetable oil
- beef bouillon
- Worcestershire Sauce
- espresso powder or coffee
- water
- cornstarch
- casserole dish
- medium bowl or a pitcher(makes for easier pouring)
Let’s Talk Yorkshire Puddings
Traditional Yorkshire Puddings are a thing of beauty. When you make a gorgeous roast beef you poor Yorkshire pudding batter over the hot drippings to bake a side dish.
Frankly, this classic British recipe is genius, in my opinion, to use leftovers and scant ingredients to make something so light and lush.
Did you know you can make a Gluten-Free version?!? You can! Check these Gluten-Free Yorkshire Puddings from a Splash of Taste.
Essentially a Yorkshire pudding is the same as a popover is the same as an oven pancake or a dutch baby.
Generally, these dishes all include:
- a simple egg and flour batter that mixes up quickly, this should be a smooth batter so do work at getting it lump-free batter
- this type of batter is the kind you mix ahead of time and leave to rest for a MINIMUM of an hour. That gives the flour time to expand with the liquid and it will really puff up in the oven, the batter will be thick
- it’s poured INTO hot oil and put right back in a hot oven, the hot oil is ESSENTIAL to proper baking and rise
- baking until it’s risen, browned, and crispy on top
- Muffins tins OR popover pans are used to make Popovers, single servings of the batter
- Yorkshire pudding ONE GIANT puffed pudding
- Oven Pancakes, Oven Puff Pancakes, Dutch Babies, et al bake in skillets
The secret to a perfect Yorkshire pudding is letting the batter rest for at least an hour. The flour absorbs the liquids and will puff better in the oven. Take your time, and plan this out, there is no way to hurry the process.
What kind of sausages?
Well in ALL the videos, recipes, and blog posts I’ve read for this post and recipe, they all say something different. Some call for “good sausages” some call for sausages, and others call for bangers.
You can use ANY good sausages you like though, it doesn’t HAVE to be Bangers! Pork sausages work fine but so will beef sausages! You’re kind of looking for something about the size of bratwurst or Italian sausage.
You could even use something like a chicken/apple sausage. I also think big fresh breakfast sausages would be especially tasty in the Toad in the Hole.
Since I had bought Bangers at Costco I decided to use them. They fared well in the Bangers and Mash, and I felt like they’d be fabulous in the recipe.
If your sausages are RAW bake for longer before adding the batter around them in the pan. If they’re precooked you only need to crisp them up in the oven and get them hot before adding the batter. Don’t worry the directions are in the recipe card too.
Do I have to serve gravy with It?
I *think* the answer it depends on you. I didn’t care for it with brown gravy. Or with onion gravy. I’m going to share the recipe for a simple brown gravy. You can use the onion gravy recipe from the Bangers and Mash recipe if you like it.
If you have leftovers
You can store the Yorkshire pudding and sausages together in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Store any leftover gravy in a separate container. Reheat separately if needed.
Toad in a Hole
Equipment
Ingredients
Toad in the Hole
- 1 cup + 1 TBSP all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 4 XL Eggs
- 3/4 cup + 1 TBSP Milk
- 16 Ounces of Sausages Bangers OR any other good sausages
- 2 TBSP oil
Easy Brown Gravy
- 4 cups beef broth
- 1 TBSP Espresso Powder OR 1/4 cup black coffee
- 1 TBSP Worcestershire Sauce
- 1/2 cup cold water
- 3 TBSP Corn Starch
Instructions
- Put the flour and salt in a pitcher
- whisk in the eggs
- then whisk in the milk
- put in the mix aside to rest for an hour
- after 20 minutes preheat the oven to 400˚
- when the oven is hot place the sausages in a 2 or 3 quart baking dish
- pour oil over the sausages and shake the pan to spread the oil and the sausages around
- bake for 10 minutes if they're pre-cooked or until crisped up OR bake for 20 minutes if they're raw
- after 10 or 20 minutes (depending on your sausages) take the pan out of the oven and pour the popover batter around the sausages, don't worry if you see the oil rise up that's how this recipe works!
- bake for another 20 minutes or until the pudding is puffed and crispy
- meanwhile, make the brown gravy
- whisk the broth, espresso powder or coffee, and Worcestershire sauce together over medium heat
- mix the cold water into the cornstarch until smooth
- add a spoonful of the HOT broth to the cornstarch mixture then whisk it back into the hot broth
- whisk over medium heat until thickened
- pour into a gravy boat or pitcher
- when the Toad in the Hole is baked through serve it hot with the hot gravy
So how exactly is this “Americanized” or “your version”? Apart from perhaps the addition of espresso powder in the gravy, this is just the basic traditional toad in the hole recipe.
Great question! I should have addressed that in the post itself and this gave me the opportunity to do that. Essentially a MORE traditional British Toad in the Hole would be made IN Britain, have a thick onion gravy, and use sausages from the local area. Mine uses brown gravy, the ONLY kind of bangers I can find and it’s made in Alaska.
The American dish that is bread with a hole cut in it (use a small juice glass, press in like a cootie cutter) and an egg in the middle are called “Hole-in-ones”
Sure in some places it might be called that. I’ve never heard of that one! We always called it hole in the wall or toad in a hole.
The American dish that is bread with a hole cut in it (use a small juice glass, press in like a cootie cutter) and an egg in the middle are called “Hole-in-ones”
This is the British version of Toad-in-the-Hole!
The American version is a piece of bread or toast with a center out and an egg inserted. Then it is fried.
I know the British version having had a British Grandmother and being in England. It isn’t always made with onion gravy.
Just because an American makes it doesn’t mean it’s American.
I didn’t SAY it was American I was saying or trying to say, it’s NOT AUTHENTIC. I literally listed the 3 reasons I didn’t consider it an AUTHENTIC Toad in a hole. I ALSO shared what an American toad in a hole was or that we called it hole in the wall. A totally different but delicious breakfast dish.