Crumpets with Paul

I made some crumpets recently from Paul Hollywood's new book 'Bread' - it's worth getting hold of for a tenner on Amazon (rather than the usual £20 in shops) as the book is full of lots of easy to follow recipes with pictures showing you step by step what to do (here's an example 
below).

I like that he shows you how to make one type of bread through step-by-step photo instructions and then gives you 1-2 recipes to make with that certain type of bread afterwards - this is great to get bread more into everyday meals (not that I need help with that as I absolutely love bread). 

The recipe to follow for crumpets is quite a long one so leave plenty of time - I started making them for a lazy Sunday breakfast at 9.30am and they weren't finished until lunch! Here's the recipe below:

Makes 10-12 crumpets

• 175g strong white bread flour
• 175g plain flour
• 14g fast-action yeast
• 1 tsp caster sugar
• 350ml warm milk
• 150-200ml tepid water
• 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 1 tsp salt
• Oil for cooking - I used olive oil as it's all I had in
• Crumpet rings - these are crucial and you can't make the crumpets without them. I got mine from Lakeland and they're very good and non-stick. They're quite expensive at over £10 a set - do you know anyone who wants to split a pack? I shared mine with my Mum as you only need to keep the crumpets in the rings until they're set and you can use the rings again and again.

Put the flours in a bowl and mix in the yeast evenly. 

In a jug dissolve the sugar in the warm milk, then pour in the flour mixture.

Beat the mixture with a wooden spoon for about 3-4 mins until you have a 'smooth batter' - this was incredibly difficult to do as the mixture is so thick it feels like you're fighting with in, not making it 'smooth' - I managed it in the end but it helps to have someone with a strong arm around! You need to do this to make sure the crumpets develop the holes that we all know and love. 

Cover the bowl with clingfilm (or a tea towel) and leave for 1 hour. The batter rises a lot and it needs to be left alone to do this or else the crumpets won't turn out. I left mine on a warm windowsill which worked a treat. 

In a jug, mix 150ml of the tepid water with the bicarb of soda and salt. Stir this liquid into the batter until evenly combined - use more water if you need to to make a thick dropping consistency. When I first did this step I thought I had done something very wrong as it looked like a big soggy mess sitting in a bowl of water - I persevered though and made it through. 

Cover the bowl and leave the batter to rise for 20 minutes. You'll see little holes start to appear.

Heat up a frying pan on a medium-low heat. Grease the inside of the crumpet rings with oil and the pan. 

As Paul says, it's a good idea to start with a trial crumpet. The books says that like with pancakes the first one is never the best - this was definitely the case for me! So give the pan chance to heat up by running a trial crumpet first. 

Keep the cooking 'low and slow' - my biggest mistake was heating up to quickly and I ended up with some burnt bottoms! 

Now you're ready with your crumpet rings - add in the batter and leave to cook for 6-8 minutes. You'll see the bubbles start to rise in the mixture after a while (you can speed up cooking by gently popping these bubbles with a sharp knife). To further speed up the whole process, take the crumpets out of the rings when they're set and get ready for the next batch whilst they're still cooking (see the pan photo below). 

Once the tops have set, turn the crumpets over to lightly cook the top for a further couple of minutes. I made mine thicker than expected I think so needed to add a further 5 minutes on to the cooking time.

Once they're cooked re-grease your crumpet rings and repeat. Then serve warm with butter or re-toast later on. I enjoyed mine with butter and egg and later on with golden syrup (I have a particularly sweet tooth and this just seems to go).