Kirbie's Cravings

Crumpets. An unsuccessful first attempt.

photo of a crumpet

I was introduced to crumpets on my trip to Seattle when I visited The Crumpet Shop.  BF and I completely fell in love with these crumpets, a taste which I would describe as being a cross between an English muffin and pancakes.  The fluffy, chewy English treats can be eaten sweet with some homemade jam or honey.  They can also be eaten savory with something like pesto or eggs.

crumpetone crumpet on a plate

Since coming back from Seattle, I’ve been wanting to recreate our crumpet experience. I purchased some crumpet molds . I found a few crumpet recipes, all claiming to be quite easy. Of course once I saw yeast in the ingredient list, I was a bit worried.

photo of crumpets on a plate

I chose a recipe I found on Test with Skewer. She posted two recipes, but I chose the chewy one because that was the texture I was looking for. My first attempt ended up being a complete disaster.  I don’t think it is the recipe, but rather my own personal issues with working with yeast. After letting the dough sit, it became very thick and sticky, like bread dough. I think the dough was supposed to be more liquid like pancake batter, but mine wasn’t. The sticky dough was really hard to put into my crumpet molds.

Once put in, the dough simply would not cook. Only the bottom of the crumpets cooked, but I couldn’t get the middle to cook. I had to slice each in half and cook both sides. They ended up tasty crispy and not at all fluffy and chewy. They were edible, but they tasted more like toasted english muffins rather than crumpets.

homemade crumpet on a plate

I’m not quite sure where I went wrong, I’ll have to try this again. Advice anyone?

Crumpets

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: British

Ingredients

  • 450 g plain flour
  • 7 g sachet active dry yeast
  • 300 ml milk
  • 250 ml hot water
  • melted butter unsalted for greasing

Instructions

  • Combine the flour and yeast in a large bowl. Mix the milk and hot water together. Make sure it’s not too hot or it can kill the yeast.
  • Make a well in the centre of the flour and pour in the milk mixture, while mixing all the time. Mix until well combined.
  • Cover the batter and leave in a warm place for an hour or until doubled in size.
  • Heat a frying pan (preferably non-stick) over medium heat, then grease the crumpet rings. Place the rings in the pan to heat gently, then very carefully, without deflating the batter, pop about 2 tablespoons in each egg-ring. Fry very gently until the top is set (about 6-7 minutes), then turn over and cook the other side. Make sure the top is set or it will get very messy, and try to keep the egg rings on when turning, it helps the crumpet keep its shape.

Notes

Recipe found on Test with Skewer, who adapted from a recipe by Dead Man Espresso Café, published in September 2010 issue of Delicious magazine

The nutrition information provided are only estimates based on an online nutritional calculator. I am not a certified nutritionist. Please consult a professional nutritionist or doctor for accurate information and any dietary restrictions and concerns you may have.

Did you make this recipe?I'd love to see it! Mention @KirbieCravings and tag #kirbiecravings!

close-up photo of a crumpet

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11 comments on “Crumpets. An unsuccessful first attempt.”

  1. Pingback: Crumpets. An unsuccessful first attempt. | Online REL

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  3. If you find a good recipe, please let me know!

  4. I made crumpets ages ago (used to eat them all the rime back home in New Zealand but can’t get them here in Austria and had a craving) but I think the batter was pretty thick and they worked out ok…You’ve inspired me to try again!

  5. These all information which you can share over here is really very fantastic. Did the batter rise and bubbly? If not, then I suspect it was the yeast. Maybe the yeast was a little old, temp of the liquids too hot or not hot enough.

  6. Unfortunately, they aren’t available at any supermarkets near me.

  7. Hi Carol, my batter did bubble, but it also turned my batter into dough, instead of staying liquid. The Foppish Baker does look like the right type of crumpets. I’ll have to try out a few more recipes.

  8. Thanks. I’ll try that recipe next time!

  9. I suggest you just buy them at the supermarket!

  10. Hey Kirbie! Just a few things that might come to mind other than what you already said about not having enough liquid. Did the batter rise and bubbly? If not, then I suspect it was the yeast. Maybe the yeast was a little old, temp of the liquids too hot or not hot enough, area where the dough was resting was too cold? The wetter the batter the more bubbly it’ll get, usually.
    I’ve never maked crumpets before I’ve been meaning to try is this one by Foppish Baker: https://foppish-baker.blogspot.com/2005/12/crumpets.html
    A bit more ingredients than the recipe you tried but it sounds like the type of crumpets you and I enjoy. Dang, now I want to make some crumpets.

  11. I wiould try the recipe from King Arthur Flour’s website. They are usually easy to follow and pretty reliable. That’s where I first learned yeast baking this last year. You can also call their “Baker’s Hot Line” and they will try to figure out what went wrong. They are a wonderful company.