Crumpets (Sourdough)
★★★☆☆Thick, holey crumpets with real body — low and slow in the pan with a lid.
Ingredients
Batter
- 100 g sourdough starterunfed
- 50 g plain flour
- 100 g water
- 1 tsp (4 g) baking powder
- ½ tsp (3 g) salt
For the Pan
- 5 g ghee or butter
Method
- Make the batter
- In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Add the discard and water. Whisk until smooth. The batter should be looser than pancake batter — more like heavy cream. If it looks too thick, add water a splash at a time.
- Set up the pan
- Place a non-stick frying pan over medium-low heat. Butter the inside of 2–3 crumpet rings generously and set them in the pan. Let everything heat up for a minute.
- Fill the rings
- Ladle batter into each ring until about halfway full.
- Cook low and slow
- Place a lid on the pan. Cook for 10–15 minutes without flipping. You're looking for bubbles to form across the surface and the tops to look mostly set and dry. If bubbles form but don't pop into holes, prick gently with a toothpick.
- Flip
- Once the tops are set and no longer shiny, flip the crumpets. Cook uncovered for 2–3 minutes until the other side is lightly golden.
- Serve warm with butter and jam, or toast them first if eating later.
Notes
Low and slow is everything. Too much heat and the bottoms burn before the insides cook through. If the bases are browning before holes appear, turn the heat down.
Don't flip too early. If the top is still wet when you flip, the holes seal shut. Wait until the surface looks dry all the way across.
Batter consistency matters. It should pour easily and be noticeably thinner than pancake batter. Thick batter = fewer holes.
Rings: Metal crumpet rings or egg rings work. Without rings, pour freeform as pikelets — they'll spread and be thinner but still taste good.
Toasting: These freeze and toast brilliantly. Freeze in a zip-lock bag and toast straight from frozen.
Scaling up: Double everything (200g discard, 100g flour, 200g water) for 5–6 crumpets. Adapted from Pantry Mama.
Nutrition Facts
Makes 4 crumpets
Serving size: 1 of 4 crumpets
Per serving
49
Total recipe
196
Meal Type
Diet