Mary Berry's one ingredient swap to make Yorkshire puddings rise taller

Cooking Yorkshire puddings from scratch can be a bit intimidating if you're not yet a pro at it. The most common issue faced during the making of is the disappointing discovery that they haven't puffed up in the oven. Yet, with culinary queen "foolproof and easy" recipe at your disposal, there's no need for panic.

For achieving loftier Yorkshires, Mary divulges her effortlessly "secret" alteration to ingredients - and it’s all about tweaking proportions. When looking to serve up faultless Yorkshire puddings with your succulent Sunday roast beef or golden roast pork, Mary suggests adjusting the ratio of two staple components.

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Yorkshire puddings stem from a traditional batter mixture, but changing your egg count can lead to surprising outcomes.

Mary has professed that she opts to "add more eggs and omit a little milk" in her recipe, as "decades of experience" have taught her that "this gets the best results".

Regarding the type of milk, should you find yourself limited to full-fat milk, she advises substituting a quarter of it with water, reports .

Ingredients

• 100g plain flour
• One quarter teaspoon salt
• Three large eggs
• 225ml milk
• Four tablespoons sunflower oil

Method

To make them, start by getting your oven hot at 220C/200C Fan/Gas 7, then amalgamate the flour and salt in a mixing bowl, carving out a well in the middle. Pop in the eggs and a touch of milk.

Whip it up until you've got a smooth consistency, and then steadily mix in the rest of the milk before transferring the batter into a jug.

Letting the Yorkshire pudding batter rest is certainly advantageous "but not essential" says Mary.

Allowing the mixture to rest is crucial for achieving perfectly risen results when cooking because it gives the gluten time to relax, and more elastic gluten leads to a better stretch.

For best outcomes, leave the batter to rest for at least half an hour but no more than two hours. There's no need to chill the batter during this time.

Next up, pour a teaspoon of oil into each section of a 12-bun tray or a full tablespoon into each part of a four-hole tin; if you're using a roasting tin, go for three tablespoons. Pop the tray into the oven for about five minutes or until the oil starts sizzling.

Mary emphasises: "It is very important to get the oil piping hot. As soon as the batter is poured in it will set and start to cook giving you crisp well-risen puds."

Following that, with caution, take the tray out of the oven and evenly dispense the batter into the holes or the roasting tin.

Hastily return the batter to the oven and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, 35 for those using a roasting tin, or wait until they're golden brown and have puffed up proudly.

Should you wish to prepare your Yorkshire puddings in advance, simply reheat them in a hot oven for around eight minutes.

The fully cooked puddings can even be frozen and later heated straight from the freezer in about 10 minutes.