Crumpets

We were working through the leftovers from last night, so I thought I would share the recipe for the crumpets I made on the weekend. Our grocery store recently stopped selling crumpets so I thought I would make my own. It was then that I realized the crumpets I was buying were second rate. If you have not had a home made crumpet then you owe it to yourself to make these. They are crisp on the outside and soft on the inside, and they freeze well so you can enjoy them in the morning with a hot cup of tea. One thing to keep in mind, though: they take a long time to bake. So, grab a novel and enjoy an afternoon by the stove.

INGREDIENTS

- 2 cups all purpose flour

- 2 cup bread flour

- 2 tsp salt

- 1 cup water

- 1 1/2 cup plain soy milk

- 2 tbsp canola oil

- 1 tbsp sugar

- 2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast

- 1/2 tsp baking soda

- 1/2 cup warm water

METHOD

1. Sift flours and salt together in a large bowl. Make a well in the center.

2. Heat water, soy milk, oil, and sugar to lukewarm. Dissolve yeast into mixture, then mix into the flour. Beat for 5 mins, until smooth (I did this in a stand mixer with the batter attachment). Cover and let rise for 1.5 hours in a warm place.

3. Dissolve baking soda in the warm water and mix into the batter. Add more water, if needed--the batter should thick, but able to be poured. Cover again and let rise for 30 mins. Meanwhile, heat a griddle or cast iron pan on low heat. Oil some crumpet rings (how ever many fit on your griddle).

4. Fill each ring with 1/2 inch of batter and cook for 5-6 minutes, or until tops are dry. The trick here is to have the heat high enough to cook the crumpet, but low enough that the bottoms do not burn before the middles are cooked. If the crumpet does not bubble, as all good crumpets should, add more water to the batter.

5. Remove crumpet from ring and flip over, cooking the top for 1 minute. Slather with margarine and jam and enjoy!