Crumpet.

Just the word sounds like Merrie Olde England, doesn't it? So... jolly, with a splash of class. And a soupçon of serious respect, as is only proper for this classic grilled bread: the first crumpet recipe appeared 240 years ago, in 1769.

So, what's the difference between an English muffin and a crumpet?

Pretty simple. The crumpet is a moister, denser, flatter English muffin, one whose holes extend all the way from center to top surface.

It's these holes that make the crumpet so delightfully decadent: spread a pat of soft butter on a hot crumpet, and it disappears. Spread jam, and it disappears, all save a telltale swipe of color.

Hey, where did it all go?

Right into the center, where it melds with the crumpet's interior to make one seriously “juicy” little bun.

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See what I mean by the holes? Imagine popping these in the toaster, and spreading with butter. Maybe a dollop of apricot jam. Be still, my heart!

It took me awhile to come up with this recipe. The flour/liquid ratio, and the mix of leavening (yeast and baking powder) have to be right on for the holes to appear.

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Here are some of my attempts along the way. Aren't you glad we make all these mistakes so you don't have to?

Finally, though, with the help of my long-time friend and mentor, test kitchen director Sue Gray, we worked out the details (in which the devil, in this case, definitely lives).

And here's the recipe: plenty of details, no devils! Enjoy.

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This batter comes together in a snap. Put the following in the bowl of your stand mixer, or in a mixing bowl:

1 1/2 cups (340g) lukewarm water
1 cup (227g) lukewarm milk
2 tablespoons (28g) melted butter
3 1/2 cups (418g) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
2 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/4 teaspoons salt

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Beat at high speed for 2 minutes.

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The mixture will look like this: a thick batter, perhaps a bit thicker than pancake batter, but certainly not anything you could knead or shape.

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Cover the bowl, and let the batter rise till it's expanded and bubbly, about 1 hour.

Towards the end of the rising time, heat a lightly greased griddle or frying pan to about 325°F, cooler than you'd cook pancakes. Get out your English muffin rings, grease them well, and place them in the pan or on the griddle.

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Speaking of making your job easier... A level muffin scoop holds 1/4 cup. You want to scoop out a scant 1/4 cup – about 1 3/4 ounces, or 50g. This is what you'll probably scoop out initially.

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Dump a bit out, to make the quantity look about like this – that's the perfect amount.

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Pour the batter into the greased rings. You can see, off to the right, I've made some test crumpets. It's always a good idea, when making English muffins or crumpets, to do a couple of test ones first, to see if the griddle temperature is right.

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Ah, here we are, all lined up like little soldiers.

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After about 4 or 5 minutes, lift the rings off the muffins. They'll be set enough to hold their shape. If necessary, wipe the rings clean, and re-grease.

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This crumpet isn't ready to turn yet. It's got just a few open bubbles, and still looks very wet on top. I haven't even removed its ring yet, so it's got a ways to go.

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This one is ready. See the dry edges, and more bubbles?

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Ready, set...

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Turn!

Cook for another 5 minutes or so, to completely cook the inside, and to brown the top a bit.

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REAL crumpets don't have brown tops; they're cooked on one side only. But I like the look of a lightly browned crumpet, so what the heck. Trust me, the Crumpet Patrol won't yank your license if you give them a bit of color.

First butter...

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...then jam. Apricot, my favorite.

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There's no need to do so, but you can split the crumpets if you like, and toast the halves separately. Look at all those lovely holes!

 

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On the left, a store-bought crumpet. On the right, homemade. I'll put my homemade crumpets up against the supermarket variety any day.

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On the left, a crumpet made without an English muffin ring. On the right, with the ring. Still plenty delicious, just not as  gorgeous.

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One more shot - butter melting into the holes. This is what it's all about, baby!

Read, rate, and review (please!) our recipe for Crumpets.

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About PJ Hamel

PJ Hamel grew up in New England, graduated from Brown University, and was an award-winning Maine journalist (favorite topics: sports and food) before joining King Arthur Flour in 1990. Hired to write the newly launched Baker’s Catalogue, PJ became the small but growing company’s sixth employee.PJ wa...
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