Crumpets with Rhubarb and Orange Curd
Once you know how, crumpets are so satisfyingly easy to make! Like most homemade treats, they’re also a whole lot tastier than the shop-bought version. We love to generously spread our silky Rhubarb and Orange Curd over each crumpet, bringing a fruity burst of flavour to every bite. You will need 4–6 metal crumpet or dessert rings, 7cm in diameter, although a round metal cookie cutter will work too.
MAKES 15 CRUMPETS
200ml warm water
20ml whole milk
1 tsp caster sugar
1 × 7g sachet of fast-action dried yeast
200g strong white flour
100g plain flour
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
½ tsp fine salt
25g butter, melted, for greasing
Mix the warm water, milk and sugar together in a jug (make sure the mixture is warm but not hot) and stir in the yeast. Set aside for 10–15 minutes until the yeast has become frothy.
In a large mixing bowl, sieve together the flours, bicarbonate of soda and salt and make a well in the middle. Tip in the warm milk and beat into the flour with a wooden spoon to form a smooth batter.
Cover the bowl with a tea towel or clingfilm and leave the batter to prove somewhere warm for 1 hour. It should have small bubbles all over the top when ready.
Thoroughly brush the inside edge of your metal rings and a large frying pan with the melted butter, then heat the frying pan over a medium-low heat until the butter starts to bubble and sizzle. Fit as many metal rings as you can into the pan, sitting them flat on the bottom.
Spoon or pour the batter into the metal rings until each is half filled, then leave to gently cook for 8–10 minutes until the tops are dry to the touch and covered in little holes.
Carefully push the crumpets from their metal rings onto a plate (you may need a knife to loosen them and a tea towel or oven glove to protect your fingers from the heat), then place them back in the pan, upside down, to brown the tops for about 2 minutes.
Reheat and re-grease the pan and rings and repeat the process of filling, cooking and flipping until all the batter has been used up.
Either serve the crumpets warm, or leave to cool on a wire rack and toast before serving, with plenty of butter or our curd (see the recipe here).
