CRUMPETS

From “Great British Cooking: A Well Kept Secret” by Jane Garmey

Crumpets and muffins should be familiar to any reader of Victorian novels. Sadly, the muffin man who used to stand on the street corner ringing his bell is gone forever, and strangely enough it is in America and not in England that the so-called English muffin now thrives. However, although muffins have all but vanished in England, Crumpets (a kind of flat, yeast scone with holes on the surface), often called Pikelets, are still available in many bakeries, especially in the north of England.

Makes approximately 12 – 15

2 ½ cups flour

2/3 cup water

¼ ounce active dry yeast (1 envelope)

1 teaspoon sugar

salt

2 tablespoons oil

NOTE:  In order to make crumpets you will need 3 or 4 circular cookie cutters. If you don’t own any, a good substitute would be to remove both ends from an empty can that is approximately 3 inches wide and 2 inches deep.

Sift the flour into a bowl and stand it on top of the stove. Heat the water in a saucepan over low heat until it is lukewarm. Take out 3 tablespoons of water and mix with the yeast and sugar in a cup.

Make a well in the flour and pour in first the yeast mixture and then the remaining water and a pinch of salt. Beat hard for 3 minutes, cover the bowl and stand it in a warm place until the dough is well risen. (This should take about 45 minute.)

Beat the dough down and add a little warm water to turn the dough to a batter consistency.

Grease a pancake griddle or a large frying pan with a little of the oil. Place the cookie cutters on the griddle or frying pan and when the oil is hot, pour in enough dough to reach about ¾-inch high. Cook them for a few minutes until the bottoms are brown, the tops have become solid and holes have appeared all over the surface. (If the batter is too thick this will not happen and you should add more water to it.) Remove the rings, turn the crumpets and cook them for about 2 more minutes before removing  them from the heat and draining on a paper towel. Repeat this process until you have used up all the dough.

Toast the crumpets and serve with lots of butter.