Crumpets – Makes 10

From Great British Cooking

Ingredients:

350 g/12 oz plain flour,

pinch of salt,

15 g/0.5 oz fresh yeast,

1 tsp caster sugar,

400 ml/14 fl oz tepid milk,

butter, to serve.

Method:

1) Place the flour and salt in a mixing bowl and mix together. Blend the fresh yeast with the sugar in a basin and add the milk.

2) Pour the liquid onto the flour and mix everything together until the batter is smooth, beating the batter thoroughly so that it is light and airy. Cover and leave to rise in a warm place for 1 hour until well risen.

3) Stir the batter to knock out any air and check the consistency. If it is too thick, add 1 tablespoon of water (it should look rather gloopy). Leave aside for 10 minutes.

4) Grease the frying pan and 4 crumpet rings or 7.5-cm/3-inch plain cutters. Place the frying pan over a medium heat and leave to heat up for 2 minutes. Arrange the rings in the pan and spoon in enough batter to come halfway up each ring. Cook over a low heat for 5-6 minutes until small holes begin to appear and the top is starting to dry.

5) Remove the crumpet rings with a palette knife or an oven glove. Turn the crumpets over (the base should be golden brown) and cook the top for just 1-2 minutes to cook through.

6) Keep the first batch of crumpets warm while you cook the rest of the batter.

7) Serve freshly cooked with butter or if you want to serve them later, allow them to cool and reheat in a toaster or by the fire.