Crumpet

Original Recipe

Prep time: 5 minutes || Cook time: 20 minutes || Serving: 6 || Rating 10/10

Ingredients

• 150g (1 cup) flour all purpose
• 200ml (3/4 cup + 1 tbsp) warm water, tap water (200g)
• 1/2 tsp salt , cooking/kosher salt (1/4 tsp table salt)
• 1/2 tsp white sugar
• 1 tsp baking powder

Yeast Mixture

• 1 tsp yeast , instant/rapid rise OR dry active yeast (Note 2)
• 1 tbsp warm water (just tap water)

Cooking:

• 2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted (or vegetable oil)

Instructions

Batter:

1. Place flour, water and salt in a bowl and whisk for 2 minutes.
2. Yeast Mixture - Dissolve Yeast into 1 tbsp warm water in a small bowl.
3. Add Yeast Mixture, sugar and baking powder into bowl, then whisk for 30 seconds.
4. Cover with wrap or plate, then place in a very warm place for 15 to 30 minutes until the surface gets nice and foamy. It will increase in volume by ~10 - 15%.

Cooking:

1. Grease 2 or 3 rings with butter. Brush non stick skillet lightly with melted butter then place rings in the skillet. Turn stove on medium heat.
2. Pour 1/4 cup batter into the rings (65ml), about 1cm / 2.5" deep (will rise ~60%).
3. Cook for 1.5 minutes - bubbles should start appearing on the surface (but not popping yet).
4. Turn heat down to medium-low, cook for 1 minute - some bubbles should pop around the edges.
5. Turn heat down to low, cook for a further 2 1/2 to 4 minutes, until the surface is "set" and it's clear there will be no more bubbles popping! (At this stage you can help the final bubbles pop with a skewer!)
6. Remove rings. Then flip and cook the other side for 20 to 30 seconds for a blush of colour.
7. Transfer on rack/plate to cool.

Toast in a toaster until the base is crispy. Slather generously with butter, honey, jam, maple syrup etc. and devour immediately!

Notes

1. Warm water - just tap water, warm enough that you'd want to take a bubble bath in it, not so hot that you'd scorch yourself.

2. Crumpets ring shaper: 9 cm / 3.5" wide. Non stick rings: brush with melted butter and for everything else: smear with butter.

3. Cooking tip: Heat control is key to crumpet success! You need stronger heat at the begin to get the holes bubbling, then lower heat so the crumpet cooks through without burning the base BUT still strong enough to make the bubbles "pop". The temps provided in the recipe are for a standard stove - if yours is extra strong (like the portable one I use for videos), dial it down a bit.

   Bubbles will start to pop around the edges first, then in the centre. There can be some wisps of smoke from the butter around the rings, but if it gets quite smokey, it means the skillet is too hot. If this happens, remove skillet from stove to cool it down a bit, then return it to the stove.