Apple & Thyme Toad In The Hole
Gather the family around the table for this nourishing take on the beloved British classic. I have upgraded this toad in the hole with extra goodness and deliciousness that will wow them all. Find the juicy sausages and chunks of sweet apple, nestled within a crispy thyme-laced batter and served with lashings of onion gravy.
Even the batter has been supercharged, using a blend of chickpea and spelt flour to add a little extra fibre and protein to each mouthful.
This is an easy recipe to make dairy-free, gluten-free and vegetarian. See the notes below on how to make these switches.
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Apple & Thyme Toad In The Hole
Ingredients
Toad in the Hole
- 2 tbsp Olive Oil
- 6 Sausages (pork, chicken, beef, venison or veggie)
- 1 Apple (Sharp and sweet like Cox or Braeburn, cored and diced)
- 60 g Chickpea Flour (also known as gram flour)
- 60 g Spelt Flour
- 2 Eggs
- 200ml Milk
- 1 tbsp Thyme (ideally fresh leaves)
- 0.5 tsp Salt
Onion Gravy
- 2 tbsp Olive Oil
- 1 Onion
- 2 tbsp Spelt Flour
- 350 ml Beef Stock
- 0.5 tsp Soya Sauce (tamari or dark soya sauce)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 220°C (conventional) or 200°C (fan). Pour the olive oil into a metal roasting tray (around 20 × 30cm) or a round cast-iron dish. Add the sausages and bake for 10 minutes.
- Add the chopped apple to the tray and return to the oven for a further 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, make the batter. Put the chickpea flour and spelt flour into a bowl and make a well in the centre. Crack in the eggs and whisk, gradually adding the milk until smooth. Stir in the thyme and salt and whisk again, then set aside to rest.
- Start the gravy. Heat the olive oil in a pan, add the onion and cook gently, stirring often, for 10–15 minutes until soft and golden.
- Remove the roasting tin from the oven and carefully pour the batter around the sausages and apple. Return to the oven and bake for 25–30 minutes, until well risen and golden.
- Finish the gravy. Stir the flour into the onions and cook for a couple of minutes, then gradually add the stock, stirring continuously. Add the soya sauce, season with black pepper and simmer gently for a few minutes.
- Warm the gravy through and serve with green vegetables on the side.
Notes
- Herby chicken sausages will make a lighter option if you prefer not to use pork. We also love beef or venison sausages. Gluten-free sausages will work well with no changes needed. Vegetarian sausages also work well, but they may need less cooking time. So simply add them at the same stage as the apples.
- Letting the batter rest for 30 minutes before cooking is ideal, as this will help it rise and give it a lighter texture.
- If your family prefers a smooth gravy, you could strain it through a sieve after cooking and discard the onions.
- For young children, cut the apple into smaller chunks for easier eating and serve the gravy on the side for children who prefer foods kept separate.
- To make this recipe dairy-free use an unsweetened dairy-free milk such as oat milk in the batter.
- For a gluten-free option switch out the spelt-flour for chickpea flour in the batter and then a gluten-free flour blend or corn flour in the gravy.
- Leftovers reheat well and make a good next-day lunch.
Per serving. Nutrition content in food is never consistent, so take these estimates with a pinch of salt! Also, our recipes tend to use low-GI carbs and sugars, so these values are not directly comparable with shop-bought UPFs.
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