Bruce's Tasty Crumpets

Ready to add a favorite topping

One thing we just have not found while traveling is our old favourite the humble crumpet. While these home made crumpets don't have the same amount of holes on top as the commercially produced Crumpets you will find the texture is very similar. Serve hot from the pan or store in the fridge for up to five days. After being stored you may want to toast the crumpets before adding your favorite topping. 

A note on the flour; it must be a good strong flour, plain flour for cake making wont work.

Ingredients
    1 1/4 cups milk, lukewarm (320ml)
    2 teaspoons caster sugar
    1 teaspoon dried instant yeast
    1 1/2 cups Bread / Pizza Plain Flour
    1 teaspoon salt
    1/3 cup warm water 80ml
    3/4 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

Method
Step 1
Combine 1 1/4 cups lukewarm milk, 2 teaspoons caster sugar and 1 teaspoon dried instant yeast in a jug. Cover with a tea towel and set aside in a warm, draught-free place for 10 minutes or until frothy.

Step 2
Combine 1 1/2 cups Bread / Pizza Plain Flour and 1 teaspoon salt in a bowl. Make a well in the centre and whisk in the yeast mixture. Cover with a tea towel and set aside in a warm, draught-free place for 1 hour or until doubled in size.

Step 3
Combine 1/3 cup warm water and 3/4 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda in a jug. Whisk into the flour mixture until combined. Cover and set aside for 45 minutes or until doubled in size.
   
Step 4
Place four 7.5cm-diameter, 2cm-high egg rings in a non-stick frying pan over low-very low heat. Spray the rings and pan with oil, or see the hint below.

Spoon 3 tablespoonfuls of batter into each ring. I use a 1/3 cup measure so I don't need to extract all the batter from the scoop before doing the next.

Cook for 12-15 minutes or until bubbles appear on the surface. Use tongs to remove the egg rings. Turn and cook for 30 seconds or until golden. Transfer to a wire rack to cool slightly. Repeat with the remaining batter, lightly greasing and reheating the pan between batches.

Store in the fridge for up to five days or freeze for up to 3 months.

Hint: if you don't want over spray oil all over the galley, put a couple of tablespoons of oil in a cereal bowl, then place the rings in one at a time and with a pastry brush coat the inside of the ring before placing it into the pan.
 

Using spray oil near an open flame can be very dangerous, much safer and environmentally friendly to brush the oil on to the rings.

After regularly making batches of crumpets as these are a favourite, we made them even better when we came across some slightly larger rings at a bake shop. Make sure you place the oiled rings on the hot plate and leave them to get hot before adding the batter mixture. We also found a slightly lower temperature allows you to cook the crumpet longer and get the open holes on the top.

Looking like store brought but tasting so much better