A few weeks ago, I was in Seattle on a work trip for the very first time. It’s a cool city despite it’s moody Pacific-Northwest weather, with tons of great food options and craft breweries to choose from. Someone raved about and recommended The Crumpet Shop in Pike Place Market, which I assumed would be a little gimmicky and overrated given the location, but we stopped in one afternoon to see what the fuss was about. Consider me proven wrong. So wrong.
We were fortunate to snag the last two crumpets in the shop (the store actually closes as soon as they are sold out of crumpets — we probably arrived around 2:30pm that weekday) and MAN were they good! Buttery and crisp on the outside and airy and soft on the inside, they served as the perfect vehicles for slathering with butter and honey. Of course you can choose to top your crumpets in any way that suits you, whether it’s sweet with jam or maple butter, or savory with prosciutto or avocado.
After that crumpet, I was determined to learn how to make my own. The good news is that it’s super simple! All you need are a few basic ingredients, a frying pan and some egg molds or round cookie cutters. The signature feature of crumpets is their craggy, air pocket-filled exterior that works perfectly for catching melted butter or whatever other toppings you choose. I was surprised to discover that these bread-y discs are actually cooked on the stovetop rather than baked in the oven, similar to English Muffins. The big difference between Crumpets and English Muffins, in fact, is that Crumpets are made with a sticky-but-runny batter that is poured into molds on the stovetop, while English Muffins are a firmer dough that is rolled and stamped out into rounds before pan frying.
You can get super fancy with your Crumpet toppings, but my personal favorite is a simple smear of butter with a nice drizzle of Turkish honey on top. Or, as pictured here, butter with a killer homemade jam (this one is cherry lime!).
Crumpets
Makes 8 crumpets
Ingredients
1/2 c. milk at room temperature
3/4 c. hot water
1 tsp. honey
1 package (1/4 oz) active dry yeast
1 2/3 c. all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 Tbsp. hot water
Vegetable oil, for greasing crumpet molds
3 Tbsp. butter, for pan
Instructions
In a large bowl, combine the milk, water and honey. Stir to combine and then sprinkle the active dry yeast over the top. Let stand for 5 minutes.
Sift the flour and salt over the top of the yeast mixture. Using a spatula, mix everything together until it becomes very smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. It will be the consistency of a heavy pancake batter. Cover the bowl and let it sit in a warm spot for about and hour and 15 minutes. It will become bubbly and thick.
Combine the baking powder, baking soda and hot water in a small bowl. Quickly stir together and immediately mix into the rested dough until well combined. Cover again and let sit for an additional 15 minutes.
Heat a non-stick pan or cast iron skillet on the stovetop over moderate heat. Prepare four 3-inch ring molds (I use silicone egg molds, but you could also use cookie cutters) by brushing the insides of the rings with vegetable oil.
When the pan is hot, melt 1 1/2 Tbsp. butter in the pan, coating the bottom. Be careful not to let it get too hot or let it brown. Especially if using a cast iron pan, I recommend keeping your heat toward the low side. Place your molds into your pan and fill each one about halfway with your batter. Allow the crumpets to cook in the molds for 5-9 minutes, checking to be sure that they aren’t burning.
Run a butter knife around the edges of each mold to loosen the crumpets if necessary. The crumpets should be bubbly and appear almost dry on the top. Remove each of the molds and use a spatula to flip each crumpet to brown on the second side, about 2-3 minutes.
Remove the crumpets to a cooling rack. To serve, pop a crumpet whole into the toaster to crisp it back up and top as desired.
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