What’d You Do Last Weekend?
Make your own bitters.
Crumpets
Just about once a month Emma and I get together and decide on a baking project. She and I went through pastry school together and have pretty similar tastes and skills (although she's a much more precise baker than I am), so baking the same thing in a month means we get to compare notes about the techniques, recipes, and results. Maybe it's a nerdy baker thing we do, but I can't emphasize how important that partnership is in making me a better baker. Not only do we collaborate on one item a month, but we often exchange messages about other projects we're working on too, so I never feel like I'm completely solo when trying something new.
This month, Emma had a hankering for crumpets. I love crumpets, and after making English muffins earlier this year, I really wanted to see how the two were different. The recipe looked straightforward enough and something I could accomplish in a couple of hours with rising time. That differed from the English muffins, which were more of a traditional yeast dough recipe that happened to be cooked on a griddle too. The English muffins were a sturdier dough, and their cook time was substantially longer as a result. That meant if I wanted to make a fantastic brunch bread, I'd go with crumpets, hands down.
There was one odd thing about this crumpet batter, and it's its consistency post-rise. The instructions call for you to pour the batter into rings on a heated griddle, but the batter simply wasn't pourable. It wasn't really even spoonable. The closest other thing I could describe it as is okra snot. Thick, viscous, slimy, and very hard to portion. I wound up using the edge of my spoon to cut strands of the batter loose so I could roughly pack it into the rings. Forget measuring 2/3 filled. What got in the rings is what got baked, period. I thought it was just me, so I sent Emma a note the next morning. She'd already baked 2 recipes of the crumpets from different sources than I'd used and yup, she got the same thing. Beautiful, light and snotty batter. I'm so glad I had her to call for that sanity check.
Who do you call when you need some advice?
Crumpets (adapted from The Bread Bible from Rose Levy Beranbaum)
1 c + 1+1/2 T AP flour
2 T nonfat dry milk
1+1/2 tsp active dry yeast (1 tsp if using instant)
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 c water
2 T water, warm
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp clarified butter, melted
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, dry milk, yeast, sugar and salt.
- Add the 3/4 c water to the bowl and mix well until completely smooth.
Note: I used my stand mixer and ran it for 5 minutes. - Scrape the batter into a bowl and allow it to rise until doubled (this takes about 45 minutes to an hour).
- When it has risen, combine the remaining 2 T warm water with the baking soda and stir it in to the batter.
- Allow the batter to rise until doubled again. Start preheating the skillet or griddle. When water sizzles on the skillet, it's hot enough to start baking.
- Brush the skillet and the inside of biscuit rings (crumpet rings, large cookie cutters, many things will work) with the clarified butter and set the rings in the skillet.
- Spoon batter into the rings and bake until the bottoms are lightly browned.
- When you're certain the batter is cooked enough on the bottom, carefully flip the crumpet over to brown the other side.
- Carefully remove the ring and flip the crumpet to ensure even browning.
- Repeat steps 7 - 9 until all of the batter is used.
This recipe makes about 6 crumpets. Yes, 6. If you happen to have any leftover, wrap them well and freeze them, or toast them the next day. There aren't enough to last that long!
Comments
Gorgeous Crumpets!
Hi Jenny: I'm glad we had a chance to meet at IFBC over a quick lunch. I still need to write a quick post on last weekend. :)
Your crumpets look like they turned out perfect! It probably would've thrown me off if the consistency was that thick and "snotty" and I don't have anyone to call for a sanity check. It would be hit and miss for me and just hope for the best.
Good for you that you persevered and they turned beautiful!
Well, you, obviously! But
Well, you, obviously! But also my mom, and I have another friend, Jenn, who has been loaning me equipment and expertise. My mom taught me to bake and has a great selection of stuff for me to borrow as well, like a nicer stand mixer. If I want some wacky advice, I'll ask my husband. :)
I'm always here to help!
Yay! I'm so glad I can be there for you too - it's the strength of our support system that keeps us strong, I think.