Thin 23cm Yorkshires baked in a hot pan and folded round rare sirloin and onion gravy make these Hairy Bikers Yorkshire pudding wraps. From Route 66, their BBC road trip series, 5 wraps come to about 530 calories each in roughly 1 hour 50 minutes.
On their website they admit “we tried to do this completely on the hob”, but it kept ending as “a thick, fat pancake”. So each wrap starts on the hob in sizzling dripping and finishes in a 220°C oven, which gives a lighter, less doughy texture.
Use exactly a fifth of the batter and swirl it to the edges, because a thin, even layer bends round the steak without cracking. Then let each wrap cool for a minute or two, since it comes out too crisp to fold and softens as it sits.
Hairy Bikers Yorkshire Pudding Wrap
Description
Four eggs and 250ml of milk make a runny batter that bakes in five rounds in an ovenproof pan, flipped after 5 minutes. Meanwhile the onions go deep brown for the gravy, and the peppered steak gets a minute or two a side on a smoking griddle.
Ingredients
For the Yorkshire pudding batter
For the onion gravy
For the beef
Instructions
- Make the batter: Put the flour and salt in a large bowl and beat in the eggs until you have a thick paste. Then gradually whisk in the milk until the batter is free of lumps, pour it into a jug, cover and leave for 30 minutes. And take the steak out of the fridge now so it loses its chill.
- Heat the oven and pan: While the batter rests, preheat the oven to 220°C, 200°C fan, Gas 7. And put a 23cm frying pan with a metal handle inside to heat up, since plastic or wooden handles won’t survive the oven.
- Soften the onions: Meanwhile, melt the butter in a large saucepan, add the onions and 2 tablespoons of water, then partially cover and cook until soft. Then take the lid off, turn up the heat and keep stirring until they caramelise to a rich brown.
- Build the gravy: Add the bay leaves and yeast extract, sprinkle in the flour and stir. Then add the stock about 100ml at a time, stirring well between each, before adding the thyme, seasoning and Worcestershire sauce. Bring to the boil, then simmer for about 10 minutes until slightly reduced and keep warm.
- Bake the first wrap: Take the pan out with an oven glove, since the handle stays scorching. Then melt a fifth of the dripping in it on the hob over a high heat. So stir the batter, pour in a fifth, swirl it over the base and put it straight back in the oven for 5 minutes. After that, flip it with a fish slice, give it 3 minutes more and leave it to cool and soften.
- Make the rest: Repeat four more times with the remaining dripping and batter, so you have five wraps. And stack the finished ones under foil, then turn the oven down low to keep them warm once the last is out.
- Cook the steak: Mix the mustard powder, peppercorns and salt, then rub it all over the steak. Then griddle it over a very high heat for 1 to 2 minutes a side and rest it for 5 to 10 minutes.
- Fill and fold: While the steak rests, crisp each wrap in the hot griddle pan for 1 minute a side. Then slice the steak thinly and tip its resting juices into the gravy. After that, top each wrap with a fifth of the steak, pour over some gravy, fold it over and serve with sauerkraut and pickles.
FAQs
Why do the wraps use 4 eggs when their Yorkshire puddings use 2?
They’re doing different jobs, because their plain Yorkshire pudding uses 2 eggs and 275ml of milk to climb the sides of a muffin tin. But these are meant to lie flat, since a fifth of the batter spreads thin across a 23cm pan.
So keep each batter for its own job, because the 2-egg one is built for tall, hollow puddings. And 4 eggs to 250ml of milk is what both the BBC and website versions of the wraps use.
How is this different from the version on their website?
Their own website uses the same 23cm pan but a quarter of the batter per wrap, so it makes four, baked 5 minutes a side. And it fries them in lard and serves 4 to 5.
This BBC version from Route 66 makes five thinner wraps, flipped after 5 minutes then given 3 more. And it adds bay, Marmite and thyme to the gravy and gives the 220°C oven temperature the website leaves out.
Can I make them ahead?
Yes, and they suggest doing exactly that, making the wraps and gravy ahead and cooking the steak only when you’re ready. So the last job is the minute-a-side crisp on the griddle, which wakes the wraps back up.
Made-ahead wraps keep in the fridge for a day, stacked with baking paper between them. And the gravy reheats gently with a splash of water if it has thickened. But fill the wraps only at the table, since gravy soon turns them soggy.
Why sauerkraut and pickles?
Because this came out of Route 66, their road trip across America, and sauerkraut and pickles are the classic American deli partners for beef. And the sharpness cuts through the rich steak and gravy.
They use the same sauerkraut idea in their Reuben sandwich, stacked with salt beef and Swiss cheese on rye. So if you’ve got a jar open, that’s the next thing to make with it.
Can I use a different cut or leftover roast beef?
Butterflied bavette or flank works, as their website suggests, as long as it’s sliced thinly across the grain. And leftover roast beef makes a quick beef Yorkshire pudding wrap too, sliced thin and warmed through in the gravy.
The gravy is worth the time either way, since those onions need to go properly brown. And their French onion soup takes the same slow caramelising much further, with a kilo of onions and an hour at the stove.
