Yorkshire Pudding

Preamble
"Boorcaw" (Mortlake) asks for a good recipe for Yorkshire pudding, and also for toad in the hole

Ingredients
1 breakfast cup Milk
4 rounded tablespoons Flour
1 Egg
`1/4 teaspoon Salt

Method

Sieve the flour and salt into a basin. Make a well in the centre, put the egg into it, breaking it into a cup first to make sure that it is fresh; add about 4 tablespoons of milk to the egg; take a wooden spoon, and stir in these two ingredients slowly and smoothly to the flour. Keep the pool of liquid neatly in the middle, so that the wall of flour round it are gradually drawn in by the spoon. When the mixture becomes thicker than good cream, add more milk, until half of it is used. By this time all the flour should be mixed in, and if it has been well made the batter will be free from lumps. Should any be seen, work them out by pressing them against the basin with the spoon. Beat the batter thoroughly, until the surface is well bubbled. An experienced operator will do this in half the time that one who does not understand how to beat correctly would take. Then add the rest of the milk, and allow the batter to stand for about half an hour if possible. It is then ready to use as required.

Put a shallow Yorkshire pudding tin into the oven, with one well-rounded tablespoonful of beef dripping in it. When the tin and dripping are hot pour in the batter. This make the pudding lighter than if a cold, greased tin is used. Plenty of dripping is required for this pudding. Put the tin and batter into a quick oven and bake for about half an hour, or until it is brown and crisp.

Serve it at once, either whole, or what is more convenient, cut into six or eight squares. If a joint of beef is being roasted, use a couple of spoonfuls of dripping from the tin under the meat.