Food Recipes Breakfast & Brunch Breakfast Breads & Pastries Buttermilk Crumpets 3.3 (6) 6 Reviews Crisp on the outside with an airy, spongy center, crumpets are lovely hot out of the pan but also reheat beautifully in the toaster. Buttermilk helps to keep them tender and light, while spelt flour lends a nutty flavor. By Melanie Hansche Melanie Hansche Title: Deputy Editor, Food & WineLocation: Easton, PennsylvaniaEducation: Melanie has a graduate diploma in journalism from the University of Technology, Sydney, and a bachelor of arts with a double major in English literature and politics from Macquarie University.Expertise: food, travel, recipes, restaurants.Experience: Melanie Hansche has been the deputy editor at Food & Wine since 2018, where she spearheads both its travel and home coverage, develops recipes close to her heart (crumpets, anyone?), and often writes about her experiences of being a restaurant owner working in food media. Before joining F&W, she was the editor-in-chief of Organic Life at Rodale, oversaw the company's test kitchen, and acted as food director across all its brands. Melanie spent her formative years at one of Australia's most successful food brands, Donna Hay magazine, as its executive editor. Since 2017, Melanie has been the co-owner of Tucker, an Aussie-inspired cafe and general store. Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines Updated on July 26, 2023 Tested by Food & Wine Test Kitchen Tested by Food & Wine Test Kitchen Recipes published by Food & Wine are rigorously tested by the culinary professionals at the Dotdash Meredith Food Studios in order to empower home cooks to enjoy being in the kitchen and preparing meals they will love. Our expert culinary team tests and retests each recipe using equipment and ingredients found in home kitchens to ensure that every recipe is delicious and works for cooks at home every single time. Meet the Food & Wine Test Kitchen Rate PRINT Share Active Time: 50 mins Total Time: 1 hr 30 mins Servings: 6 Ingredients 1 ½ cups buttermilk, at room temperature 1 teaspoon granulated sugar 2 (¼-ounce) envelopes instant yeast 2 cups all-purpose flour (about 8 1/2 ounces) ⅓ cup spelt flour (about 1 3/8 ounces) 1 teaspoon kosher salt ⅔ cup warm water, plus more if needed ½ teaspoon baking soda 2 tablespoons neutral oil (such as grapeseed oil), divided Cooking spray Directions Stir together buttermilk, sugar, and yeast in a medium bowl. Let stand until frothy and bubbly on surface, about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, combine all-purpose flour, spelt flour, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment; beat on low speed until combined, about 20 seconds Make a well in center of flour mixture; pour in buttermilk mixture. Beat on medium speed until batter is smooth and no lumps remain, about 2 minutes. Stir together 2/3 cup warm water and baking soda in a small bowl. Reduce mixer speed to medium-low; gradually beat in warm water mixture until batter is smooth and slightly thicker than buttermilk, about 30 seconds. If needed, add up to 2 additional tablespoons warm water, 1/2 tablespoons at a time, to thin batter to proper consistency. Cover bowl loosely with plastic wrap, and let stand at room temperature until surface is very bubbly and batter has doubled in volume, about 45 minutes. Heat a well-seasoned 12-inch cast-iron skillet over low. Brush skillet with 2 teaspoons oil; coat insides of 4 (3 1/8-inch) crumpet rings with cooking spray, and place in skillet. Let rings preheat until hot, 2 to 3 minutes. Carefully spoon about 1/3 cup batter into each ring, filling each ring halfway. Cook, undisturbed, until surface is covered in large holes and batter looks dry and slightly set around edges, about 8 minutes. Using tongs, carefully lift ring molds to remove. Using a small spatula, gently flip crumpets. Cook until bottoms are golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer crumpets to a wire rack. Repeat process 2 times using remaining oil and batter, re-greasing and preheating rings between batches. Serve crumpets hot with desired toppings. Photo by Greg DuPree / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer and Paige Grandjean / Prop Styling by Christine Keely Make Ahead To store crumpets in refrigerator, let cool completely, about 30 minutes; store in an airtight container in refrigerator up to 3 days. To serve, reheat in toaster. To store in freezer, let cool completely; wrap tightly in plastic wrap, place in a ziplock plastic bag, and store in freezer up to 1 month. Thaw frozen crumpets in refrigerator before toasting. Originally appeared: February 2021 Rate It Print