Breakfast, again!

Have I mentioned before that I love breakfast? I'm a big fan of delicious flavors, don't get me wrong, but there's something about making breakfast that I just absolutely love. Especially when it involves baking something.

Before going gluten-free one of my favorite treats was to hunt down crumpets at the supermarket. For those unfamiliar with these tasty morsels, they are a cross between a pancake and an English muffin. They are round and have tiny holes on top (all the better for capturing melted butter and syrup/jam). English cooks use 3 1/2-inch crumpet rings to contain the simple yeast batter while it bakes in a frying pan or griddle. You can use flan rings, open cookie cutters, or tuna cans with the tops and bottoms cut out. Or you can use nifty English muffin rings you got from your s-i-l! This recipe is out of a Sunset Brunch cookbook, circa 1980.

Crumpets

1 pckg active dry yeast
1 tsp sugar
1/4 cup warm water (about 110F)
1/3 cup milk, at room temp
1 egg
About 4 T melted butter
1 cup AP flour
1/2 tsp salt

In a large bowl, combine yeast, sugar, and water; let stand until bubbly (about 15 minutes). Blend in milk, egg, and 1 T melted butter. Add flour and salt and beat until smooth. Cover and let stand in a warm place until almost doubled (about 45 minutes).

Brush bottom of a heavy frying pan or griddle and the inside of each ring with butter or cooking spray. Heat rings in pan over low heat; pour 3 T batter into each. Bake for about 7 minutes or until holes appear and tops are dry. Remove rings and turn crumpets to brown other side (about 2 minutes). Repeat with remaining batter.

Serve warm or cool on a rack and toast just before serving. Makes 7 or 8 crumpets.


My thoughts:
These are so good! Just as good as I remember. They are like yeast-y pancakes, but a little more spongy in texture. I used a gluten-free flour blend (the millet/teff one) and added maybe 2-3 T more milk to get the batter loose enough. I also use olive oil in place of the melted butter. I found these cook better on my stove top on medium heat instead of low. If you are cooking these for a crowd, a large skillet or griddle works best. My skillet will hold just three rings, which makes for a longer cook time. I'd love to say we're having the rest tomorrow, but the plate was pretty much licked clean!