Easy Sour Milk Crumpets
There is something extraordinary about the texture of these crumpets. The bottom has a crunchy texture with a toasty flavour.
The top is lighter than the base and has a crispy texture. Its surface is scattered with holes, perfect for catching the toppings.
The inside is soft and pillowy, trapping the warmed toppings as they trickle slowly down through the crumpet.
There are a few tricks to cooking these.
Follow your heart when preparing the batter. Different types of flour absorb various quantities of liquid. So, even if you have followed my instructions to the letter but feel the batter is too thick, use a little water to loosen it.
Try using all-purpose flour with a 10-11% protein content. This will help keep the crumb nice and soft and not too chewy.
The consistency of the batter plays a vital role in the final crumpet. A thinner batter produces a lighter crumpet with more air pockets.
A thicker batter produces a dense, bread-like crumpet with fewer air pockets. Both are very good, and I suggest trying both to see which consistency works best for you.
The crumpets must cook from the bottom to the top before being turned over. Therefore, it is best not to overfill the rings and to cook on low heat.
I use fresh yeast in this recipe, but if you prefer active dried yeast, you can use half the amount.
Letting the crumpets cool entirely before toasting them on both sides is best. This will enhance the textures on the top and bottom of the crumpets.
To achieve a nice thick crumpet, you must use baking rings to hold the batter. The biggest problem is that the batter will likely stick to stainless steel rings.
I advise investing in non-stick rings, which can be used in many cooking applications.
The non-stick rings I use in the video are from Amazon, and they have been going strong for the last couple of years. You can see the ones I use here.
You don't need to use rings; you can cook them directly in the pan. When cooked like this, they are called "Pikelets"!
The crumpets keep perfectly in a ziplock bag in the fridge for several days 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 put it in a pan on low heat. Gently heat the milk until it is neither cold nor 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. Leave it to ferment for about an hour until it's bubbling.
💡 Baker’s tip: You can prepare the batter the night before, leave it to begin fermenting (for about 30 mins), and then leave it to ferment overnight in the fridge so it's ready to cook the following day.
4. Heat a cast iron or nonstick frying pan on 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 (to make sure!).
5. Fill the rings to the halfway point with the batter. After a minute, 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 it from the rings and cook it for a minute or two on the other side. This is to finish the cooking process and not to colour the top of the crumpet too much.
These are best left to cool completely before warming 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.
