Crumpets, to me, are the epitome of an English breakfast. Not scones ~ those are afternoon tea. And not an “English muffin,” which are actually the American bastardization of crumpets. No, crumpets are what I want for breakfast. Crumpets are what have the nooks and crannies. English muffins have to be cut open to have some semblance of a nook or a cranny.
With a dollop of butter and a smear of jelly, crumpets are so good for breakfast. The nooks and crannies of crumpets soak up the butter and each bite is a burst of flavor!
I use crumpet rings to make crumpets. As the name suggests, they’re the perfect tool to make crumpets. There’s a small ledge around the middle mark of the rings which designates just about where you should pour the batter up to. Because of the yeast, baking soda, and baking powder, the batter rises while cooking, so you do not want to pour the batter up to the top of the rings.
Now, if you don’t have crumpet rings, as long as you have large biscuit cutters or something similar, you’ll be A-OK. The bonus to crumpet rings is that they have a small handle that makes it easy to flip the crumpets and then remove them from the pan. With biscuit cutters, you’ll have to use a thin metal spatula to flip the crumpets and remove them from the pan. AND, you’ll need to let the biscuit cutters cool slightly to pop the crumpets out and re-grease them, if more oil is needed.
Because crumpets are made using a batter, it’s easy to think that you can just whip them together like pancakes. But, the crumpets starts with a yeast base, which like any other yeast recipe, needs time to rise. I do find that the dough can rise as quickly as 30 minutes, but depending on the ambient temperature, it can take longer. So either give yourself plenty of time to make these, or make them a day ahead of when you are wanting to serve/eat them!
There is another rest period, which is after adding warm water mixed with baking soda and baking powder. This gives the baking soda and baking powder time to create air bubbles in the batter ~ AKA, future nooks and crannies.
Perfecting crumpets is really very simple and it comes down to recognizing when the top is set enough to flip the crumpets. Not everyone flips their crumpets because it can close up some of those nooks and crannies. But, I find waiting for the top to cook through usually results in a bottom that is overcooked or burnt. Also, I like my top to be golden, so a quick cook on the top gives me the exact coloring and texture I’m looking for.
As the crumpets cook, you’ll see bubbles rising to the top and bursting. As those bubbles start to solidify across the top, the crumpet is ready to be flipped. If they’re solidifying on one side of the crumpet and not the other, they’re not ready yet. I like to give my pan a 180° turn about halfway through cooking each batch to ensure a more even cook.
For pouring the crumpet batter, I’ve poured straight out of the bowl, but I personally find a ladle the easiest way. One ladle full will fill two to three crumpet rings. If you’re pretty spot on with filling to the halfway mark, you should be able to squeeze about 12 crumpets from the batter. I usually overfill several of them when I first start out and get the hang of it again, so I usually end up with 10 or 11.
As I’ve mentioned, I love my crumpets topped with butter and jelly. On the other hand, my husband loves topping his with an egg and other accoutrements… cheese, avocado, bacon, etc. When he cuts into the egg, all those nooks and crannies fill with egg yolk! Because this batter doesn’t call for that much sugar, the crumpets are perfectly flavored for either sweet or savory! And trust me, you do not want to add more sugar… the crumpets are perfect!
Check out my video on Instagram for tips on spotting when to flip your crumpets!
Are you a crumpet lover too? Share with me on Instagram what your favorite toppings are!
How to Make Traditional English Crumpets
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes + 1 to 2 hour sit
- Yield: 10 to 12 crumpets 1x
- Category: English
- Cuisine: Breakfast
Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1 cup warm milk (about 110°F)
2¼ tsps active dry yeast
1 tsp granulated sugar
1 cup warm water
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp baking powder
Instructions
Whisk together the sugar, yeast, and warm milk. Let rest until frothy ~ about 5 minutes. Whisk together until the froth is mostly absorbed.
In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, combine the flour and salt. Add the milk mixture and stir until a thick dough forms ~ 2 to 3 minutes. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a towel and let sit in a warm place until doubled in size ~ about an hour.
Stir the baking soda and baking powder into the warm water. With the whisk attachment on the stand mixer and the splash guard in place, add the water to the dough and beat on high until fully absorbed. You’re looking for a slightly wetter mixture than pancake batter. Cover the bowl again and let rest for another 30 to 60 minutes.
Oil your crumpet rings or large biscuit cutters. Lightly oil the cast iron pan with a high temperature oil (vegetable, butter, avocado). Place the rings in the pan and heat over medium. When hot, pour the batter until it comes up to the crumpet ring line (or about halfway). Cook for 5 minutes (you will know it is time to flip when the holes bubbling at the top start to firm up across the top of the crumpet). Carefully flip the crumpet over (if using crumpet rings, use the handle to flip the crumpet over gently / if using biscuit rings, gently use a thin metal spatula). Cook for an additional 1 minute to set the top. Remove the crumpet and rings from the pan.
If needed, re-oil the crumpet rings and repeat until all the batter is used. (NOTE: turn the heat to medium-low if the crumpets are getting too dark on the bottom. It should take about 5 minutes for each crumpet before flipping).
Serve immediately or let cool completely before storing in an airtight container. Toast before serving cooled crumpets.
Crumpets stored at room temperature will be good for about 1 week.
Enjoy!
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