Okay let me confess first, I was no crumpet pro at all 3 months ago. In fact, I first heard the word “crumpet” after moving to Seattle, at The Crumpet Shop in Pike Place Market. I am not entirely sure how “authentic” their crumpets are, but I cannot go back from the moment of that first bite. IT IS SO DAMN GOOD. I don’t know why it took me so many years to discover crumpets, and I don’t know why it took me 3 months of eating at The Crumpet Shop instead of making my own. It really is the simplest thing to make and there are endless topping ideas you can try. Here, I will share my favorite combinations to make you a crumpet pro, too!
So, what is a crumpet, you ask? According to Wikipedia, A crumpet /ˈkrʌmpɪt/ is a small griddle cake made from an unsweetened batter of water or milk, flour and yeast, eaten in the United Kingdom and Ireland. It’s something between an English muffin and a pancake. It’s known for its holes on the crust, which is perfect for collecting rivulets of melted butter. It’s just a wonderful thing existed in the wild world.
The main reason kept me from making my own is you kinda need English muffin rings to make crumpets (or English Muffins, duh). And I already have way-too-many-useless-kitchen-staff hanging around that I don’t want any more. The other day, I was listening to Spilled Milk podcast (my recent favorite!) and the episode is about crumpets. Yes, a whole episode about crumpets. The day after that day, I was browsing Sift Magazine (another recent favorite!) and there is a crumpet recipe on that issue. Done. I took this as a destiny. I am meant to be a crumpet pro.
You know the drill after that. I bought 2 sets of English Muffin rings on Amazon. I might go a little extra mile and also bought a big ass electric griddle. You know, just in case I want to open my own crumpet shop. They cost me around $50 and it’s the best $50 I’ve ever spent. You absolutely don’t need a griddle to make crumpets, but I’ll say get a set of those rings and help crumpets get their perfect shape.
Here are 5 of my favorite combinations to eat a crumpet:
– AB & J | Almond Butter and Homemade Strawberry Jam
– Honey, Ricotta Cheese & Pecan (any nuts you have)
– Fried egg, Tomato & Dijon Mustard (add ham if you like!)
– Lemon Curd
– Butter! (I prefer Kerrygold salted here)
My absolute favorite is Honey, Ricotta Cheese & Pecan. The Crumpet Shop has Honey, Ricotta Cheese & Walnut and that’s the one I always get. Sub with your favorite nuts or seeds to add a nice crunch. AB & J is a classic (sorry PB, I am an almond butter girl) and who doesn’t like lemon curd? If you’re a savory breakfast person, try Fried egg, Tomato, Ham & Dijon Mustard. But nothing beats good old butter. The holes on crumpets are meant to collect rivulets of melted butter.
Here we have it! I hope you like my little graphic design on how to eat a crumpet like a pro. Share this post and tag #herbakinglab on Instagram. Let me know what’s your favorite combination!
Crumpets Recipe Report
Yield: About 20 crumpets
Recipe from King Arthur Flour
Author: HerBakingLab
Materials:
1. 1 1/2 cups lukewarm water
2. 1 cup lukewarm milk
3. 2 tablespoons melted butter
4. 3 1/2 cups All-Purpose Flour
5. 2 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast (or regular fast risen yeast)
6. 1 teaspoon baking powder
7. 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
PROCEDURE:
1. Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl, and beat vigorously for 2 minutes. A stand or hand mixer, set on high speed, work well here.
2.Cover the bowl, and let the batter rest at room temperature for 1 hour. It will expand and become bubbly. Towards the end of the rest, preheat a griddle to medium-low, about 325°F. If you don’t have an electric griddle, preheat a frying pan; it shouldn’t be as hot as the temperature you use to cook pancakes.
3. Lightly grease the griddle or frying pan, and place well-greased 3 3/4″ English muffin rings in the pan, as many as will fit. (If you don’t have English muffin rings, use well-cleaned tuna cans, from which you’ve removed the top and bottom.) Pour sticky batter by the scant 1/4-cupful into each ring; a muffin scoop works well here.
4. After about 4 minutes, use a pair of tongs to slip the rings off. Cook the crumpets for a total of about 10 minutes on the first side, until their tops are riddled with small bubbles/holes. They should be starting to look a bit dry around the edges. Their bottoms will be a mottled, light-golden brown.
5. Turn the crumpets over, and cook for an additional 5 minutes, to finish cooking the insides and to brown the tops gently.
6. Remove the crumpets from the pan, and repeat with the remaining batter, until all the crumpets are cooked. Serve warm. Or cool completely, wrap in plastic, and store at room temperature. To enjoy, warm in the toaster.
OBSERVATIONS & Notes:
1. It really is a simple recipe that you will have to try real hard to mess things up. BUT, if you’re not using a non-stick griddle or pan, good luck.
2. Using a large ice-cream scoop makes pouring batter so much easier! Highly highly recommend
3. It’s pretty obvious when to flip (when you have all the bubbles on top and the batter turned from shinny to matte), so don’t stress about that.
4. English Muffin rings are not required , but I’ll say they’re worth it. They can help crumpets get their perfect shape. Plus, you can make English Muffin next time. Win, win.
Lovely to meet you and your hisband this eve at World Spice Cookbook Club! Loved reading about the crumpet shop. We’ve been going for almost30 years ! Most recently a habit forming routine on at least one weekend am. Perhaps we should meet there! Be well. Cezanne
Hi Cezanne! Going to the crumpet shop for a honey ricotta crumpet, then upstairs to Storyville for a cup of coconut cortado was my Sunday morning routine, until I figured how easy it is to make crumpets (and got an espresso machine at home helps too). But I would love to meet you and revisit the crumpet shop!
No. Just butter. Nothing else. Anything else is superfluous. Anything superfluous robs the crumpet of its true purpose: to carry as much melted butter to your mouth as possible, with an added crunch.
Haha I’m with you. But after visiting the Crumpet Shop here in Seattle, I fell in love with other toppings too!