Crumpets crumpets crumpets crumpets

The word gets me in such a good mood everytime I say it. I used to eat these for breakfast with lots of butter when I lived in London. I had actually forgotten the existance of crumpets until I bumped into the recipe again. We used to get them from Sainsbury's and it never even crossed my mind at the time, that it would be possible to make them at home.
Well, this weekend I did, and I am happy I tryed them out because the taste was even better than I remembered. And they are actually quite simple to make and don't require any special ingredients; just time for the batter to stand and a couple of egg cooking rings (or round cookie dough cutting rings about 8 cm diameter) for the frying part.








Crumpets (makes about 12)



225 g flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon active dry yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
280 ml milk
50 ml water

and oil or butter for cooking


Heat the milk and water lukewarm. Pour it then into a cup and mix in the sugar and the yeast. Let it stand in a warm place for about 15 minutes, until the surface begins to look bubbly.

Meanwhile measure the flour and salt into a bowl and make a hole in the middle.
When 15 minutes have passed, pour the liquid in the middle and start mixing with a wooden spoon until the batter is smooth. Then leave it again in a warm place, covered with a cloth. The batter will become light and frothy.

After 45 minutes, grease the cooking rings and the frying pan and place over a medium heat. Fill the rings to the middle* (or a little bit less) and cook for 4 to five minutes. At this time the small bubbles on the surface will explode, leaving them their characteristic holes.
Then with the help of two forks, turn the rings and the crumpets over to cook from the other side for another minute.
Grease well the rings and pan again for the next batch.

*if the stuff floods over the edges the first time cooking, fill the rings a bit less on the second round. It depends on the on the batter how much it rises.



Serve the crumpets while still warm with butter and jam or marmalade. They are also delicious the next day when toasted!



Source: http://www.deliaonline.com/recipes/home-made-crumpets,1587,RC.html