Traditional English Crumpets
Andrea Potischman
Oct 14, 2018
I think I’ve mentioned this before, but I’ve always wanted to be British. Well, in fairness, I’ve always wanted to be British, French, and Korean to be exact. The traditional English crumpet is something I have always loved. As a very young kid I remember whenever my mom made me an English muffin for breakfast, I always felt royal eating it.
I remember traveling to London in high school and eating a traditional English crumpet, lightly toasted with jam, for the first time, I felt worldly and elegant. Honestly just hearing the silly little word “crumpet” still makes me smile. So as a nod to my younger self (and continued desire to be British), I felt a strong need to post about crumpets.
A crumpet is a small griddle cake made from an unsweetened batter of water or milk, flour and yeast commonly eaten in the United Kingdom. This is not my recipe, some things don’t need to be tweaked or reinvented, and this is one of them. The recipe I used here is from The Spruce Eats. Simple, straightforward, and very traditional. Crumpets take some time and effort to make, but if you are a crumpet or English muffin lover, it’s worth it. A homemade crumpet, lightly toasted with jam is a true breakfast treat. I have mine with coffee, the Brits prefer tea, but either way, it’s a lovely, easy breakfast, especially if made the night before.
English crumpets are circular and typically made in the pan or on a griddle using a simple molding shallow ring. They have a characteristic flat top but are famous for their many small pores, and their slightly spongy texture which allows butter or jam to permeate it and melt in your mouth. If you’ve never had a homemade crumpet, trust me, it’s time.
Traditional English Crumpets
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 cups milk
- 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 1 1/2 cups warm water
- 3/4-1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
Directions:
- In a small saucepan add the milk and heat over a low flame. Make sure that it is warm, but not boiling. Skim any film off of the top.
- In the bowl of a kitchen mixer such as a KitchenAid, using a whisk attachment, whisk together the warmed milk, flour, yeast, and sugar. Once combined, add half the water and beat into the batter.
- Continue to add more water until the batter is thick and smooth. Stop adding water once it reaches the consistency of thick cream.
- Cover the batter with plastic wrap and leave in a warm, draft-free place until foaming. This should take about 1 hour, but can be up to 2 hours (keep an eye on it).
- In a small bowl whisk the salt and baking powder into add to the batter.
- Heat a heavy-bottomed frying pan on the stove until hot, but not smoking. Moisten a paper towel with a little oil and grease the base of the pan and crumpet (or pastry) rings measuring approximately 3 x 1 1/2 inches. Place one ring in the heated pan, and pour in enough batter to fill just below the to p of the ring. Cook for 5 minutes, until there are many tiny holes on the surface, and the crumpet is setting. Flip the crumpet over (in the ring) and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes. Repeat with the remaining batter.
- Place the crumpets on a wire rack until cool. Serve with butter and jam.
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