Crumpets

[rebelmulledwine72]

Does anyone have a good crumpet recipe? I've made them before, and they've been ok-ish, but I've never managed to get lots and lots of holes on top, which is ESSENTIAL for making sure as much butter as possible soaks into the crumpets after toasting

Would really appreciate any recipes or tips.

Thanks!!

PS Am forced to make crumpets as we live in Germany and they are not available here, and while I quite like them, ds has now decided they are the BEST THING EVER, so am really keen to learn how to do them properly!

PPS Does anyone else think that "crumpet" is one of the most fabulous words in the English language?

I'll have a look next time I go to the shops! As for batter thickness, Dan Lepard says "a pouring consistency", which I take to mean pancake consistency, which I take to mean something like single cream. That's how the holey ones were in my trial. Will try the ED recipe next.

Oooh can I join the crumpet club please?

I also don't live in the uk and have been thinking about having a go at making them for ages. I have recently bought a Rachel Allen book and everything I have made from it has been delish. For some reason when I make biscuits they are always foul even though I can make most things and am quite good at cakes. However when I used her recipe they were yum and we ate the lot in one sitting.

I'm sure she has a crumpet recipe.

Might not have time to have a go tomorrow but will get back to you with the recipe at least.

Oooh, wondering if my batter was too thick - hmmm must experiment!

Ok Here is Rachel Allen's recipe, she says it makes 10 crumpets and that "butter will melt into all the little holes", so there better be some.

225g plain flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
150ml milk
125ml water
1 tablespoon caster sugar
1/2 X 7g fast acting yeast or 1 teaspoon fresh
sunflower oil for frying.

Will abridge method as she goes into great detail.

1. Sift flour and salt in large bowl, make well in centre. Heat milk and water until warm add sugar and yeast leave in warm place til frothy, about 5 mins.

1. Add liquid to flour and whisk for about 2 mins to create a thick but smooth batter.

1. Cover and leave for about 1 hour, until mixture has risen and is bubbly.

1. Beat batter briefly to knock out air. Place heavy pan over a very low heat. Oil pan and rings if using.

1. Pour enough batter to half fill rings. Cook on lowest heat possible for about 10 mins, until bubbles start rising to surface and batter looks drier.

1. Turn and cook other side for 10 mins still on very low heat.

So no bicarb in her recipe and the low heat seems to be important.

I will try to have a go at the weekend. I will have to replace milk with oat or rice milk as DDs are allergic to dairy. Have made plenty of things like pancakes in this way before though and can't really tell the difference.

I'm going to have a go at her carrot cake this afternoon as I don't have enough rice milk for crumpets.

Hello beachcomber and welcome to the Crumpet Club. Whereabouts are in the world are you?

Do let us know if you try that recipe. I will probably be doing another batch tomorrow, but haven't decided which one to use yet.

slng and bramblebooks - my batter was definitely not pouring consistency - it was practically sticking to the spoon!!

Hello and thanks.

I'm in France so not too far away.

I make quite a lot of things as my DDs are allergic to dairy and there are some things that we can't get here.

Haven't had a go at the crumpets yet as the shop I need to go to for the rice milk is a bit of a drive away. Will probably try them at the weekend.

I made RA's carrot cake though and it was very nice. Even my DH who isn't that keen on cc liked it.

Hello crumpeters!

I did the Elizabeth David recipe yesterday. DSs consented to try them and declared them an improvement to the Dan Lepard version. They are definitely taller, and I think that's what swung the little monsters. Personally I think the Lepard ones taste better. Perhaps the ED ones need just a tiny bit more sugar.

Haven't been round the shops yet to check out ingredient list for commercial ones. I think it's a sad state of affairs when you have time to make crumpets but not to go to the shops for them ...

Hello, crumpet fans.
I have been lurking on this thread as i have a minor obsession with crumpets so am currently making some using beachcomber's Rachael Allen recipe.
The batter is looking quite promising, very thick and bubbly, i can't wait!
Will let you know what they are like.
I thought i had a packet of shop ones in the freezer so i could look at the ingredients but they seem to have been eaten. Hmmmmm

sounds yum! going to have another go this weekend!

Well, I had another go this week, and went back to my original adding baking powder in with the yeast recipe, and the result was very, very thin flat crumpets

Not sure what happened there, but will probably be having another go this week, as I'd like to have a few in the freezer over Christmas as a stand-by breakfast or supper for ds! I will try the ED recipe again, though, as on balance I think we all actually preferred the monster crumpets!

And welcome to the Crumpetfest, TheyCallMeStacey

Could someone look at my profile and compare the holes in my crumpets to other recipes? Thanks

I seem to have moved on from crumpets to buttery naan but I will be back. I'm still thinking about muffins too.

Ah! Ah! Ah!

Right, they look more holey than anything I've done, but also paler. I will post my pics, hang on a sec...

Ok, have set up public profile and posted pics of Very Flat Crumpets. As you can see, No Holes.

I'm wondering if maybe I should try using fresh yeast, after all, I'm sure they would have been made with fresh yeast in Ye Olden Times. Has anyone tried this?

Oh, and am waiting with baited breath for your naan bread tips, SuperBunny!

Gosh, I wouldn't know where to get fresh yeast here. The bakery, perhaps?

I used this recipe for naan:

Naan

Ingredients:
2 cups All Purpose Flour/Maida
2 tbsp Yogurt
1 tsp Sugar
1 tsp Active Dry Yeast
1 tsp Salt
¼ tsp Baking Powder
2 tbsp Oil
¾ cup Luke Warm Water
1 tbsp Sesame Seeds

Method:
Dissolve yeast in warm water and keep aside for 5-10 minutes.
Meanwhile mix all dry ingredients: flour, sugar, salt and baking powder.
To this add yogurt and oil and mix.
Make a small well in the center and slowly add dissolved yeast water. Keep mixing till you get soft pliable dough.
Cover this dough with a wet cheese cloth or plastic wrap and keep it in a warm place for 1½ to 2 hours till the dough rises and doubles its original quantity.
Punch down this raised dough to release air and divide it into big lemon sized balls.
Heat iron tawa and roll the dough ball into a ¼ inch thick oval shaped roti with a rolling pin. Sprinkle little sesame seeds and gently roll the naan.
Sprinkle generous amount of water to one side of the naan and gently place it on the heated iron tawa. Remember to put the water side down.
When you see bubbles forming on the surface of naan in few seconds time, lift the tawa and turn it down so that the surface of naan is directly exposed to the flame. While keeping the flame on high, move the tawa so that naan is cooked evenly.
Naan is well cooked when you see brown patches on the surface of naan.
Apply butter or ghee and serve hot with any Curry of your choice.

Just wanted to see how everyone was doing with their Crumpet Experiments?

I've been sticking to the ED recipe with great success - but I admit I've just let go of the Hole Obssession and concentrated on flavour, fluffiness and sponginess.
Did a huge batch of them over Christmas and it was great to have in the freezer whenever we were feeling a bit peckish.

Haven't tried them with fresh yeast yet, but I think that might be something for later this month, when we're back to our normal routines again.

SuperBunny - so you do your naan on top of the hob, not in the oven? I've experiemented with both baking and grilling, which has resulted in tasty flatbreads, but not really naan. Have not tried in a frying pan, but I thought it might not work so well as I have electric hob, not gas, so no flame. Will try it out next time I do curry!

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