I have never been a fan of crumpets but I have realised very recently that this is because my only experience has been with ones bought from the supermarket. Simply, there is no comparison at all of these beautifully made, fresh crumpets to those found wrapped in plastic on the bread shelves at the shops.
“Crumpets, or at least terrible travesties of them… are more commonly sold packeted by grocers or supermarkets than by bakers. Perhaps indeed they are delivered direct from a plastics recycling plant, and have never been near a bakery,” ELIZABETH DAVID, ENGLISH COOKBOOK AUTHOR
This recipe is simple, but it takes a little while for the process to be completed. Stick with it and you will be rewarded with soft, melt-in-your-mouth crumpets. Here’s how to cook crumpets at home.
Ingredients
- 400 ml milk
- 20 gm butter, plus extra, softened, for greasing and cooking
- 1 tsp caster sugar
- 3.5 gm dried yeast
- Pinch salt
- 250 g plain flour
- 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 25 ml warm water
Method
Place the milk and butter in a saucepan and heat on low until the butter melts. It is likely at this stage that the temperature will exceed 37º Celsius. If this occurs, leave the milk aside until the temperature reduces to 37ºC. If you are in a rush, empty the milk mixture into a new dish to get it out of the hot saucepan.
Combine the sugar and yeast in a small bowl. When the milk mixture has reached the correct temperature, take 100ml only and mix it in with the yeast and sugar. Stir and then place in a warm place for about 5 minutes. The mixture should foam up.
Combine the flour and a pinch of salt in a large bowl. Make a well in the centre and add the yeast/sugar/milk mixture slowly. Stir in a little flour.
Now add the rest of the milk (should be 300 ml). Whisk the mixture until it is all combined and there are no lumps.
Cover the bowl with a tea towel and place in a warm spot. The mixture needs to get aerated and foamy and will usually take at least 90 minutes.
Dissolve the bicarbonate of soda in 25ml of warm water.
After the 90 minutes has passed and the mixture has become foamy, add the bicarb/water and whisk to combine.
Cover once again and leave it to foam up. This will take around 30 minutes.
Get your frying pan ready on low-medium heat. Add some butter and then place your greased rings into the pan. Fill them 2/3 of the way up the ring.
Don’t be tempted to fill the rings to the top as they will overflow, affect your cooking time, and make it hard to get out of the rings. Yes, you guessed it, I’m guilty of doing this!
This is the part that can vary depending on your mixture, how much mixture is in the rings and the cooking temperature. Keep an eye on them when they are cooking.
Cook them until the mixture bubbles and small holes form on the surface. Eventually a skin will also form.
Flip the crumpets over and cook for about one minute, just enough for the tops of the crumpets to be golden brown.
They are fabulous served straight away and can be toasted the next day. Freezing crumpets is also possible.
Homemade crumpets
Make these crumpets and you'll never want to buy them from the supermarket again. Simple to make and really yummy to eat.
Ingredients
- 400 ml milk
- 20 gm butter, plus extra, softened, for greasing and cooking
- 1 tsp caster sugar
- 3.5 gm dried yeast
- Pinch salt
- 250 g plain flour
- 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 25 ml warm water
Instructions
- Place the milk and butter in a saucepan and heat on low until the butter melts. It is likely at this stage that the temperature will exceed 37º Celsius. If this occurs, leave the milk aside until the temperature reduces to 37ºC. If you are in a rush, empty the milk mixture into a new dish to get it out of the hot saucepan.
- Combine the sugar and yeast in a small bowl. When the milk mixture has reached the correct temperature, take 100ml only and mix it in with the yeast and sugar. Stir and then place in a warm place for about 5 minutes. The mixture should foam up.
- Combine the flour and a pinch of salt in a large bowl. Make a well in the centre and add the yeast/sugar/milk mixture slowly. Stir in a little flour.
- Now add the rest of the milk (should be 300 ml). Whisk the mixture until it is all combined and there are no lumps.
- Cover the bowl with a tea towel and place in a warm spot. The mixture needs to get aerated and foamy and will usually take at least 90 minutes.
- Dissolve the bicarbonate of soda in 25ml of warm water.
- After the 90 minutes has passed and the mixture has become foamy, add the bicarb/water and whisk to combine.
- Cover once again and leave it to foam up. This will take around 30 minutes.
- Get your frying pan ready on low-medium heat. Add some butter and then place your greased rings into the pan. Fill them 2/3 of the way up the ring.
- This is the part that can vary depending on your mixture, how much mixture is in the rings and the cooking temperature. Keep an eye on them when they are cooking.
- Cook them until the mixture bubbles and small holes form on the surface. Eventually, a skin will also form.
- Flip the crumpets over and cook for about one minute, just enough for the tops of the crumpets to be golden brown.
- They are fabulous served straight away and can be toasted the next day. Freezing crumpets is also possible.
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About the author
Kerri McConnel
Kerri left her corporate career to pursue a different lifestyle, establishing the successful travel website, Beer and Croissants.
Kerri and her husband Stirling now regularly travel the world, where eating great food, sampling local beverages and cooking international foods are integral to their adventures.
You also won’t find them too far away from an epic road trip either, with motorhomes their speciality.
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