Crumpets are very similar to pancakes, but they are much smaller. I love the characteristic holes on top. Those holes are a result of the addition of extra baking soda to the yeast batter. Crumpets are perfect either savory or sweet, and just saying the name sets the perfect mood for a fancy tea party or Sunday brunch.
I hosted a dinner for vegetarians tonight, so I served the crumpets as appetizers. I placed a little dollop of crème fraîche and vegetarian quinoa caviar on top. It was so good.
1. Info for Crumpets
- Cook Time: unavailable
- Total Time: unavailable
- Servings: 10
- Calories: unavailable
2. Ingredients for Crumpets
- 2 cups flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon dry active yeast
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup whole milk
- 3/4 cup water, + 2 tablespoons for the yeast
- 1 tablespoon butter, melted, + extra for greasing the pan
- 1/2 teaspoon star anise extract
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon extract
3. Directions:
- In a bowl, combine the flour and baking soda. Sift all the dry ingredients.
- Heat the water. Using a thermometer, the temperature should be between 105°F to 120°F.
- In a little bowl, place the yeast, add a teaspoon of sugar then add 2 tablespoons of the warm water. Stir a little so the yeast gets dissolved and let it rest for 10-20 minutes.
- Warm the milk as well. Set aside.
- In two bowls, seperate the yolks from the egg whites. Reserve the egg white for later.
- In one bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the remaining sugar using a hand mixer until it’s thick and pale yellow. Add the cinnamon and the star anise extracts. Slowly add the dry ingredients one-third at a time, the yeast, the rest of the milk, warm water and butter. Do not overmix the batter. Let the batter stand for about 30-45 minutes.
- Thoroughly wash the hand mixer blades. Add a pinch of salt to the egg whites then whisk them until soft peaks form. Add 1/3 of the egg white mixture into the egg yolk mixture then gently stir everything to soften the batter. Pour in the rest of the egg whites and gently fold the egg whites into the egg yolks to get an airy batter.
- Transfer the batter to a pitcher. Brush a hot flat griddle pan with a little butter using a silicone brush. When the pan is hot, pour about 1 tablespoon of the batter and make 6 crumpets in the griddle pan. Lower the heat to medium-low. The crumpets should start bubbling after a few minutes. Leave them alone. Cook for about 4-5 minutes.
- When you see the edges start to dry and holes forming, take a spatula and flip the crumpet. The crumpets should cook for about 1-2 minutes until they are slightly golden.
- Repeat the same procedure. Cook six crumpets at a time until the whole batter is used.
- Yum!
