Sunday, April 17, 2011

Crumpets


Ever had a crumpet? If you so, then you've experienced a beautiful thing.  They're like the rich man's english muffin. Buttery, yet light and springy. My first crumpet was from The Crumpet Shop in Seattle, Washington.  It was served with a warm blueberry compote, and it blew my mind. I've wanted to try making crumpets since then, but thought they would take hours to make it since there's yeast involved. Turns out, you can make delicious crumpets without a long rise. It's great.


These crumpets are surprisingly easy to make.   I thought we'd need egg rings, but found that mason rings sufficed.  Cookie cutters should work fine as well. Also, if you have a chunk of time in the morning before you plan to eat these, I recommend letting the dough rise for about an hour. Though it is very important that you DO NOT add the baking powder until AFTER the rise.  Baking powder is activated when it is mixed with water, so it will weaken over time. 

Crumpets

makes a dozen crumpets

2 cups plain flour, sifted
1 Tbs baking powder 
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1 3/4 cups warm water (about 100 degrees)
1 1/2 tsp dried yeast
3 or 4 eggs rings, cookie cutters or wide-mouth mason rings

Dissolve the yeast in the warm water and let sit for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar in a medium sized bowl. Do not add baking powder now if you plan to let the dough rise for more than 20 minutes. Make a well in the center and pour in the yeast water. Mix until you have a smooth batter.


Cover with a towel or plastic wrap and let sit in a warm area for 15-20 minutes.  The batter is ready when you start to see bubbles on the surface. If you decided to let the dough rise for a while, now add the baking powder.

Heat a cast iron pan or a heavy griddle pan on medium heat with a little bit of butter.  Lightly grease the rings with butter. Place the rings on the pan to heat them up.  If using mason rings, place them upside down on the pan. Once the pan and rings are hot, pour batter in each ring to fill them about 2/3 full. 

Cook crumpets on low heat for about 10 minutes, or until the tops are bubbly and dry.


Remove the rings and flip the crumpets.  If using mason rings, you'll have to flip them on the pan first and then carefully take the rings off with a spatula.  Cook for an additional 2 to 3 minutes, or until brown and crispy.  When you make the next batch of crumpets, you'll need to re-grease the pan and rings.  Otherwise, it'll be a doozy getting the crumpets loose.


Serve with some butter and your favorite jam.



I hope you enjoy them as much as we did. By the way, you probably won't need a fork.




4 comments:

  1. yum! Feel like I've been to the crumpet shop before- with you? when was that?? I like the new photo too, my mom always had those things in a vase...

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  2. Autumn your site provides me with excellent Sunday AM browsing - thanks, Love, Aunt K.

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