I tried Dolly Parton’s Yorkshire pudding recipe – and her tip really worked

When Dolly Parton wasn’t performing country anthems, she was often found in the kitchen.

The ‘Jolene’ singer had a deep-rooted affinity for Southern food, from banana pudding to chicken and dumplings.

In 2024, Dolly released a co-authored cookbook, Good Lookin’ Cookin’, with her sister, Rachel Parton George.

But it wasn’t until last week, when I was flicking through a copy, that I stumbled across a surprising addition: Yorkshire puddings.

“In my travels around the world, I’ll never forget the first time I had a Yorkshire pudding with prime rib,” writes Dolly.

I probably shouldn’t have been so shocked. After all, the country star once joked that she was looking for an apartment in Rotherham.

However, there was something special about seeing the humble Yorkshire pudding in a Southern cookbook — let’s be honest, it’s the holy grail of our regional cuisine.

My mum makes fantastic “Yorkies,” but I couldn’t resist putting the Parton version to the test.

Gathering the ingredients was simple; clearly this was a traditional recipe.

For 12 servings, I measured 1 ½ cups of whole milk and 1 ¼ cups of all-purpose flour, then cracked four eggs.

Everything is whisked together in a large bowl, before strict instructions to rest the batter “for at least 30 minutes”.

According to the recipe, the best results come from resting the batter “overnight in the refrigerator.” I’m not that patient, but reluctantly left the bowl in the fridge for two hours.

Blasting the oven at 200°C, the next step was heating the baking tray with a teaspoon of oil in each hole.

Apparently, this is the secret to success. Rachel even added a disclaimer at the top of the page: “this recipe isn’t difficult — just make sure your baking tin is very hot.”

When I removed the tray, everything was sizzling. I quickly filled each hole with batter (stopping at around three-quarters full), and slid the baking tray back into the oven within a minute.

Watching the Yorkshire puddings rise through the glass pane was strangely mesmerising. According to Dolly, 15 to 20 minutes is the perfect cooking time.

However, the recipe warns that patience is key; opening the oven door too soon is a disaster and can cause collapsed puddings.

Knowing my oven is horrendously slow, I waited 25 minutes before cracking open the door and taking a peek.

The result? Not bad at all. In the future, I’d choose a deeper baking tray and try to fill the holes more evenly.

But the puddings themselves tasted crispier than usual, and I’m glad I’ve tested chilling the batter beforehand.

The recipe was straight-talking and kept the process simple. Reading the instructions, at some points, I could almost hear the Southern drawl.

Next time I’m making Yorkshire puddings, I’ll definitely choose the Parton version. Just don’t tell my mum.