Recipe for Perfect Homemade Crumpets Using Your Sourdough Starter
Looking for a homemade crumpets recipe? Here you go! You Can Make Perfect Homemade Crumpets Using Your Sourdough Starter, This Recipe, and 3 Secrets.
If you’ve ever tasted a warm crumpet, freshly toasted and oozing with butter, you’ve never forgotten it. If you haven’t, you’re in for a treat. After months of recipe trials, I have unlocked the secrets to perfect homemade crumpets using your sourdough starter and am happy to offer you my homemade crumpets recipe! Not just any recipe, but what I truly believe is the best crumpet recipe!
First of all, what is a crumpet? How is it different than an English muffin? Well, they’re similar in some respects. Both crumpets and English muffins are small breads cooked on a griddle or in a skillet and are nice for toasting. They both have an affinity for butter and a hot beverage like tea or coffee. 🫖☕
English muffins are made with a dough, whereas crumpets are made with a light, fluffy batter. English muffins are traditionally split with a fork before toasting to reveal their craggy texture; you’ll notice that the surface of a crumpet is covered in small holes. These holes, which are actually tunnels, allow the butter and honey to soak right in. While English muffins have a texture similar to bread and in fact taste much like bread, the interior of a crumpet could be described as pillowy or springy, and they’re never split, but toasted whole.
There are scores of yeasted crumpet recipes out there and they’re…okay. I’ve tried many of them, but they didn’t live up to my expectations of what a crumpet should be.
So I turned to sourdough. Now, let’s get on the same page here. I’m not talking about what is commonly referred to as “sourdough discard,” as I don’t personally use the term “discard.” When it comes to sourdough starter, there’s activated and overripe. To make the best-tasting, lightest, fluffiest, riddled-with-holes crumpets you need activated sourdough starter. Starter that is vigorous and at its peak. To get there, I’m sharing tips on building up your sourdough starter in the video.
There is nothing sour-tasting about these crumpets at all! Instead, the flavor is mild with a satisfying and yet light complexity due to fermentation. You won’t be disappointed.
Start the night before by activating your sourdough starter as directed in the video, and you will be able to serve warm crumpets late morning or for afternoon tea.🫖
I’m going to be honest and let you know that making crumpets is an intermediate cooking project. It takes some finesse, but it is well worth the effort and since I am sharing my hard-won secrets, it will be that much easier for you.
Below you will find a list of tools to make your crumpet-making life easier. As always, I encourage you to check local thrift shops and yard sales for any items you need first before making an online purchase.
✳️ 2 QUART (2 liter) BATTER BOWL WITH LID https://www.google.com/search?client=…
✳️ DIGITAL KITCHEN SCALE ~ SIMPLE https://www.kingarthurflour.com/
✳️ DIGITAL KITCHEN SCALE ~ FOR THE SERIOUS BAKER https://www.kingarthurflour.com
✳️ DANISH DOUGH WHISK ~ https://shop.kingarthurflour.com/item…
✳️ ENGLISH MUFFIN RINGS https://www.lehmans.com/product/engli…
See the Chocolate Box Cottage Shopping Guide for more helpful kitchen tools, cookbooks, and more! https://chocolateboxcottage.tv/pantry/shopping-guide/
Perfect Homemade Crumpets Recipe Using Your Sourdough Starter
If you’ve ever tasted a warm English crumpet, freshly toasted and oozing with butter and honey, you’ve never forgotten it. If you haven’t, you’re in for a treat! After months of recipe trials, I have developed the recipe you need for perfect homemade crumpets using your sourdough starter. First of all, what is a crumpet? How is it different than an English muffin? Well, they’re similar in some respects. Both crumpets and English muffins are small breads cooked on a griddle or in a skillet and are nice for toasting. They both have an affinity for butter and a hot beverage like tea or coffee. 🫖☕
English muffins are made with a dough, whereas crumpets are made with a light, fluffy batter. English muffins are traditionally split with a fork before toasting. You’ll notice that the surface of a crumpet is covered in small holes. These holes, which are actually tunnels, allow the butter and honey to soak right in. While English muffins have a texture similar to bread and in fact taste much like bread, the interior of a crumpet could be described as pillowy or springy, and they’re never split, but toasted whole.To make the best-tasting, lightest, fluffiest, riddled-with-holes crumpets you need activated sourdough starter. Starter that is vigorous and at its peak. Start the night before by activating your sourdough starter, and you will be able to serve warm crumpets late morning or for afternoon tea.🫖
- Prep Time: 3 hours
- Cook Time: 15 min
- Total Time: 3 hours 15 minutes
- Yield: 10 1x
- Category: bread
- Method: stove
- Cuisine: English-American
Ingredients
200 g lukewarm water
240 g lively sourdough starter, fed the night before (100% hydration)
175 g bread flour (strong flour) or all-purpose flour (plain flour)
——–
100 g water
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
——–
Approx. 2-3 tablespoons soft butter, coconut oil, or lard for greasing the metal rings
Flour for dunking the rings
Equipment:
Digital kitchen scale
2-quart (2 liter) batter bowl with pour spout and lid (or a medium mixing bowl + a plate)
Danish dough whisk or wooden spoon or large fork
1 or 2 10 to 12-inch (25 to 30-cm) cast iron skillets with lids
8–10 English muffin/crumpet rings
Instructions
1. Place batter bowl on the scale and press zero (tare) so that the scale reads 0 with the bowl on it. Add 200 g lukewarm water, press zero. Add 240 g lively sourdough starter and stir well. A Danish dough whisk is best; or pick an alternative from equipment list above. Resting the utensil in the bowl, press zero again. Add 175 g bread flour. Mix to form a thick, smooth, fluffy batter similar to waffle batter. Cover bowl and mark the level of batter in the bowl with a marker or piece of tape. Let rest in a warm place (on top of the fridge or water heater or near a wood stove) until doubled, 1-4 hours.
2. Meanwhile, prepare the crumpet rings. Spread soft butter evenly and generously inside the rings with your fingers. Drop the ring into some flour and tape to remove the excess.
3. Once batter is doubled, prepare a soda slurry. Measure 100 g water in a small bowl and stir in 1 teaspoon baking soda and ¼ teaspoon salt. Pour slurry into crumpet batter and stir well to evenly distribute. Batter will immediately begin to bubble and expand.
4. Preheat cast iron skillet(s) over medium-low heat or an electric skillet set for 300-325F / 150-160C. Add the crumpet rings and give them a minute to preheat.
5. Pour batter into rings with the help of a rubber spatula, filling them half-full. Don’t fill over 2/3 or they will overflow as they bake. (If you accidentally overfill a crumpet ring, use a spoon to remove the excess.) Place lid on pan(s) to trap steam and cook crumpets on both sides. Bake crumpets until tops are dry and non-sticky when pressed gently with a finger, about 15 minutes. Crumpets will shrink away from the sides of the rings. Use a thin spatula to lift a crumpet from the pan. The bottom should be deep golden brown. Cool completely on a breadboard or wire rack.
6. Store crumpets at room temperature in a covered container up to 3 days or freeze up to 3 months. To serve, toast in a toaster (thaw first if frozen). Butter generously, drizzle with honey and enjoy with your favorite cup of tea.
Notes
Making perfect crumpets requires that you’re familiar with the way your sourdough starter works. Your sourdough starter should be at least 2 months old before attempting crumpets in order to be able to produce the light, airy texture and signature tunnels for butter and honey to sink into.
Keywords: crumpets, sourdough, tea, teatime, secrets, sourdough starter, tips, best
