Crumpets, those delicious breakfast or tea-time favourites. I love them toasted, almost burnt and slathered in butter and Marmite. It never occurred to me to bother making my own, they’re so cheap to buy and it seemed like a bit of a faff for no real gain. I mean I’d have crumpets, but I could pop up the shop and buy 6 for a couple of quid.
So what changed? Well a couple of weeks ago I made some hot cross buns and they were really tasty, so tasty they made me rethink the crumpet. If these can taste so much better than shop bought, maybe crumpets can too? When I looked up a recipe and saw how easy they were to make, I felt even more stupid for not trying them sooner.
I also wanted to try out my new Prestige Dura Forge frying pan. It’s got a great non-stick coating and I wanted to see if it would be able to cope with sticky crumpet batter. As you can see from the pictures, it didn’t have a problem at all. It was really easy to clean too, which is great if you’re like me and you don’t have a dishwasher, just your two hands. The pan is safe for induction hobs and resists warping. To find out more about the Dura Forge range take a look here.
When you first cook the crumpets, it doesn’t feel like they’re going to work, but then bubbles rise up on the surface and they almost cook from the bottom up. As soon as they look almost completely done they are ready to be flipped and you can cook the top for a couple of minutes.
To make crumpets you will need some crumpet rings, I actually used some pastry rings I had. These weren’t non-stick and so I had to use a sharp knife to get the crumpets out of the rings and wash, dry and regrease the rings between uses. You can get specific crumpet rings, but my kitchen is way too small to have so many specialist items, so the pastry rings worked just as well.
This is a Paul Hollywood recipe, you can find the original recipe here. This is actually a really great recipe, I can’t say I’ve made many of his recipes, but this one is pretty much faultless. I shall be looking out for more of his stuff in the future.
These would be so good to serve for brunch or a lazy Easter breakfast, I’m a bit boring when it comes to crumpets as I mentioned before. I’m happy with butter, marmite or a little bit of golden syrup, but you can top your crumpet with pretty much anything you like.
Crumpets
Ingredients
- 175 g Strong White Bread Flour
- 175 g Plain White Flour
- 14 g Fast-action Dried Yeast
- 1 tsp Caster Sugar
- 350 ml Warm Milk
- 150 200ml Warm Water
- ½ tsp Bicarbonate of Soda
- 1 tsp Salt
- Oil for cooking and greasing
Instructions
- Put both flours into the bowl of a stand mixer and add in the yeast.
- Dissolve the sugar in the warm milk, then pour this into the flour mixture.
- Beat the mixture until you have a smooth batter. This will take three to four minutes and is hard work because the mixture is stiff, but it is essential to develop the protein strength in the batter and will ensure the crumpets develop their characteristic holes as they cook.
- Cover the bowl with cling film or a tea towel and leave to stand for about an hour. The mixture will rise and then begin to fall you will see marks on the side of the bowl where the batter reached before it dropped.
- This indicates that the yeast has created its carbon dioxide and is now exhausted. The gluten will now have developed sufficiently to give the crumpets structure and enable them to rise and hold their shape.
- Mix 150ml of the tepid water with the bicarbonate of soda and salt. Stir this liquid into the batter until evenly combined, then gradually stir in as much of the remaining water as you need to get a thick dropping consistency.
- Cover the bowl and leave the batter to rest for about 20 minutes. Little holes will appear on the surface and the batter will become a bit sticky.
- Heat a flat griddle pan or heavy-based frying pan on a medium-low heat. Lightly but thoroughly grease the inside of at least four 7cm to 8cm metal crumpet rings (ideally non-stick).
- Lightly grease the griddle or pan, using a crumpled piece of kitchen paper dipped in oil.Its a good idea to start with a trial crumpet. The first one is never the best, like the first pancake.
- Put a greased crumpet ring on the griddle. Ladle enough batter into the ring to come just below the rim. The temperature of the pan is important: it is better to cook the crumpet lower and slower than hot and fast.
- After six to eight minutes, the bottom of the crumpet should be browned and the rest almost cooked through. You’ll know when it is nearly ready once the top looks almost set and most of the bubbles that have formed on the surface have burst.
- You can slightly speed up the cooking by popping these bubbles as they appear, using the sharp tip of a knife. When the crumpet is ready, the bubbles will stay open rather than fill up with liquid batter.
- Turn the crumpet over carefully, using two kitchen tools, such as a spatula and a palette knife. Leave the crumpet to cook for another minute or two, then lift it off the griddle onto a wire rack.
- Remove the ring, if it sticks, run a small, sharp knife around the outside of the crumpet to loosen it.
- Now that you have fine-tuned the time and temperature needed for your batter, you are ready to cook the rest of the crumpets in batches.
- Serve the crumpets straight away, split or whole, with plenty of butter. Alternatively, leave them to cool on the wire rack and toast them before enjoying with butter.
Notes
Thanks for reading.
Angela
This post was sponsored by Prestige and I was provided with the Dura Forge frying pan for free. All opinions expressed are my own.
Jodie Dodd
Crumpets! They’re so quintessentially English! I’ve never had one before but they look just like English muffins that are sold here in the States. Wait, now that I think about it, I wonder if they are the same thing?! I’m going to have to check that out and if so, I had no idea they were so simple to make.
patisseriemakesperfect
Jodie, they’re nothing like English muffins. We have those here, you normally slice them in half and have with jam or bacon and eggs.
Crumpets are like a cooked batter that has little holes in them, they’re really good!
Jodie Dodd
I see. I did Google it but it didn’t mentioned different consistency, just a different preparation. English muffins are really popular here for breakfast too, either toasted or as a breakfast sandwich.
Kate | Veggie Desserts
I’ve never thought to make homemade crumpets, but they look so lovely! Great frying pan as well.
patisseriemakesperfect
I was always of the opinion ‘what’s the point?’, as they are so cheap to make, but they’re quite fun to make and really tasty.
Jacqueline Meldrum
I’ve never thought of making them before either, but they look amazing and I bet they tasted so much better. I can almost smell them looking at the photos.
patisseriemakesperfect
Jacqueline the smell is amazing, sorting of yeast and toasted, so much better than it sounds.
Ceri Jones
I’d really love to have a go at making these too. They’ve always been on the wish list! The homemade ones look so superior – and a great excuse for melted butter 🙂
patisseriemakesperfect
Melted salted butter is the stuff of dreams and these crumpets are calling out for it. Definitely try these Ceri!
Debs
Love these Angela! Crumpets are one of my favourites!!! Not hugely weight watchers friendly, but sooooo worth the splurge!!!! Pinned!
patisseriemakesperfect
Mine too! I am currently on the fast diet, so for two days this week I had to just stare at these! Worth it on the others though 🙂
I’ve done weight watchers before and it’s pretty good too. I think I was on 21 points day from memory, but this was when I was in my late teens so a long time ago!
Ricardo
I never had a crumpet but they are mouthwatering !!!!!!!!!!!!!
I have to try them.
patisseriemakesperfect
Oh Ricardo you most definitely do have to try these!
Silvia @ Garden in the Kitchen
I am so glad that you decided to make your own crumpets because the homemade stuff is so much better and pleasurable, and now we all get to learn how to make it too!!
patisseriemakesperfect
Agreed Silvia – these really are that good.
Liz @ I Heart Vegetables
I actually don’t think I’ve ever had a crumpet! But those look so yummy! Perfect for a rainy day!
patisseriemakesperfect
Oh Liz you have to change that! These are so good.
Janette@CulinaryGinger.com
I’m with you on the almost burned. I used to leave them in the toaster so long. Your crumpets are making my mouth water and I wish I had some right now for breakfast.
patisseriemakesperfect
Janette, I am so glad I am not the only one to like my crumpets that way. I wish I had some of these right now too.
Platter Talk
So very beautiful photos and the product- WOW! I can not wait to try this recipe out. Perfect for Easter AM!
patisseriemakesperfect
Thank you very much! They are perfect for a lazy morning breakfast.
Lindsay Cotter
That Prestige Dura Forge frying pan sounds like a great pan to have in my kitchen! These crumpets look so delicious! Glad you decided to try making them at home too! They are easy to make and homemade is always tastier, right?!
patisseriemakesperfect
So true Lindsay and this pan is amazing.