I’d never thought of making my own Crumpets, but sorting through the growing pile of recipes on my coffee table last night I’m remember this one I’d torn from a magazine in a waiting room a few weeks ago.
You do need patience to make these (not something I have a lot of, especially when it comes to food!), so plan in advance to make them, as they take approx 2 hours.
It’s the weekend and I’ve got plenty of washing to catch up on so this will be perfect – my batter can sit in rise and bubble for a couple of hours and I’ll have something to look forward to when the washings done!
I’m more than impressed with the end result – they’re not exactly like the packet variety – they’re better! Soft and fluffy inside with a golden crispy crust.
Enjoy them however you would your crumpets normally – for me that’s dripping in French butter, but today I’ve made a maple cinnamon butter and toasted some pecans. They’re best served warm straight from the pan, but you could also toast them the next day. I think they’d be quite lovely buttered with a cup of tea in the afternoon too.
If you’re looking to impress at breakfast… get up early and make Crumpets!
Crumpets
Makes: 10; Prep time: 15 minutes (plus 1.5 hours rising time); Cook time: 15 minutes
400 ml milk
20g butter, plus extra for greasing and cooking
1 tsp castor sugar
3.5g (half sachet) dried yeast
250g plain flour
½ tsp bi-carb soda
- Heat mil and butter over a low heat until butter melts, then stand until lukewarm. Combine sugar and yeast in a small bowl, add 100ml milk mixture, stir to dissolve, then stand in a warm place until foamy (4-5 minutes)
- Combine flour and a pinch of salt in a large bowl, make a well in the centre and add yeast mixture, stirring to incorporate a little flour
- Add remaining milk mixture, stir until smooth and combined, cover and stand in a warm place until very foamy (1-1.5 hours)
- Dissolve bi-carb soda in 25 ml warm water, add to batter, beat to combine
- Cover and stand until bubbling (25-30 minutes)
Heat a frying pan over a medium heat. Add a littler butter, then place buttered 10cm-diameter, 2,5cm deep rings in pan and fill each two-thirds full with batter.
Cook until mixture bubble, small holes form on the surface and a skin forms on top (4-5 minutes)
Remove rings, turn crumpets and cook until golden brown (1 minute). Keep crumpets warm in a tea towel while you repeat with remaining batter.
Caramelised maple butter
Makes: 1 cup; Prep time: 10 minutes; Cook time: 3 minutes
100 ml maple syrup
Juice and finely grated rind of half an orange
100g softened butter
20g icing sugar, sieved
½ tsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp finely grated nutmeg
Scraped seeds of ½ vanilla bean
- Simmer maple syrup and juice in a saucepan over a medium-high heat until reduced to a syrup (2-3 minutes), then set aside to cool for 5 minutes
- Beat remaining ingredients in an electric mixer until pale and fluffy (5 minutes). Add syrup and beat to combine, then serve at room temperature
