Crumpets!

Tea and crumpets... just saying it makes me feel all sophisticated and ladylike. This month for Taste and Create I was paired with Val a very talented blogger and chef from our neighbor to the north, Canada. When I saw she had quite a few recipe's for crumpets on her blog, I decided that this was something I had to try! The crumpet recipe I chose was one she had adapted from Rose Levy Berenbaum's, The Bread Bible. The process of making crumpets, while not difficult, does take a while as they first need time to rise and then to cook at a very low temperature. Don't be deterred though, they are worth the wait! The final product reminded me of these: Oroweat's Australian Toaster Biscuits! Does anyone else remember those? I used to LOVE them when I was younger, and the crumpets turned out deliciously similar. Soft and lightly sweet. Denser and fluffier than a pancake, and not as dry as a traditional English muffin. I topped mine with butter (highly recommended as the crumpets have lots of nooks and crannys just begging to be filled with rich melty butter). They were also lovely sandwiched together with a generous shmear of jam.

Crumpets

Per Val from morethanburnttoast.blogspot.com

(originally from Rose Levy Berenbaum's The Bread Bible)

Ingredients

1 cup plus 1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons dry milk

1 teaspoon instant yeast
1/2 teaspoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons water, divided

1/4 tsp baking soda

1 tsp butter

In a large bowl mix together the flour, dry milk, yeast, sugar, and salt.

Add the 3/4 cup of water and, gradually beat on medium for about 5 minutes until completely smooth (I used a hand mixer, which worked great!).

With a piece of tape, mark on the side of the bowl where doubled the height would be. Cover and let batter rise until doubled, about an hour. Once the batter has doubled in size, in a small bowl, mix together the baking soda and remaining 2 tablespoons of water. Stir into the batter and allow to rise again until almost doubled, about 30 min. The batter will be filled with bubbles.

Preheat the griddle or frying pan. If using an electric griddle, preheat to 275 degrees. If using a skillet, heat over low until a drop of water sizzles when added. When heated, brush the pan, and the insides of the crumpet rings (I used circular cookie cutters, which worked fine) with melted butter. Set the rings/cookie cutters in the pan and use a ladle to spoon, or pour the batter into the rings, filling 2/3 full. The batter will rise to the top during cooking. Cook the crumpets for 10 minutes on one side, or until they are nicely browned underneath and have lost their dull shine on top. Turn the crumpets and continue to cook until the bottoms are browned.

When cooked, remove the crumpets and allow to cool on a wire rack.

Suggestion: While crumpets cool, make your tea (or coffee) and grab the paper. Top your crumpet with butter, honey, jam, whatever you fancy. Sit back, relax, and revel in your sophistication!

*Note: Crumpets can be stored over night in a paper bag, or frozen, well wrapped, for up to 3 months. Thaw before toasting. I got a little carried away on the jam...
Hope you have a wonderful weekend!