Crumpets

Crumpets: Step by Step

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1. Whisk the flour, yeast and sugar in a large bowl. Beat in the warm milk and 150 ml water to a smooth, thick batter — it should drop heavily from a spoon.

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2. Cover and leave in a warm place for 1 hour, until it is domed, bubbling and smells actively yeasty.

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3. Dissolve the salt and bicarbonate of soda in the extra 2 tablespoons of warm water and beat it into the batter. It will loosen and foam.

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4. Rest 20 minutes more. Meanwhile, butter the inside of four 9 cm crumpet rings generously.

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5. Heat a heavy frying pan over low heat — lower than feels right — and lightly butter it. Set the rings in.

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6. Spoon batter into each ring to a depth of about 1.5 cm.

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7. Cook 8 to 10 minutes. The surface should slowly fill with holes and then go from wet to matte. If holes are not appearing, the batter is too thick: beat in a tablespoon of water.

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8. Slide the rings off, flip, and cook 2 minutes more just to set the tops.

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9. Cool on a rack. Toast before eating, hole side up, and butter heavily.

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Related guide: Prep, cook and total time.

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Keep an Eye on These

1. Low heat and patience. A hot pan burns the base before the holes ever form.
2. Butter the rings every batch or the crumpets will not release.
3. Crumpets are made to be toasted later, not eaten off the griddle.

The Short Version

The holes come from carbon dioxide escaping through a batter loose enough to let bubbles rise but set enough to keep the walls standing — which is why the batter needs both a yeast rise and a pinch of bicarbonate of soda stirred in at the end. Too thick and the top stays blank; too thin and the batter runs under the ring.

On the Table Alongside

Salted butter · Marmite or honey · A pot of strong tea

Leftovers

Keep 3 days in a bag at room temperature, or freeze 2 months and toast from frozen.

Questions People Ask

Nutrition per Serving

Per serving, calculated from the ingredient list with USDA FoodData Central figures (SR Legacy). A calculation, not a laboratory analysis: brands, cuts and how you measure change the real numbers. Garnishes, greasing and other items with no amount are not counted. How the figures are worked out.

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