Crumpets - Mark 2

So the last attempt at crumpets was a disaster. I had used the recipe from the River Cottage book on bread and followed it to the letter but no matter what I did they were burnt on the outside and uncooked in the middle. 

I didn't want to let them beat me though and I looked up crumpet recipes on the internet until I came across this one from someone who had been there and done that. 

Ingredients (for 15 crumpets)

360g plain flour
2 teaspoons active dry yeast
580ml warm milk (I used half milk, half water mixed)
1.5 teaspoons salt (I used only a pinch)
1 teaspoon sugar
1 heaped teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

Method

1. Combine the yeast and sugar with 250ml of the warm milk (or milk/water mix) in a bowl. Make sure the milk is just warm, not hot. Cover and leave in a warm place to rest for about 10 minutes until frothy.

2. Sift the flour, salt and bicarbonate of soda into another bowl then make a well in the centre and add the yeasty mix along with the rest of the warm milk. Mix this to a thick batter using a wooden spoon. Cover it with cling film and allow to rest in a warm place for about an hour. The film will rise up as gases build up inside.

3. Heat a wide pan over a medium heat then turn down fairly low. Use a piece of kitchen paper to wipe vegetable or groundnut oil over the base so it is coated in a nice film. Do the same to your crumpet rings and put them onto the pan to warm before you put the batter in them. Fill to just a few millimetres below the top as they do rise slightly. 

4. Allow to cook for about 10 minutes or so or until they are ‘dry’ on top, then flip them over to toast lightly for a minute on the other side. Ten minutes is only a guide, I turned mine down really low as the bottoms were burning before they could cook in the middle with the previous batch, and so they probably took between ten and fifteen minutes. Patience is the key. 

5. Remove to a wire rack to cool. Repeat as necessary. They can supposedly be eaten warm, straight from the pan but I found that they tasted more 'crumpety' once they had been toasted.

They were light and fluffy inside and tasted delicious. They definitely didn't have that rubbery texture that they bought ones have. The only thing missing was the holes that went all the way through. I cheated a bit and popped the bubbles on the top of the cooking crumpets with a fondue spike to help them along ( I don't feel too bad for doing that having seen the Hungry Bikers doing the same with theirs!). They really would have been perfect if I'd managed to get the holes right, never mind, I will be making them again, third time lucky?

My personal choice, with Marmite.

The crumpet rings I used were £10.99 for four from Lakeland. Having read around the subject you can use tuna cans (probably not many vegetarians with those!) or similar with both top and bottom removed or biscuit cutters. I would say make sure you oil them very well, wipe them off and oil and warm again between uses. Happy crumpet making!