Toad in the Hole featuring the Pyrolux Pyrocast Chef Pan
The first time I had this dish was at the in-laws. I remember asking “what’s for dinner?” and being a little taken back when they said, “toad in the hole.” I mean, the very sound of it to anyone who didn’t know would turn heads and raise eyebrows. Being the well-mannered person that I was, I smiled and said “great!” However, on the inside my mind was going wild. Was this revenge for something I had done?
In the end, I told myself that no matter what comes out of that oven… I was going to eat it and compliment them on a delicious meal.
Turns out, all that fear was for nothing. What was laid out on the dinner table looked like fat juicy sausages in Yorkshire pudding. The dish was simply delicious and is now a regular in our family’s dinner rotation.
In the past, I have used thin metal pans to make this recipe. I have always wanted to do it in a cast iron pan. Once I got my hands on this Pyrolux Pyrocast Chef Pan, I knew straight away that the first recipe would have to be Toad in the Hole.
This cast iron pan distributes and retains heat very well. I learnt this quickly as we had to use very thick mitts to handle the hot cast iron pan. This feature is particularly good for this recipe. I have noticed that the batter rises higher and more uniformly than the other cookware I have used in the past. This is very important since it gives the dish that visual wow factor which is crucial to any good Toad in the Hole recipe.
What else I like about using this pan is you can use it on the stove top to fry the sausages then transfer it straight into the oven. Using the one pan saves on washing up, which is always a good thing!
What Type of Sausages Should You Use
Pork Cumberland sausages are the best for this recipe. This is because they are short and fat which helps to retains their juiciness better when cooked in the batter. The skinny long ones cook to quickly and tend to dry out easily. So, if you can get Cumberlands, but if you can’t then any short and fat sausage will do.
Time is of the Essence
The most attractive feature of toad in the hole are the peaks the batter rises too once cooked. But as soon as it is out of the oven, they will begin to collapse. So don’t let it sit around and serve immediately to get the OOHHHHs and AHHHHs from your fans. I suggest having everything ready on the table before taking it out of the oven.
What to Serve it With
- Normal / Onion Gravy
- English Mustard
- Tomato Sauce
- Leafy green salad
- Steamed Vegetables
Recipe
Serves 4
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 40 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp Canola oil
- 500 gm pork sausages (roughly 6)
Batter
- 1.5 cups flour
- 5 large eggs
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 cups milk
- 1 tsp dried thyme
Instructions
- Pre heat the cast iron pan in the oven at 200 C.
- Beat the eggs and the milk in a mixing bowl with a whisk until combined.
- Add the salt, thyme and a quarter of the flour and then whisk well. Gradually add the rest of the flour.
- Take the cast iron pan out of the oven and on to the stove top at medium high. Add 1 tbsp of oil and brown the sausages on two sides. (Approximately 3 minutes cooking time.)
- Once browned, pour in the batter and cook in the oven for 40 minutes at 200 C.
- Serve immediately.
