Toad in the Hole is the whimsically named dish that’s full of total deliciousness and comfort. Not to mention easy!
As you have seen in previous recipes, bubble & squeak and cock-a-leekie soup just to name a few, British recipes do come with unusual names and this dish is no exception.
Toad in the hole is easy, British comfort food and if you’ve ever had Yorkshire pudding, you’ll know that this dish is taken to the next level by adding British sausage.
In typical fashion, there’s no carved in stone origin for the name, but the story I know is that it resembles toads poking their heads above a crevice. In any event, the name origin of this dish is as dodgy as its given name.
Just like many other British recipes, this dish is thrifty in nature. Good pork sausage is preferred and I’m lucky that my local grocery store carries British bangers, but any sausage you like can also be used.
The batter is a simple, flour egg and milk mixture that is poured over the sausages that are roasted in a very hot oven in a casserole dish (or a cast iron skillet as I used). The batter rises over the sausages to make it look like a pudding.
I gave 2 cooking vessel options in the recipe, a standard 9 x 13-inch baking dish, or cast iron skillet, which makes for a nice presentation when you bring it to the table. My skillet measures 9 x 9 inches, so I cut the recipe in half and split between 2 pans when I use this serving method.
Originating from the early 18th Century, which is when batter recipes started to become popular, toad in the hole is most typically served with onion gravy (the recipe can be found in my Food Fanatic post bangers and mash) and your favorite vegetables.
I’d like to close with a humorous disclaimer: No toads were harmed in the making of this dish.
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Toad in the Hole Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup All-Purpose Flour
- 1/2 teaspoon Salt
- 4 Egg plus 1 egg white, beaten
- 1 cup Milk
- 8 English Pork Sausage
- 1 tablespoon Vegetable Oil
Instructions
- Sift the flour and salt into a mixing bowl.
- Add the eggs and half of the milk, whisk until incorporated.
- Whisk in the remaining milk until smooth, refrigerate.
- Preheat oven to 400°F with oven rack in the center.
- To a 9 x 13 casserole dish (or two, 9 x 9 cast iron skillets) add the oil and coat the bottom of the pan. Add the sausages evenly apart and away from the sides of the dish and coat with the oil.
- Roast the sausages for 10 minutes.
- After 10 minutes, increase the oven temperature to 425°F with the sausages still in the oven.
- Remove the pan from the oven, close the door (to keep in the heat) and quickly pour the batter around the sausages.
- Return the pan back to the oven and bake for 20 minutes until the batter is browned and risen around the sausages.
- Serve with onion gravy and vegetables.