I cheat a little with the crumpets, frying them up free-form without employing crumpet or English-muffin rings. They come out flat, like pancakes, with a deep yeasty flavor and crisp crust. Though if you like molds, try using cookie cutters: hearts, diamonds, clubs and spades give the party a very “Alice in Wonderland” feel.
Hot crumpets beg for clotted cream. Traditional recipes call for simmering cream for a couple of hours in a double boiler, then removing and chilling the cream, or clot, that forms on top. I did this once, and it was delicious, though not entirely worth it since you can buy clotted cream, or make a fake, mascarpone-based version that’s just as good.
Ingredients
- 1 cup warm milk
- 1 envelope (2 1/4 teaspoons) yeast
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1 ½ cups warm water
- 1 ½ cups whole-wheat flour
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 cup mascarpone
- 6 tablespoons heavy cream
- Vegetable oil for cooking
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Nutritional Information
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Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)
474 calories; 25 grams fat; 12 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 8 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 51 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams dietary fiber; 4 grams sugars; 11 grams protein; 67 milligrams cholesterol; 810 milligrams sodium
Note: Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available data. -
6 to 8 servings
Preparation
- In a large bowl, whisk together the milk, yeast and honey. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let stand in a warm place until the mixture becomes foamy, about 10 minutes.
- Whisk in the warm water, both flours, salt and baking powder until smooth. Cover with plastic wrap and let stand in a warm place until doubled in size, about one hour.
- To prepare the mock clotted cream, in a medium bowl, whisk together the mascarpone and cream until thick and stiff. Chill until ready to serve.
- To prepare the crumpets, set a griddle over medium-low heat and oil it. To make flat, pancakelike crumpets, spoon the batter onto the griddle and cook for about 3 to 4 minutes on one side and 1 to 2 minutes on the other. To make the crumpets using English-muffin rings or cookie cutters, oil them liberally and place on the skillet. Spoon in batter 1/4-inch high. Let the crumpets cook until dry around the edges and bubbles have formed over the surface, about 5 to 6 minutes. Remove the rings and wipe clean. Turn crumpets over and cook until lightly browned, another 2 to 3 minutes. Re-oil the griddle and each ring before making another batch.
1 hour
Dining and Cooking