Quick, simple and virtually foolproof, this Easy Peasy Toad In The Hole is perfect for busy midweek evenings or even as an alternative to your usual Sunday roast!
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Easy Peasy Toad In The Hole – a real crowdpleaser!
Whenever I ask my kids what they’d like me to put on my meal plan for the week, my son invariably says ‘Toad In The Hole!’ And I am always happy to oblige as it is such a Gargano family favourite. Not only do we all love to eat this British dinner-time classic, but I love to cook it too… it’s just so easy peasy!
Simply mix flour, salt, milk, water and eggs, then set the batter aside to rest (resting gives you a better rise – see tips below!) while you part-cook sausages in a roasting tray. Then pour over the batter and leave the oven to do it’s magic!
While the oven is taking care of the main event, there’s plenty of time to rustle up some vegetable accompaniments and gravy… Then serve your toad to oohs and aahs and cries of ‘look how much it’s puffed up!’
(But make sure you serve it right away as it starts shrinking back down pretty soon after it’s come out of the oven… The Toad In The Hole in these pictures was WAY more puffed up when it first came out of the oven, but sadly it refused to stay super puffed up long enough for me to snap the photos… Still, hopefully you can see that it’s still pretty well puffed up!)
A foolproof recipe
To me this Easy Toad In The Hole recipe is pretty much perfect – crisp on top, just slightly squidgy at the bottom and moreishly delicious.
But it has taken me a considerable amount of time to arrive at this ‘perfect‘ recipe… My poor family have had to road test many ‘not quite perfect’ versions in order for me to arrive at a version I am happy to share on the blog… (I know, I know, it’s a hard life being the family of a food blogger 😉)
Well, I am finally happy with the result… and I am particularly pleased that this version is pretty much foolproof, yielding excellent results every time.
So, if you have struggled to get perfect Toad In The Hole before, I encourage you to give this recipe a go! (Just make sure you follow the instructions to the letter, as well as checking out the tips below.)
Top tips for the perfect Toad In The Hole
This Easy Peasy Toad In The Hole is practically foolproof, so long as you follow the recipe to the letter and make sure you do the following…
- Never ever open the oven door while your Toad In The Hole is cooking – not even for a little peek (or it’ll fall flat!)
- Make sure you use enough oil and properly grease the roasting dish or your Toad In The Hole may stick.
- You need to cook Toad In The Hole in a pretty hot oven – 220C (200C fan / gas mark 7 / 425F) is just perfect. A lower temperature will mean your toad won’t rise to its maximum potential.
- Always part-cook your sausages before adding the batter. This serves two purposes… Firstly it will ensure your sausages are well cooked and secondly it will ensure the oil and the tray are sufficiently hot for a good rise.
- For a really good rise, make the Toad In The Hole batter 20 minutes ahead of time and leave to ‘rest’ on the side. I’m not quite sure why this is, but I’ve tried both ways and you definitely get a better rise with a little resting time!
- Transfer your Toad In The Hole pudding batter into a jug – using a jug makes filling the roasting tin much quicker and easier.
- Fill your roasting tin fast! You need to get your tray out of the oven, immediately fill with batter and get that tin straight back into the oven ASAP, or your Toad In The Hole just won’t rise properly.
- NEVER EVER use self-raising flour (US – self-rising flour) in Toad In The Hole. Toad In The Hole should always be made with plain flour (US – all purpose flour). Counter-intuitive I know, but if you use self-raising flour, it will fall flat whereas if you use plain flour, it will rise beautifully.
- Don’t be tempted to use the exact same recipe as you use for your Yorkshire puddings… Yes it is in theory the exact same thing as Yorkshire puddings – just bigger, so it feels like you should be able to use the exact same recipe, but it doesn’t work out like that in practice. My recipe for Yorkshire puddings makes awesome Yorkies, but doesn’t work as well for Toad In The Hole (and vice versa). This recipe is just subtly different, but those small tweaks produce a much better result for Toad In The Hole!
What to serve with Toad In The Hole
Because Toad In The Hole is essentially the carbs and the protein in your meal, all you really need to serve alongside it is a jug of gravy and a few of your favourite veggies. My favourite veggies to go with Toad In The Hole are carrot and parsnip mash, tenderstem broccoli and sweetcorn.
Some people also like to serve a helping of mashed potatoes alongside their Toad In The Hole. Personally, that’s a bit ‘carb-heavy’ for my liking – but if that’s what you like, then go for it!
When to serve Toad In The Hole
One of the things I love about Toad In The Hole is it works both for a busy weeknight evening AND at the weekend. It’s a great option on a Saturday evening… but also makes a delicious alternative to a roast on a Sunday. Basically, it’s a winner no matter when it’s served! (Well, OK – maybe not for breakfast…)
What to drink with Toad In The Hole
For me, the perfect wine match with Toad In The Hole is a gutsy, rustic southern French red – something like a Côtes-du-Rhône-Villages, Corbières or Minervois would work well here. Outside of France, good options to try would be Rioja Crianza, reds from the Duoro in Portugal or a US Zinfandel.
This really is not a white wine dish!
Can you reheat leftover Toad In The Hole?
I’ll be honest here, Toad In The Hole is best eaten straight out of the oven… and this one is so good, I think leftovers is quite unlikely 😉 But if you DO find yourself with some leftover Toad In The Hole then yes, you can absolutely reheat it!
Store any leftover Toad In The Hole in a lidded container in the fridge until required. (It will keep for up to 3 days in the fridge.)
To reheat, simply place the cold Toad In The Hole on roasting tray in an oven heated to 220C (200C fan / gas mark 7 / 425F) for 10-15 minutes or until piping hot all the way through.
Don’t be tempted to reheat Toad In The Hole in the microwave, though – it’ll go soggy and chewy, whereas the oven will crisp it up again nicely.
Can you freeze Toad In The Hole?
Yes, you can! As mentioned previously, it won’t taste quite as good as a freshly made one… but it will still taste pretty good! Put your cooked and cooled Toad In The Hole in a lidded container and pop it into the freezer. It’ll keep in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Defrost your toad overnight in the fridge and then reheat as above.
The best roasting tin for Toad In The Hole…
I have experimented with many different roasting tins for Toad In The Hole and the one I find works the best is this cheap and cheerful Falconware enamel tin! (Dimensions: 28 x 34 x 5 centimetres / 11 x 13.5 x 2 inches)
This tin is extremely good value and perfect for so many different dishes: from traybakes to lasagne, pasta bakes to gratins. Plus it’s pretty enough to go straight from the oven to the table. I recommend every kitchen should have at least one!
If you like this recipe…
…you might also like:
Easy Peasy Toad In The Hole
Ingredients
- 200 g plain flour (US – all purpose flour)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 4 eggs
- 200 ml milk (semi-skimmed)
- 100 ml water
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 8 good quality pork sausages
To serve…
- Gravy
- Vegetables of your choice
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 220C / 200C fan / gas mark 7 / 425F.
- In a bowl, mix together the flour and salt, to ensure the salt is evenly distributed.
- Measure out the milk and water in a measuring jug, then crack the eggs into the same jug. Whisk together with a balloon whisk (or a fork, if you don’t have a balloon whisk).
- Pour the eggs/milk/water mixture into the flour/salt mixture slowly, whisking constantly to ensure the ingredients are well combined.
- Pour the batter into the jug (to make it easier to pour into the roasting tin later).
- Leave the batter to rest for 20 minutes (during which time you will part-cook your sausages).
- Place the olive oil in a roasting tin and use a pastry brush (or your hands!) to thoroughly coat the base and sides of your roasting tin. (This will stop the batter from sticking.)
- Put the sausages into the roasting tin and place the tin in your preheated oven for 15 minutes.
- After 15 minutes, remove the roasting tin from the oven and turn the sausages over using tongs. Quickly pour the batter into the tin and return it to the oven immediately. Work as fast as you can – the quicker you work, the better your Toad In The Hole will puff up. (If any of your sausages accidentally turn back over when you pour in the batter, you can quickly reposition them, using tongs, but don’t spend too long on this!)
- Return the tin to the oven for 25 to 30 minutes, or until crisp and brown on the top but still a little bit squidgy underneath. (And your sausages should be perfectly cooked!)
- While the toad is in the oven, prepare your vegetables and gravy.
- Serve the toad as soon as it comes out of the oven for maximum puffiness!
Video
Notes
- Suitable for freezing.
- Nutrition information is approximate and meant as a guideline only.
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Lesley says
Oh yes please, toad in the hole is comfort food perfection as far as I’m concerned and such a straightforward cook too.
Eb Gargano says
Aw, thanks Lesley. I 100% agree 😀
Janice says
Toad in the Hole is such a great recipe, perfect for autumn and a real comfort food.
Eb Gargano says
Thanks Janice – I totally agree!
Rebecca - Glutarama says
I love Toad in the Hole, growing up my dad would always call it Elephants Tip-Toes!! Going to keep this recipe for the family as I know they’ll enjoy it too.
Eb Gargano says
Aw, thanks Rebecca – that’s such a cute story! Eb 🙂
Kate - Gluten Free Alchemist says
It’s AGES since I had a Toad. But with the weather cooling it’s the perfect time to make it again, So comforting and delicious. Thanks for the nudge xx
Eb Gargano says
You are welcome! Hope you enjoy it 😀
Cat | Curly's Cooking says
Such a delicious and comforting recipe. A real family favourite!
Eb Gargano says
Aw, thanks Cat! It’s a real family favourite here too 😀
Sarah James says
Your toad in the hole looks delicious Eb. I’m with you on the squidgy bottom, it’s the best bit. I feel a toad in the hole will be on our menu this week.
Eb Gargano says
Aw, thanks Sarah. I’m glad you agree about a squidgy bottom! An happy to hear that I inspired you 😀
Nadene Eyre says
What kind of milk are you using for your batter. Whole or semi skimmed?
Eb Gargano says
Good question! And the answer is semi-skimmed – I will amend the recipe to make it clear. If you use whole milk I suggest you use 50/50 milk to water ratio. (But keep the total amount of liquid the same, so 150ml of each.)
Graham says
My first attempt at Toad in the Hole and my kids think I’m a culinary genius.
Thank you.
Eb Gargano says
Aw, yay! I am so happy this worked out so well for you 😀
Louise Holmes says
This makes an amazing toad in the hole!
Eb Gargano says
Aw, that’s so great to hear! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review… and especially for the 5* rating! 😀
Kerry says
Wow! Been trying out different toad in the hole recipes for years with only average results. What can I say this recipe was amazing, I halved the ingredients as there was just 2 of us , the results were amazing, great rise even after taken out of oven for a few minutes, nothing stuck and was super tasty batter. I’m over the moon, as I have got a friend visiting from over seas, I’m so pleased to have a traditional British dish that will certainly impress. Thank-you
Eb Gargano says
That’s so great to hear! I am delighted that you liked this recipe so much. Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review… and especially for the 5* rating! 😀