Make Crumpets 

Crumpets are mainly eaten in the United Kingdom, though they are also popular in the nations of the Commonwealth.

A crumpet is a savoury/sweet bread snack. It was originally a hard pancake cooked on a griddle; but, through the Victorian Era yeast was introduced and they became softer. Later, more baking powder was added to the recipe, creating the typical holes in the crumpet.

Crumpets are usually circular shaped, with a flat top, and a spongy texture. They are similar to pikelets, though pikelets are thinner and have more irregular shapes.

Crumpets, by themselves, have a bland taste. They are usually eaten warm, with a topping. Common toppings include butter, golden syrup, jam, or melted cheese, but other unique choices are enjoyed too - from peanut butter, marmite, to lemon curd!

Ingredients

  • 2 cups of bread flour
  • 1 and 2/3 cups of all-purpose flour
  • ¾ of a teaspoon of cream of tartar
  • 2 1/4 teaspoons of active dry yeast
  • ½ a teaspoon of sugar
  • 2 and a ¼ of a cup of warm water
  • 2 teaspoons of crushed sea salt
  • ½ a teaspoon of baking soda
  • 2/3 of a cup of full-fat warm milk
  • Butter or oil, for greasing
  • Topping of your choice (some suggestions include butter, jam or marmalade, or for sweeter tastes, maple syrup)

Steps

  1. Sift the flour and cream of tartar together into a bowl.
  2. In a medium bowl, mix the yeast and the sugar together with ¾ of a cup of warm water, and let stand until the water becomes foamy. Stir in the remaining lukewarm water.
  3. Mix the yeast mixture into the flour mixture, and beat vigorously for two minutes, or until you get a thick, yet smooth batter.
  4. Cover the bowl with cling wrap and let it stand in a warm spot until the batter rises and then falls. This will take around one to one and a half hours.
  5. Add the salt to the batter, and beat for about 1 minute. Then, cover the bowl again and let stand for 15 to 20 minutes.
  6. Mix the baking soda and warm milk together in a mug; then, gently stir it into the batter.
  7. Heat an oiled griddle or frying pan over medium-low heat for two to three minutes.
  8. Put a greased crumpet ring onto the griddle/frying pan, and spoon about 1/3 of a cup of the batter into the ring.
    • Remember: the amount of batter you will need to make a crumpet depends on the size of your crumpet ring. Aim to get the crumpet to a thickness of about ¾ of an inch.
  9. Watch for holes. If holes do not form on the crumpet-to-be, add a little more warm water - one tablespoon at a time - to the batter in the bowl and try again. If the batter is too runny and leaks out under from underneath the ring, work in a little more all-purpose flour and try again. Once the batter is at the right consistency, cook the crumpets in batches of three.
  10. Flip the crumpet. When the crumpet's top is covered with holes (this should take around seven minutes) it is ready to be flipped. To flip a crumpet, remove the ring using tongs, and then flip the crumpet with a spatula.
  11. Cook the second side of the crumpet until it turns pale golden brown. Remove the crumpet from the griddle.
  12. Serve the warm crumpets with your topping. You can go for a hot topping - like melted cheese or butter - or something colder like jam, or marmalade. If you're making the crumpets for more than just yourself, it's a good idea not to put the toppings on the actual crumpet but let the other people serve themselves - not everyone may enjoy marmite covered crumpets, after all.



Tips

  • It is absolutely essential to grease your frying pan/skillet before cooking; if you don't, you'll have a really hard time trying to pry the crumpets off.
  • Cast iron griddles are good for making pancakes, as well as crumpets.
  • The recipe suggests cooking in batches of three, but you may have to alter this number depending on the size of your frying pan/griddle.
  • It is best to cook the crumpets in small batches, as the crumpet rings take up a lot of room on the pan. This may not seem like a problem at first, but it will when you've to flip the crumpets-to-be over.
  • If you haven't got any crumpet rings handy, then English muffin rings will do just fine. If you haven't got any, then you really ought to go out and buy some - making crumpets is much easier when you use the rings.
  • You can't serve crumpets without some good old tea.
  • Make sure that the frying pan/griddle isn't too hot, otherwise the bottoms of the crumpets will burn.
  • Grease the crumpet rings very well after every use.
  • Most people prefer to toast their crumpets before topping them.
  • Crumpets can be served with sweet toppings as well as savoury ones. The most common way to serve them is with butter and jam, however, you can try eating them with gherkins and shrimp, or with baked beans and cheese. Experiment, and tweak to suit your taste.

Warnings

  • Do not touch the crumpet rings whilst they are on the griddle - as hot crumpet rings cause burns. Be very careful around the stove.
  • Crumpets aren't exactly the easiest things to cook - that's why very few people make them these days. If your first batch doesn't work out, then don't despair, just try again! Once you get the hang of the recipe, you'll be dishing out crumpets that taste a thousand times better than any you could buy from the shops.
  • Crumpets are very easy to burn - always keep an eye on them.
  • To avoid losing a good amount of batter, be sure to make a "test crumpet". Rather than jumping right in and cooking a batch of three or four, just start with one to evaluate the quality of the batter. You'll be able to determine if the batter is too runny/thick, if the griddle's too hot, and when it's done cooking, you'll be able to taste how sweet/salty it is. After the test crumpet's finished, you can tweak your batter accordingly.

Related Articles

Things You'll Need

  • Griddle or frying pan
  • Spatula
  • Wooden spoons
  • Measuring cups and spoons
  • Crumpet rings or English muffin rings
  • Mug
  • Bowls in various sizes

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Sources and Citations

  • This recipe is a variation of the one found in Linda Collister's and Anthony Blake's The Bread Book.
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