I created this gluten free Toad in the Hole recipe after many years of experimenting. I’ve finally worked out the key to success and share them with you here.
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This recipe for mini gluten free Toad in the Hole came about by accident. I love how accidents can be happy affairs if we’re open to seeing them that way.
Gluten free baking and cooking accidents have led to some of my favourite recipes. So next time you do something that you judge to be ‘wrong’ perhaps it can be salvaged and made into your favourite dish?
Now for those of you who aren’t British you might be asking…
What is Toad in the Hole?
Great question because this dish has a really weird name. And thankfully it doesn’t involve toads. Or holes for that matter.
It does involve sausages (you can use vegetarian ones if you like) and Yorkshire pudding batter.
Now for this particular recipe I don’t follow my Yorkshire pudding recipe exactly. Instead I add some of my wholegrain gluten free flour blend.
The reason?
Well firstly for flavour. Tapioca starch doesn’t taste of anything and so adding my flour blend gives a lovely flavour to the batter.
Secondly, to add a little teeny bit of wholegrain goodness. I admit, not a lot, but we can perhaps pretend that they are slightly healthier?
I know, it’s marginal. If you want to make your gluten free Toad in the Hole with all tapioca starch as per my gluten free Yorkshire puddings recipe then go ahead!
Back to what Toad in the Hole is.
To put it briefly, it’s a strange old English recipe that’s been around since the 18th Century and was a way of using up cheap, inexpensive cuts of meat.
As I mentioned before, it’s now typically made with sausages.
Why mini Toad in the Hole?
Traditionally it is baked in a large dish with the sausages surrounded by batter. I personally find that the batter becomes soggy cooking it like this and I prefer it crispy.
Hence my mini gluten free Toad in the Hole.
By using cocktail sausages (or chopped up chipolatas or sausages) and a 12-hole muffin tray you retain a lovely crisp batter that surrounds the sausages.
It also makes the recipe even more child-friendly as each individually-sized Toad in the Hole can be easily eaten by a small person.
You could even send them to school with them in their packed-lunch, something that can be fiendishly difficult for children avoiding gluten (but if you click on that link you’ll get some other free from lunchbox ideas!).
What was the accident?
So the happy accident that resulted in super light and fluffy batter was using self raising flour, or plain flour with the addition of baking powder.
Ordinarily Yorkshire puddings or Toad in the Hole batter is made with plain flour.
But the day I made the best Toad in the Hole batter was the day I accidentally used self raising flour.
And so in this recipe that’s what I use.
How do you make mini Toad in the Hole then?
They are super simple to make.
The first step is to get your oven really hot and to place your muffin tray (along with a little oil in each hole) in there to heat up.
While that’s happening you’ll want to chop up your sausages (if you’re not using cocktail sausages). I do this with a pair of scissors, rather than with a knife. And this means you can get help from your kids at this step.
Then whisk together your batter ingredients. I do this in a jug so that it’s really easy to pour into the muffin tray holes.
Once your muffin tray is super hot, pop a couple of pieces of sausage (or a cocktail sausage) into each hole of your muffin tray. Then evenly divide the batter mixture between the holes and quickly put it back into the oven.
That’s it.
What do you serve with mini gluten free Toad in the Hole?
If we’re going back to tradition then you might want to serve yours with onion gravy.
I personally can’t think of anything more horrible because it would make the batter soggy. Which as you’ll know by now, I’m not a fan of!
I serve my Toad in the Hole with a selection of steamed seasonal vegetables for a simple yet popular and delicious family meal.
If you like this recipe you might like my free recipe book:
So over to you.
If you make this recipe I’d love to hear what you think. You can leave me a comment or rate the recipe.
Pin the recipe so you don’t lose it:
Gluten Free Toad in the Hole (Dairy Free)
Ingredients
- 40 g Free From Fairy wholegrain self-raising flour - or 40g FFF plain flour plus 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 40 g tapioca starch
- 80 ml dairy-free milk - I used unsweetened almond milk or dairy milk if it can be tolerated
- 3 medium eggs - Ideally organic
- Pepper to season
- 6 Sausages - (make sure they're gluten free), cut into small pieces or 12 cocktail sausages
- A little olive oil or better still duck fat
Instructions
- Place the flour, milk, eggs and a grind of pepper in a bowl and whisk with a balloon whisk (just a normal hand held whisk – nothing fancy!) until smooth. The mixture needs to be the consistancy of double cream.
- Pre-heat the oven to 230 degrees (210 fan oven) and cut the sausages into 4 pieces.
- Place a small amount of oil into each hole in a deep holed muffin tray and place in the hot oven for 5 minutes
- Add 2 pieces of sausage, or a whole cocktail sausage to each hole of the muffin tray and quickly pour over the batter dividing it equally between the 12 holes in the tray
- Place back in the oven for 25 minutes until golden.
- Serve with a selection of vegetables
Mark says
As chief adult taster for the Free From Fairy I can whole-heartedly recommend these!
Emily says
They look great. I would happily eat them and I’m not gluten intolerant 🙂 Really pleased to have found your blog – I’m always on the look out for great free-from recipes. Thanks for linking up to #recipeoftheweek. I’ve Pinned this and there’s a fresh linky live now. Hope to see you there 😀
freefromfairy says
Yes, they do go down well with the whole family! You could easily do the same thing with ‘normal’ batter…
freefromfairy says
Thanks for your comment! The kids, and husband, love them!!
Yet Another Blogging Mummy!!! says
My kids would like these, although we aren’t restricted to gluten-free here. Hopping by via #recipeoftheweek and I’ve given you a follow on twitter and facebook
♫ Alison M ♪ says
I love the idea of mini toad in the holes