Crumpets

What could be more British than having crumpets with tea? Apparently having it with your Christmas dinner:

"After a meal of turkey sandwiches, crumpets, trifle, and Christmas cake, everyone was too full and sleepy to do much before bed except sit and watch Percy chase Fred and George all over Gryffindor tower because they'd stolen his prefect badge" (Sorcerer's Stone 204).

You Will Need:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 Tbs granulated sugar
1 tsp active dry yeast (1/2 a packet)
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup whole milk
1/4 stick (2 Tbs) butter, melted

1. Grease 4 crumpet rings (if you have those...) or 3.75" round cookie cutters, and a skillet/griddle.
2. Whisk together the flour, sugar, yeast, and salt until combined
3. Add the milk and melted butter and whisk until smooth.

4. Cover with plastic wrap and leave in a warm place until puffy and risen, about 1-1.5 hours.
5. Stir down the mixture.
6. Heat the griddle and put the crumpet rings inside. Note: I do not own crumpet rings or round cookie cutters, so I made crumpet rings out of tinfoil.
7. Using a measuring cup, pour 1/3 cup batter into each ring and cook over low heat until the tops fill with holes, about 5 minutes. If you are using tinfoil rings, like me, be sure to press the ring down into the griddle while you pour in the batter (resulting in the photo on the left) or else it will seep underneath the foil and make pancakes instead of crumpets (note the photo on the right).

full of holes

8. Carefully remove the rings with tongs (they will be very hot... unless you used tinfoil) and flip the crumpets over (they should be pale on the bottom still) and cook about 5 more minutes. Repeat until all the batter is used.

9. To serve, toast the crumpets until golden brown and spread with butter and jam.
(makes 8)

Today in the kitchen with Harry Potter, I learned that crumpets are basically the love-child of pancakes and english muffins. Also they are very tricky to make. If the cooking times are not perfect, there will either be no glorious holes, or one side will be overdone. My guess is it helps to be an old British nanny. Or a house elf.

Enjoy