Easy Sour Milk Crumpets
There is something very special about the texture of these crumpets. The bottom has a crunchy texture with a toasty flavour.
The top is lighter than the base with a crispy texture. It's surface is scattered with holes which are perfect for catching the toppings.
The inside is soft and pillowy and traps the toppings that have warmed as they've trickled slowly down through the crumpet.
There are a few tricks to cooking these.
Follow your heart when you are preparing the batter. Different types of flour will absorb different quantities of liquid. So even if you have followed my instructions to the letter but feel the batter is a touch too thick, then use a little water to loosen it.
Try to use an all purpose flour with a protein content of 10-11%. This will help keep the crumb nice and soft and not too chewy.
The consistency of the batter plays an important role in the final crumpet. A thinner batter produces a lighter crumpet with more air pockets.
A thicker batter produces a more dense bread like crumpet with less air pockets. Both are very good and I'd suggest playing around to see which consistency works best for you.
The crumpets need to cook from the bottom to the top before turning them over. So it's important that you don't overfill the rings, and the heat isn't too high.
I use fresh yeast in this recipe but if you'd prefer to use active dried yeast then use half the amount.
The crumpets are best left to cool completely before toasting them on both sides. This enhances the textures on the top and bottom of the crumpet.
If you want to achieve a nice thick crumpet you will need to use a baking ring. The biggest problem is that the batter is likely to stick to stainless steel rings.
My advice would be to invest in non-stick rings which can be used for many cooking applications.
The ones I use in the video are from Amazon and they have been going strong for the last couple of years. You can have a look at the non-stick rings I use here.
You don't need to use rings, you can cook them directly in the pan. They are called "Pikelets" when cooked like this!
The crumpets keep perfectly in a ziplock bag in the fridge for several days and and can be re-heated by popping them in the toaster or under the grill.
Don't forget to watch the video linked below to see the whole process.
Times & temperatures
My kitchen temperature: 18c / 65f
Hob temperature: 4/9
Cook time: 10 minutes
Yield: 12-14 crumpets
Recipe & Method
Ingredients
300g All purpose flour
500g Sour milk
10g Fresh yeast
7g Salt
2g Bicarbonate of soda
Method
1. Take the milk from the fridge and pop it in a pan on a low heat. Gently heat the milk until it feels neither cold or warm to the touch.
2. Dissolve the yeast into the milk.
3. In a bowl combine the flour, salt and bicarbonate of soda. Add the milk mixture and whisk to produce a smooth batter.
4. Heat a cast iron or non stick frying pan on a low to medium heat. My electric hob is set to 4/9. Wipe the pan with a touch of vegetable oil. My rings are non stick but I also wipe these with vegetable oil (just to make sure!).
5. Fill the rings up to the half way point with the batter. After a minute or so you will see the bubbles travelling to the surface. Over time these will pop and reveal the iconic texture of the crumpet.
6. When the surface of the crumpet is dry to the touch you can remove them from the rings and cook them for a minute or two on the other side. This is just to finish the cooking process and not to colour the top of the crumpet too much.
In my opinion, these are best left to cool completely before warming them through in the toaster or under the grill.
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Watch the step-by-step process of how to make sour milk crumpets in the video below.
