English crumpets, also called pikelets in some areas, are yeast leavened scones that are cooked on a griddle, similar to an English muffin.
English Crumpets
By Sue Lau | Palatable Pastime
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My recipe of the day is for crumpets, a type of yeast leavened bread or scone, that is cooked on a griddle similar to other pikelets (which are more like pancakes), albeit the crumpets are cooked in rings similar to English muffins.
Their signature look is to be browned on one side only, leaving the top riddled with tiny holes made from the aeration in the batter from the yeast. Indeed, a proper crumpet batter looks very similar to a thin pancake batter with a bubble bath going on in it.
This is a traditional English bread, although it is also popular in places like Scotland, New Zealand, Australia, and after today, in Palatable Pastime’s kitchen.
Working Out the Wrinkles
These are really easy to make, although I did have to make these twice. The first attempt from someone else’s recipe was entirely out of whack and left me with a thick batter that unfortunately didn’t get the tiny holes to appear, even though I thinned it quite a bit.
I knew I had to throw in the towel or blaze the trail myself, so chose the latter. So I tossed my first batch and went on to the second, and adjusted the ingredients accordingly.
You can compare the pics I took of the batters- the one that didn’t work out on the left, and the one that worked swimmingly on the right. Look at all those yeasty bubbles!
Below: On the left is a batter that didn’t work out, and on the right is what a proper crumpet batter should look like.
But Easy to Make as Pancakes
The mix for the batter is very easy to stir together, very much like a pancake batter, although you will need to warm up the milk, and also let it rest for about an hour to get the batter nice and bubbly. The consistency will be like thin pancake batter- but don’t worry about the batter leaking. If you warm the rings on your griddle and spray them with nonstick cooking spray, everything works out nicely, as you can see further down in the cooking photos.
Crumpet Equipment
But first, you can take a peek at the English muffin rings used in this recipe, which are for both English muffins and crumpets. You can also use these as egg rings, and if you are in a seafood mood, as rings for holding crab cakes together as well as ring molds for small terrines or other platings.
Below: English Muffin Rings and rings heating up on the griddle after being sprayed with nonstick. You can buy these muffin rings through an affiiliate link by clicking the photo below, or just click to peek at them for more info with no purchase required to look.
Below you can see the crumpets cooking, first in the rings, and as they cook around the edges, you can lift the rings off and continue to heat, spray and fill the rings with more batter to get done cooking faster.
Why English Crumpets?
This recipe today is being posted as part of Eat the World, where each month a group of adventurous bloggers takes on making a recipe from a different part of the globe. This month, the topic was for England.
Destination: England
Check out all the wonderful English dishes prepared by fellow Eat the World members and shared with #eattheworld.
Click here to find out how to join and have fun exploring a country a month in the kitchen with us!
Camilla: Britain’s Favorite Game Bird: Roasted Pheasant
Juli: Lancashire Hotpot with Lamb
Lynda: Cottage Pie with Mashed Cauliflower Topping
Loreto and Nicoletta: Toad in the Hole, a Taste of Great Britain
Simply Inspired Meals: Wizarding World Beef and Guinness Stew
Margaret: Gluten-Free Fish and Chips and Mushy Peas
Wendy: Venison Shepherd’s Pie
Amy: Leaky Cauldron Mini Cottage Pie
Sue: English Crumpets
English Crumpets
Ingredients:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 (7 gram/.25 ounce) packet active dry yeast
- 2 cups whole milk, warmed to 115°F.
- English muffin rings
- nonstick cooking spray
Method:
- Stir together flour, sugar, salt, yeast and milk to make a smooth batter.
- Let sit undisturbed in a warm place for an hour until very bubbly.
- Heat and lightly oil a pancake griddle and place rings on it to warm, spraying insides of rings with nonstick spray.
- Fill rings about halfway with batter and allow to cook over medium-to-low heat until tops are bubbled and dry to the touch, and golden underneath. As crumpets cook around the edges, rings can be lifted off (With tongs! They are hot!) and you can continue to fill them again to save on cooking time.
- Cool completely and store with waxed paper between.
- Serve warmed or toasted with butter and jam or clotted cream, as desired.
From the kitchen of palatablepastime.com
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Great post – I definitely will be trying out this recipe! I went to London when I was in high school, and I fell in love with crumpets! I haven’t had them for YEARS now, so I need to try this out asap. 🙂
-Jenna ♥
I am a crumpet lover! Never made them myself, but I am going to try. They look great, thank you for sharing!
I’m glad you persevered because these look amazing.
I guess I always wondered how they made crumpets so round, but never dug in too deep to find out there were mold! That makes so much more sense now. I might have to get a set. Thanks for sharing, Sue.
Thanks for doing all the work for us and figuring out the perfect recipe! You’ve made it look so easy. I definitely need to try these!
I was surprised how easy to make they were. After realizing the base batter in the first batch was a bust. I did thin the first batch but it really needed to be thin to start with as I discovered. I love these as a sort of alternative to toasted bagels!