Crumpets are definitely a foodstuff that I miss. For some reason they are hard to find in the USA. With the exception of Kroger, which does carry them but they are very thin for some reason, no regular store supplies them. So, I thought I would give making my own a go, I was very pleasantly surprised! For those of you who have not tried them before, they look like English Muffins but have a very different taste and texture. This recipe produced great, light crumpets, with a kind of sourdough flavour.
Be aware you will need to leave the mixture so that the yeast activates, this can take 1-1.5 hours.
What you will need:
115ml semi skimmed milk, warm
225g all purpose flour
3g dried yeast
1 tsp sugar
150ml finger-warm water
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
Vegetable oil for frying
Method:
Add the milk, flour, yeast and sugar together in a large bowl, whisk gently until combined. Add half the tepid water and beat together. Slowly add more water until mixture is of a similar consistency to thick cream, thick and smooth. Cover with cling film and let sit in a warmish place with no draughts for 1 - 1.5 hours until the batter looks like foam on the top. See below:
Be aware you will need to leave the mixture so that the yeast activates, this can take 1-1.5 hours.
What you will need:
115ml semi skimmed milk, warm
225g all purpose flour
3g dried yeast
1 tsp sugar
150ml finger-warm water
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
Vegetable oil for frying
Method:
Add the milk, flour, yeast and sugar together in a large bowl, whisk gently until combined. Add half the tepid water and beat together. Slowly add more water until mixture is of a similar consistency to thick cream, thick and smooth. Cover with cling film and let sit in a warmish place with no draughts for 1 - 1.5 hours until the batter looks like foam on the top. See below:
Now for this next part you will need cooking rings of a sort. I do not have these so I improvised by cutting both ends off of a can that previously contained beans. Cleaned this out very well and removed the label, this worked beautifully. Heat a frying pan to medium (I put it on five and this was hot enough and worked great). Grease the bottom of the pan and grease your cooking ring (or can) well on the inside. Once pan is hot place the cooking ring (or can, greased side down) onto the frying pan. Pour the mixture into the ring (or can), I would say just above half a ladle is sufficient.
Let cook for around 3 minutes, you will see loads of tiny bubbles on top and the batter will look like it is separating from the sides when this part is done. Gently remove the ring (or can) so that the crumpet is standing by itself. Use a spatula to flip the crumpet and cook this side for another 1-2 minutes (you can lift it to see if it is golden brown). Once done remove from pan and place on a plate to cool. Repeat this method with all the remaining batter. These are best lightly toasted and served with butter. They can be served with jam, syrup, bacon, anything you want. Enjoy!