Mary Berry Toad in the Hole Recipe

Mary Berry’s toad in the hole is crispy, well-risen Yorkshire pudding batter baked around browned pork sausages, served with a rich onion gravy made from beef stock, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce and balsamic vinegar. The individual toads bake at 220°C (200°C fan) for 15-18 minutes, or you can make one large version in a roasting tin for 30-35 minutes.

In Classic (2018), Berry roasts the sausages for 20 minutes first so they’re browned before the batter goes in. This is the step most recipes skip, and it’s why her version works so well. Raw sausages release fat and moisture into the batter as it cooks, which stops it rising. Pre-browning them solves that problem completely.

The other detail Berry is firm about is heat. In the Complete AGA Cookbook (2015), she writes that “the secret behind a really good Toad in the Hole is to ensure that the oven is right up to temperature. This way the batter will rise beautifully.” The oil must be piping hot before the batter touches it.

Mary Berry Toad in the Hole Recipe

Recipe by Pinch PerfectCourse: DinnerCuisine: BritishDifficulty: Easy

Servings

4-8

servings

Prep time

15

minutes

Cooking time

35

minutes

Calories

485

kcal

Total time

55

minutes

Berry’s Individual Toads in the Hole with Onion Gravy from Classic (2018), made with her Yorkshire pudding batter and served with a savoury gravy sharpened with soy sauce and balsamic vinegar. Works as individual portions or one large tin.

Ingredients

• For the toad in the hole:

• 8 pork sausages

• 100g (4 oz) plain flour

• 3 eggs

• 150ml (5 fl oz) milk

• 3 tbsp sunflower oil

• For the onion gravy:

• 1 tbsp sunflower oil

• 1 onion, very thinly sliced

• 2 tbsp plain flour

• 450ml (15 fl oz) beef stock

• 1 tsp soy sauce

• 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

• ½ tsp balsamic vinegar

• a few drops of gravy browning

Directions

• Brown the sausages: Preheat the oven to 220°C/200°C fan/Gas 7. Put the sausages in a shallow roasting tin and roast in the oven for 20 minutes until browned on one side.
• Make the batter: Measure the flour into a bowl. Make a well in the centre, add the eggs and beat with a whisk, gradually combining to make a paste, then slowly add the milk until you have a smooth, fairly runny batter. Pour into a jug.
• Bake: Pour 1 teaspoon of oil into the base of each mould of two four-hole Yorkshire pudding tins and heat until piping hot. Divide the batter into the tins, pouring into the oil. Place a sausage, browned side down, in the middle of each and bake for 15-18 minutes until risen and golden. For one large toad, use a roasting tin or ovenproof dish and bake for 30-35 minutes.
• Make the gravy: Heat the oil in a saucepan and fry the onion over a high heat for 1-2 minutes. Lower the heat, cover with a lid and cook for 15 minutes until softened. Add the flour, stirring it in for 30 seconds, then gradually blend in the stock, mixing until smooth and lump-free. Bring to the boil, then add the soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, vinegar and gravy browning.
• Serve: Serve the toads piping hot with the onion gravy.

Notes

• Calories: 8 sausages (1,760) + 100g flour (364) + 3 eggs (234) + 150ml milk (92) + 3 tbsp oil (360) + gravy (approx 70) = 2,880 + gravy 270 = approx 3,880 ÷ 8 = 485 kcal per serving

FAQs

Can I make the batter ahead of time?

Berry says yes. In Classic (2018), her prepare ahead note says the batter can be made up to 8 hours in advance, and the onion gravy can be made up to a day ahead. The AGA Cookbook (2015) goes even further, saying the batter can be made up to 12 hours ahead.

Give the batter a good whisk before pouring it in, because the flour settles as it sits. I make the batter in the morning and leave it in a jug in the fridge, then whisk and pour when the oil is smoking hot. The gravy reheats perfectly on the hob.

What is the difference between Berry’s four toad in the hole versions?

Berry has four across her books. This Classic (2018) version uses individual Yorkshire pudding tins with a plain flour batter and onion gravy. Her Family Sunday Lunches (2016) version is the most traditional, with whole sausages in a roasting tin baked at a hotter 240°C, plus a unique twist: onion marmalade from a jar spooned in piles on the batter with a sausage on each mound.

Her Complete Cookbook (2024) version is the most unusual. She uses sausagemeat mixed with leek, sage and parsley, shaped into 12 balls instead of whole sausages, with a self-raising flour batter that has chopped parsley in it. That version comes with an onion sauce made from milk and chicken stock rather than beef stock gravy.

Why must the oil be smoking hot before adding the batter?

Berry explains this in her Yorkshire Pudding recipe in Foolproof Cooking (2016): “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.” The same principle applies here.

Cold or warm oil means the batter sits in a puddle instead of puffing up immediately. I tested this once with oil that wasn’t quite hot enough and the batter stayed flat and soggy underneath the sausages. Five minutes of heating the oil until it shimmers is all it takes.

Should I rest the batter before using it?

Berry doesn’t specifically say to rest the batter in this recipe, but in her Yorkshire Pudding recipe she notes the batter can be made up to 2 hours ahead and left in the fridge. Resting allows the flour to fully hydrate, which gives a smoother, lighter result.

In practice, making the batter while the sausages brown for 20 minutes gives it a natural rest. That timing works perfectly. If you make the batter 8 hours ahead as Berry suggests, it gets an even longer rest, which only helps.

Can I use self-raising flour instead of plain?

Berry uses plain flour in three of her four toad in the hole recipes, but her Complete Cookbook (2024) version uses self-raising flour. Self-raising gives a slightly puffier, softer batter. Plain flour with eggs gives a crisper, chewier result that holds its structure better around the sausages.

I’d stick with plain flour here. The rise in toad in the hole comes from the eggs, the hot oil and the fierce oven heat, not from raising agents. Berry’s three-egg batter in this Classic version rises impressively without any help from self-raising flour.