RECIPE: Sourdough Crumpets

Crumpets are a traditional staple in the UK. These simple griddle breads are made from a batter rather than a regular bread dough and can be cooked in as little as 10 minutes.

They are normally served warm, slathered in butter that melts down into the craters in the surface and are often served as a snack alongside a cup of tea. Some love to top them with savoury toppings such as finely grated parmesan cheese, whilst others spread them with their favourite jam or jelly when they fancy something sweet. I prefer to keep it traditional with just butter but on rare ocassions I do enjoy a little marmite on top as well.

Imagine my delight when I discovered that I could use my sourdough starter discard to make crumpets, just by adding a little water, sugar, salt and bicarbonate of soda! The bicarb of soda causes a chemical reaction with the lactic acid that your wild yeast naturally creates - this reaction means that your batter starts creating little bubbles almost immediately upon mixing. Those bubbles make little craters in your batter as it cooks which is what gives crumpets their hole-topped appearance. It's worth noting that fresher starter has less lactic acid build-up so is unlikely to give the desired reaction - I prefer to use discard that is at least a couple of days old to give a better chemical reaction as I want plenty of holes along the surface (all the better to soak up that butter).

If you don't have crumpet rings (whose whole purpose is to contain the batter whilst it cooks), you can make a regional variation called 'pikelets'. The batter is made just a touch thicker by adding slightly less water to avoid it spreading widely - the result is a wider but thinner griddle cake that tastes equally as delicious and may likely have more holes for your toppings to melt into.

Equipment

Digital kitchen scales

Large mixing bowl (I prefer earthernware but any will do)

Measuring spoons

Measuring cups

Crumpet rings (8cm diameter)

Tongs to handle the hot crumpet rings with

Spatula/turner

Ingredients (makes between 4-5 crumpets)

For the batter:

• 220g sourdough discard (I find at least 2 days old gives the best reaction)

• 1-2 tablespoons water *

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1 teaspoon sugar

• 1/4 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda powder

• Small amount of butter for the pan

* Things to note:

• How much water you add depends on the thickness of your original discard. If making crumpets, you want the texture of the batter to be similar to single cream. For pikelets, aim for slightly thicker but still pourable.

Method

1. Pre-heat your griddle or frying pan. We want to cook these low and slow to avoid burning the bottoms, so go with a low-to-moderate heat. When we add the butter later, we don't want it sizzling and burning. Grease the inside of your crumpet rings (if using) before placing them on the cooking surface to warm on the heat - from now on, ensure you don't handle the rings directly as the hot metal could burn you. I recommend having a pair of silicone tongs on standby. Silicone crumpet rings are also available if you prefer.

2. Mix the starter with all ingredients except the soda - you want to wait until the last possible moment as the bubbles will start immediately.

3. Ensure your pan is heated and add a small touch of butter to melt within each ring. Avoid using too much to avoid the butter smoking later.

4. Add the soda to your batter and mix, you will likely notice small bubbles starting to form almost immediately. You want to start using your batter now.

5. Scoop either 1/3 or 1/4 cup measures into each ring - I find 1/3 cup gives a normal crumpet height but the compromise here can be that it takes longer to cook and set and there is the risk of uncooked batter at the top filling in those lovely holes we want. 1/4 cup yields a slightly shorter crumpet but lowers the risk of burning the bottom as they cook quicker. You may find somewhere inbetween the two to be your happy medium.

6. Keeping the heat low, you should soon start to see bubbles appearing on the surface. If they pop too soon, the uncooked batter on the surface could flood the holes so I'd avoid moving the pan around. Within 5-10 minutes, you should see the surface batter starting to firm up which indicates that your crumpets are pretty much done. At this point, some people like to pop the bubbles with the tip of a knife or a cocktail stick if they want lots of craters.

7. Once the top is firm, the sides of the crumpets will likely have shrunk away from the edges of the crumpet rings. You should be able to lift them away with tongs (be careful, the metal ones will be hot). Once free of the rings, flip the crumpets over for 30 seconds or so - just enough to brown the tops of the crumpets with the residual butter from the pan.

8. Serve with lashings of butter whilst still warm

Variation for pikelets:

Scoop either 1/3 or 1/4 cup measures of thicker batter onto the buttered surface. They will spread slightly and start setting. These should only take a few minutes to cook through to the top and set. Flip over for 30 seconds or so to brown the top before serving.

Related Reading

My Top 5 Sourdough Making Products

Are Cold Proofs Really Necessary for a Great Sourdough?