Homemade Crumpets

Ever had one of those mornings where your best laid plans all go to pot? Meet my Sunday morning! I had been planning on making these crumpets for breakfast, slept in till 9:15. 9:15! That is unheard of my house. Then I set about making the batter, which needs to be left for an hour to rise. Of course smack dab in the middle of that we get visitors - with a car - who offer to take us up to the supermarket in said car. So then the tug of war started in my head - fresh homemade crumpets warm from the pan or a fully stocked fridge? What's a girl to do? I opted for the fully stocked fridge and decided I'd deal with the over fermented batter when I got back. To my surprise when we got back the batter was still good to use, this recipe seems to like being neglected! The result was a complete triumph, wonderfully thick and fluffy crumpets on the inside with a crisp top and bottom. They are a labour of love (that's the pay back for the neglect!) but it so so worth it. And as it turns out, crumpets are just as nice for a Sunday lunch as they are for breakfast!

Homemade Crumpets

750ml milk
1 tsp caster sugar
7g dry yeast
30g butter
500g plain flour
1 tsp salt

Warm the milk gently so that it feels the same temperature as your finger. Dissolve the yeast in 2 tbsp of the milk (Not Quite Nigella needed to use 1/2 cup of milk to do this so I didn't argue with her expertise!).

Mix the flour and salt (I also added the sugar with the flour and salt as the recipe doesn't state when to use this) and stir in the milk and butter (the recipe also didn't say what form the butter should be in, so i opted to melt mine and add to the mix) then the yeast. Stir until it is an even and thick batter. Cover and leave to rise about 60-90 minutes in a warmish place covered with a tea towel or some plastic wrap. It should be bubbly and able to be poured. Transfer to a large jug.

Grease egg rings and a griddle or a large heavy based frypan. (I used a spray oil but Not Quite Nigella suggests using butter for a better flavour.) Heat gently over a medium heat and pour mixture about 2/3 of the way up the egg rings. My egg rings are pretty large. Actually, I'm convinced that a giant would find these to be on the extra, extra large side so I just poured the mixture in till it was about 2cm thick, the batter continues to rise as it cooks so don't be tempted to overfill.

Cook for about 6-7 minutes on one side, so the top gets a few holes and has started to dry out, but beware the base doesn’t get too dark. If they’re not forming the holes, add a touch more milk to the batter. Remove egg rings and turn over. Cook for 2 minutes on the other side to brown.

Makes tons and lots!

Not Quite Nigella

I was quite scared about the whole process of making crumpets. I just assumed it would be quite a mission. When the first batch worked out really well I did a little dance of joy in the kitchen ... which then spread to a full on skip around the flat singing 'I've made crumpets - doo dah, doo dah ...' [ahem!]. Definitely a weekend recipe, for when you have loads of time to dedicate but it is time well spent ;0)