Directions: |
Directions:In a measuring cup, combine 1 cup of the warm water and the sugar. Mix until the sugar has dissolved in the warm water. Then, sprinkle the 2 teaspoons of yeast on top of the water and set aside in a warm place for about 10 minutes. The yeast will foam up. If it doesn't then the yeast is no longer active and you will need to discard it and start again with some active yeast.
In a large bowl, combine the flour, powdered milk and salt. Mix well. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and add the yeast water and the rest of the warm water. Mix well with a fork to make a thick batter. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set aside in a warm place for about an hour to rise. The mixture won't rise a lot but it will expand and get bubbly.
Note: and oven with just the interior light on is a perfect place and usually warm enough for the dough to rise
Once the batter has rise and is nice and bubbly, combine the baking soda with the 2 tablespoons of water and add it to the dough and mix well. Cover the bowl again with the plastic wrap and let it stand in a warm place for 15 minutes.
Lightly coat a heavy bottomed frying pan and the crumpet rings (also called English muffin rings or egg rings. I used metal jar rings until I got my own crumpet rings.) with olive oil. It's easiest to do this with a pastry brush but I usually use a paper towel. Please note: if your frying pan is warped/Not level, the rings will leak and the crumpets don't turn out very well. I have found cast iron to be the best frying pan to use. Pre-heat the frying pan and rings together over medium heat. Getting the temperature just right takes practice. Start with medium heat and adjust up or down from there based on your results. When the frying pan and rings are hot, gently fill each ring to the top with your dough. The dough will rise during cooking. Cook 4 to 8 minutes. Bubbles will appear on the entire surface of the crumpet and the dough will start looking dry. At this point, remove the rings and turn the crumpet over. The bottom should be nicely browned. Cook for an additional 30 second to 1 minute to brown the top. Remove crumpets from the pan and cool on a wire rack. Repeat the process until the batter is used up. Cut in half and serve with butter and jam or honey. Crumpets freeze well and can be toasted directly from frozen. Pre-cut them before freezing. |
This recipe for Crumpets (English Muffins) is from