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Traditional English Crumpets

Reggie Dwork <reggie@jeff-and-reggie.com>
Fri, 25 Feb 2022 21:09:30 -0800
v122.n007.4
* Exported from MasterCook *

                       Crumpets, Traditional English

Recipe By     : Elaine Lemm
Serving Size  : 24    Preparation Time :0:00
Categories    : Bread-Bakers Mailing List       Low Fat
                 Muffins/Rolls                   Posted

   Amount  Measure       Ingredient -- Preparation Method
--------  ------------  --------------------------------
   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  lukewarm water
   1           teaspoon  salt
   1           teaspoon  baking powder

Crumpets are the quintessential afternoon tea treat, served warm with 
lots of butter. Different from the original recipe of flat griddle 
cakes, the soft, spongy crumpets we know today are a product of the 
Victorian era. It is the extra yeast in the batter which creates the 
soft texture and the myriad of little holes on the top, perfect for 
soaking up butter.

Total: 30 mins
Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 20 mins
To foam the batter: 2 hrs

Gather the ingredients.

First, warm the milk in a saucepan. Make sure that it is warm, but not boiling.

Skim any film off of the top.

Whisk together the warmed milk, flour, yeast, and sugar in a large bowl.

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 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).

Whisk the salt and baking powder into 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".

Place one ring in the heated pan, and pour in enough batter to fill 
just below the top 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.

Rest the crumpets on a wire rack until cool.

To reheat, place crumpets in a toaster or under the broiler before serving.

Serve with lots of butter and jam.

Tips: If the crumpet batter seeps out from under the ring into the 
pan, it means it is too thin. Whisk in more flour to thicken, adding 
a small amount at a time.

If a cooked crumpet is heavy and without holes, the batter is too 
thick; slowly add more water until a better consistency develops.

If you don't have any pastry or crumpet rings, you can use a 
similar-sized, clean food can - just be careful with any sharp edges.

Review: I had to add about a cup of water (a bit at a time) after 
adding the salt and baking powder. I got close to great crumpets. 
Next time I'm going to add additional water before the rise and use a 
griddle rather than a pan. I think that, like pancakes, these will 
depend on a combination of perfect batter consistency and griddle 
temperature. This recipe got me closer than others, and I'm going to 
keep working with it until I get my dang crumpets!

Review: You cannot whisk the milk, flour, yeast, and sugar together. 
In those amounts it makes a stiff dough, and you'll never get the 
water to incorporate smoothly. I ended up putting the dough and the 
water together in my food processor, and had to run it for several 
minutes before a usable dough was achieved.

S(Internet address):
   https://www.thespruceeats.com/traditional-crumpet-recipe-435276
                                     - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 78 Calories; 1g Fat (8.2% 
calories from fat); 2g Protein; 15g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 
2mg Cholesterol; 118mg Sodium.  Exchanges: 1 Grain(Starch); 0 Lean 
Meat; 0 Non-Fat Milk; 0 Fat; 0 Other Carbohydrates.

NOTES : 2020 - 0201