30 mins to 1 hour
over 2 hours
Makes 12
Hairy Bikers recipes
From The Hairy Bikers: Mums Know Best
Ingredients
- 350ml/12¼fl oz whole milk
- 225g/8oz strong white flour
- 125g/4½oz plain flour
- 1 x 7g/¼oz sachet fast-action dried yeast
- ½ tsp fine sea salt
- 1 tsp caster sugar
- 1 level tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 150ml/5¼fl oz warm water
- butter, for greasing, plus extra to serve
Method
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Warm the milk in a saucepan very gently until tepid.
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Sift the flours into a large bowl and stir in the yeast, salt and sugar until well-combined.
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Make a well in the centre of the mixture and stir in the warm milk. Beat well with a wooden spoon for 3-4 minutes, or until the batter is thick and elastic.
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Cover the bowl with cling film and set aside in a warm place for an hour, or until the batter has doubled in size.
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When the batter has risen, mix the bicarbonate of soda with the warm water, and beat the mixture into the batter for a couple of minutes. Set aside to rest in a warm place for a further 30 minutes. By this time the mixture should have risen and be covered with tiny bubbles.
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Heat a flat griddle pan or large heavy-based non-stick frying pan over a medium-high heat.
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Generously butter the insides of four crumpet rings or 9cm/3½in chefs' rings and place them onto the griddle or into the frying pan. Warm the rings for a minute or two.
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Using a dessertspoon, drop three large spoonfuls of the crumpet batter into each ring. It should come around 1.5cm/½in up the sides of each ring, but no more. Cook for 9-12 minutes, or until lots of tiny bubbles have risen to the surface and burst and the tops look dry and set.
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Carefully lift off the rings – it shouldn't be too difficult as the crumpets will ease back from the sides when they are ready. (Use an oven glove and take care as the crumpet rings will be hot.)
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Flip the crumpets over with a spatula and cook on the other side for a further two minutes, or until golden-brown. You can keep these crumpets warm while the remaining batter is prepared, or serve immediately spread with lots of butter.
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Cook the remaining crumpets in exactly the same way as the first, washing and buttering the rings well before re-using. The crumpets can also be cooled and then toasted.