I find myself becoming more and more of a breakfast person as I get older. Don’t get me wrong, I always eat something in the morning but these days I make a little extra effort to fuel my body for the days activities. Funnily enough, I can’t stay loyal to one brand of cereal long enough to really have a favourite but I do enjoy a hearty oatmeal in the winter months. With the very early arrival of spring here in Sydney I’m really enjoying getting out of bed early, whipping my favourite pot of coffee on the stove and planning my day ahead. And it was during this time I decided to make crumpets for breakfast.
“Why crumpets?” you may ask. Well I used to love them as a kid and perhaps I was feeling a little nostalgic. And besides I’ve had a recipe bookmarked for ages and it was about time I gave it a shot. The recipe comes from Val of More Than Burnt Toast. She’s had an interesting discussion on her blog about crumpets and pikelets recently. Whilst I believe they are both quite similar, the major difference is that crumpets contain yeast and this gives them a bread like quality. Mine turned out really well except I was hoping for more holes on the surface! I enjoyed them with lots of honey and a side of fresh strawberries. And to continue with the nostalgia I decided to photograph this setting using an old 35mm film camera of mine. (aaah! film!)
RECIPE FOR CRUMPETS
(reprinted from Val of More Than Burnt Toast, who in turn adapted them from a recipe from the book titled The Bread Bible by Rose Levy Berenbaum)
The recipe is reprinted from Val’s blog with permission.
-
- 1 cup plus 1 1/2 tbs unbleached all-purpose flour
- 2 tbs dry milk
- 1 tsp instant yeast
- 1/2 tsp sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3/4 plus 2 tbs water divided
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp butter
- Mix the batter. In a large mixer bowl beat together the flour, dry milk, yeast, sugar, and salt.
- Add the 3/4 cup of water and, gradually beat on med. for about 5 min. until completely smooth.
- Let the batter rise. Scrape the dough into into a container with a one quart rising capacity. With a piece of tape mark on the side where doubled the height would be. Cover and let rise until doubled, about an hour.
- Add the baking soda and water and let dough rise again. In a small bowl mix together the baking soda and remaining 2 tbs of water.Stir into the batter and allow to rise again until almost doubled, about 30 min. The batter will be filled with bubbles.
- Preheat the griddle or frying pan. If using an electric griddle, preheat to 275 degrees. If using a skillet,heat over low until a drop of water sizzles when added.
- Fry the crumpets. Brush the pan, and the insides of the crumpet rings lightly with melted butter. Set the rings in the pan and use a ladle to spoon, or pour the batter into the rings, filling 2/3 full. The batter will rise to the top during cooking. Cook the crumpets for 10 min on one side, or until they are nicely browned underneath and have lost their dull shine on top. Turn the crumpets and continue to cook until the bottoms are browned.
- Cool the crumpets. Remove the crumpets and move to a wire rack. Cool completely. They can be stored over night in a paper bag, or frozen well wrapped for up to 3 months. Thaw before toasting.
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{ 30 comments… read them below or add one }
looks like a delicious breakfast i would be happy to dig into right now.
One of my favorite breakfast items! Really delicious looking!
Cheers,
Rosa
crumpets for breakfast? i just got into the pikelets thanks to you and Valli. now I am going to have to do crumpets too.
Crumpets are soooo British! I like them because they are not sweet at all and make a nice canvas for jams. I always used to get bored of cereal until I stopped eating it completely. It contains too much rubbish for my taste. Muesli is much healthier!
What a pleasure to discover your blog and your photos are breathtaking!
These crumpets look so lovely! I’ve actually never had a crumpet. I think I’ll have to give these a go, if only to be able to say I had “crumpets and jam” for breakfast!
I admit that I didn’t know crumpets but now they are in my “to do” list for the future.
Film is fabulous, isn’t it? (and you can have even better result with scanning, you can contact me anytime and I’ll tell you about my experiences).
Nothing beats crumpets and the light in the photo is so exquisite.
It feels so “Sydney” reading your breakfast posts!
Crumpets/pikelets are one of my childhood favourites and I have reallly been enjoying the savoury and fruit versions I have been trying lately thanks to seeing blueberry crumpets on your blog. It reminds me I need to try a sweet potato version too:D
I’ve heard of this before … and the recipe seems easy enough. Baking is something I shy away from because I’m SO not good at it, LOL. Thanks for sharing and will work up the courage to try the recipe.
I really adore crumpets. I’ll have to give this a try – I remember when Val originally posted it. There’s an intriguing video on youtube of the British comedian George Egg cooking crumpets in his hotel room (and creating a cheese tortellini dish).
Gorgeous photos as always, Peter.
I love crumpets and will give a try to make some soon!
I learn something new every day. Up until today I had never heard of crumpets before :-/ But I’ve heard of 35mm before and I love the grainy quality of the pics :-p Do you develop your own pictures?
YOur crumpets looks great Peter, and I love how you paired the camera with the nostalgic feelings you were having! That is really great. Who says pairing is just for wine? I have always loved crumpets, but have never made them. Between you and Val, I think that has got to change!
Mmm, these look fabulous. I love crumpets but admit I’ve never made them on my own!
Thanks so much for visiting my blog and for leaving your comments. I have never heard of crumpets before. Your photos though look great.
Ooh crumpets! Bookmarked, they’ve just been drooled over by my hubby and now I’ve promised to make them when I get home
Too good! I love homemamde crumpets in the morning-although they do require a lot of effort for a time where I just don’t have any (even on weekends, I’d rather sleep in). I do love the fresh out of hte pan sponginess though! Thanks for a reminder to make them
Hi Peter! I have finally had a chance to post the interview we did. Thanks so much, you can see it here: http://tiny.cc/uVIo3
Hi Peter
Love your crumpets ! it reminds me my summer vacation in UK when I was a teenager!
pierre
Gorgeous pictures. You should use that camera more often!
I’ve never made crumpets or English muffins before, but I want to. Maybe soon I will.
Gosh they look good. Especially with honey or jam.
mmmm. breakfast is my favourite meal of the day and i make sure to have my fav eats in the morning to start the day right! crumpets is definitely one of em. cheers for the recipe, it looks gorgeous! hot crumpets with a bit of butter and marmite in the morning sounds about right now x
Ciao Peter ,
scusa ma non so scrivere in inglese , ed anche se non lo traduco bene , sono una tua lettrice .
Mi piace il tuo blog . Ho fatto un post sulla cucina greca , volevo regalartelo ! Un saluto chiara
Yia sou Peter
Fab recipes and photos and I love the modern twist you add to some golden oldies.
I will pass this site on to my girls it is my duty as a mother of greek heritage to do so.
Talk about cultural differences… I don’t even know what crumpets are… Although having said that I am sure – looking at the ingredients – that we have something similar. I might have to try these. Love the “film” photos. I might have to take out my old filmcamera again sometime too. Would be fun to try out some things!
Aaaahhhhh, I’ve been missing you too dear! Your pics and nice words and that beautiful light all your photos have.
Crumpets? Is there a translation here in Spain? It surely doesn’t look like a bocadillo de chorizo ;D I would love to taste them one day
I keep all my cameras deep in a wardrobe but never thought about using them again. I bet is fun.
Yes…the crumpets need those holes…all the better to catch the melted butter!
Ah, Peter — you’re making me hungry for crumpets! And the holier the better, IMHO!
Nice one Pete – beautifully shot and LOVE the gingham table cloth. Very Doris Day…
so delicious thanks a lot for the recipe