English Crumpets

Title:
English Crumpets

Yield:
4 Servings

Categories:
Bakery,
Bread,
Breakfast,
Snacks




Ingredients:





     4 oz All-purpose flour


     4 oz Bread flour


     2 ts Salt


   1/4 oz Fresh yeast


     1 ts Sugar


   1/2 pt Warm water


     1 tb Vegetable oil


   1/2 ts Bicarbonate of soda


   1/4 pt Warm water






 Sift the flours and salt into a warm bowl.  Cream the yeast with the sugar.


 Add the warmed water, then the oil. Stir into the flour to make a batter,


 and beat vigorously until smooth and elastic. Cover the bowl, put in a warm


 place and leave it until the mixture rises and the surface is full of


 bubbles (about 1 1/2 hours). Break it down by beating with a wooden spoon.


 Cover and leave in a warm place to prove for another 30 minutes. To cook


 the crumpets, heat and grease the bakestone lightly. Grease 5 or 6 crumpet


 rings (3-3 1/2 inches) (or scone cutters) and put them on the bakestone to


 heat. Cook as many crumpets as possible at a time, as the batter will not


 stay bubbly for long. Put 1/2 inch deep of batter into each ring. Cook


 gently for 7 - 10 minutes, or until the surface sets and is full of tiny


 bubbles. Using an oven glove for protection, lift off the ring, and if the


 base of the crumpet is pale gold, flip it over and cook for another 3


 minutes until the other side is just colored. If the crumpet batter is set


 but sticks slightly in the ring, push it out gently with the back of a


 wooden spoon.  Wipe, grease and heat the rings for each batch of crumpets.


 If serving immediately, wrap the crumpets in a cloth and keep warm between


 batches. Butter generously and serve at once. If reheating, toast the


 crumpets under the grill, cooking the smooth surface first and then the top


 so that the butter will melt into the holes.


 


 From Gemini's MASSIVE MealMaster collection at www.synapse.com/~gemini