Crumpets are one of the things I hesitate to feed my kids. When my son was little I discovered he had adverse reactions to preservatives in packaged food, his reaction to preservatives is what started us on our organic chemical free journey. Unfortunately, one of his favourite breakfast choices, crumpets was one of the first things to be removed from his diet. Recently I mentioned to him that he loved crumpets when he was little and he abruptly asked me “what’s a crumpet?” My heart ached a little for him because he loved them so much when he was little and based on what foods he now loves I knew he would still like them. So it was time to do what we do best and make our own!
This recipe is easy to make, you just need to allow enough time for the yeast to work it’s magic at each step.
In a ceramic or glass bowl combine half the warm water (125ml) with the yeast, sugar and milk. If your water and milk are too hot you risk killing the yeast, ensure they are warm not hot. Set the bowl aside in a warm place until the mixture becomes foamy, this will take around 10 minutes.
Place the sifted flour and salt into a large bowl. Make a well in the centre, slowly add the liquid yeast mix. Stir until well combined, it's best to stir with a wooden spoon. Cover the bowl with plastic cling wrap, set aside again in a warm place and allow it to double in size. This process can take 1 - 2 hours.
Mix together the remaining water (which will now be cool) and bicarbonate soda.
Begin to whisk your crumpet mixture, it will deflate, slowly add the bicarb soda whilst whisking. Whisk all together until you have a smooth batter.
Cover with plastic wrap and set aside again for 30 minutes to rest.
Pre-heat your large flat frying pan and metal egg rings. Grease your pan and egg rings with butter.
Pour two tablespoons of the crumpet mixture into each egg ring. Allow the crumpets to cook until bubbles form the surface and the base is golden brown.
Remove the rings and flip crumpet over for a few seconds to crisp up on the other side.
Continue with the remaining batter, remembering to grease the pan in-between each batch.
Serve hot with your selection of condiments.