Toad in the Hole Recipe

This classic English dish is cooked in a crispy Yorkshire pudding with savory pork sausages. Serve with gravy on top for the ultimate comfort food.

Toad in the hole. It may not sound like something you would want to put in your mouth. But once you learn what it is, you’ll find that it’s actually an epic dish!

If you’ve never tried or heard of toad in the hole, you’re in for a treat.

Not only will I tell you what this strange-sounding dish is all about. I’ll also teach you how to make it and give you tips and tricks on perfecting it.

Plus, it’s effortless to make and ridiculously tasty. Once you’ve tried it, I’m sure you’ll add it to your weekly rotation. 

What Is a Toad in the Hole?

Now to answer the million-dollar question. What is toad in the hole?

Toad in the hole, also called sausage toad, is an English dish made with sausages covered with Yorkshire pudding batter and baked to perfection.

You may eat it as is, but people usually top it with onion gravy and serve it with veggies.

The dish goes all the way back to the 18th century and is said to have been created by the poor to stretch their meat.

So, why on earth is it called toad in the hole?

Well, according to our British friends, the sausages seem like they are peeping through the pudding. They resemble toads poking their heads out of their burrows as they wait for prey.

I’m not sure if I agree with this, but it sure is tasty!

So, let’s just forget about the name for now and focus on this: smoky and savory sausages wrapped in a blanket of crisp Yorkshire pudding.

Now, doesn’t that sound fantastic?

Ingredients

You’ll need surprisingly little for this recipe, only five key ingredients (plus S&P). They are:

• Pork sausage. You can use any kind of sausage, including chicken, beef, or vegan. However, pork sausage provides the best flavor. You’ll also need to ensure you get the sausage in link form. Patties won’t work for this recipe.

• Vegetable oil. For baking the sausage. Any neutral-flavored oil will work.

• Flour, eggs, and milk. These ingredients are all you’ll need to perfect your Yorkshire pudding batter.

And don’t forget the salt and pepper to season the dish to suit your tastes!

How to Make Toad in the Hole

Follow these simple steps to make the perfect toad in the hole dish:

1. Preheat. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

2. Bake the sausage. Pour the oil into a baking dish. Then, arrange the sausages in a single layer in the oil. Bake for 10 minutes. Meanwhile…

3. Make the pudding batter. Combine the flour, eggs, and half a cup of milk in a medium bowl. Whisk the ingredients together.

Slowly pour in the rest of the milk, whisking constantly until the batter is uniformly smooth. Season with salt and pepper.

4. Complete the dish. Remove the sausages from the oven and pour the batter over them. It should cover them about 3/4 of the way.

Return the dish to the oven and bake for another 35 minutes. The center should rise and turn golden brown when the dish is ready.

Once it’s ready, remove it from the oven and serve. Enjoy!

Tips and Tricks

Here are a few tips to make this recipe even simpler:

• Give the batter time to rest. After preparing the batter, pop it in the fridge to chill. Leaving it there for 30 minutes will allow the flour to rise, which will give you crisp, light, and even Yorkshire pudding. 

• Use a metal baking dish instead of ceramic. Metal absorbs heat well, and you want your cooking vessel to get as hot as possible. It’s important for the vegetable oil to be super hot and bubbly, as this will help the Yorkshire pudding to rise properly.

• Use oil with a high smoke point. Vegetable or canola oil is fine. Don’t use olive oil.

• Add lard. Animal fat gets hotter than vegetable oil. So, if you want to guarantee that your pudding will rise, add a little lard to the dish before you bake the sausages. This will make the sausages release a bit of their fat. 

• Add onions. Give your dish an extra depth of flavor by adding some cooked onions to the sausage. This will provide a stunning aroma and sweetness to your dish.

• Experiment with other add-ins. Flavor your pudding with garlic powder, mustard powder, or Worcestershire for that extra oomph.

• Vary the sausages. Some great ones include Italian sausages, Jimmy Dean breakfast links, and Hillshire Farm Smoked Sausages. Mmm. Get in my belly! If you don’t have any sausages on hand, that’s okay too! You can use whatever meat you have. Perfect if you have leftovers from last night.

• Don’t open the oven while baking. This is especially important during the first 20 minutes. Opening the door will cause the oven’s temperature to drop, which might cause your batter to not rise.

• Freeze leftovers. You can freeze leftover toad in the hole for another day. Cut it up into individual serving sizes, wrap them in foil, and freeze. The dish will last for up to 3 months in the freezer.

What to Serve with Toad in the Hole 

As I’ve said, toad in the hole is traditionally served with onion gravy. And I’m here to teach you how to make a super easy yet drool-worthy gravy.

Onion Gravy

Normally, gravy is made with the meat juices of a roast, but since we’re not working with one, we’ll need to improvise.

To give the gravy a deep and luscious flavor, cook it with red onions! Here’s how:

1. Heat butter over medium-high heat.
2. Add sugar and diced onions to the pan.
3. Caramelize the onions in the butter for 15-20 minutes.
4. Whisk in flour and beef stock.
5. Season with salt, pepper, and another secret ingredient: Worcestershire sauce.
6. Simmer until warm.

Then, your onion gravy is ready to go!

As for the sides, well, you can never go wrong with some simple creamy mashed potatoes and roasted Brussels sprouts.