So, what is the point of making all these tasty fruit preserves if you don’t have something to put them on? Yes, you can do toast, but crumpet is a uniquely British institution that is perfectly designed to soak up phenomenal quantities of butter and sweet toppings.

Ah, crumpets. As British as tea, the Royal Family, and curry.

… OK, probably more British than those particular choices 😉

What is a crumpet? It’s a yeast-leavened bread which is fried instead of baked. The texture is light and spongy, with many holes in the surface, hence its absorption capabilities. You can top it with savoury toppings, but sweet is where it really shines. Sadly, crumpets are something which are not readily available in most US supermarkets, so I made them myself.



450 grams/1lb bread flour
1 packet yeast
300ml/10.5oz water
300ml/10.5oz milk
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt

Warm the milk and the water together.
Place all of the ingredients into a bowl and beat until they become a smooth liquid batter (1 to 2 minutes).
Leave until the mixture is frothy and double in size – this will take an hour or so.
Grease and heat a heavy frying pan or griddle. Fill 9 cm/3 in rings about half full with the mixture. If you don’t have baking rings, use a small frying pan and you will get something like very fluffy, thick pancakes.
Maintaining a moderate heat, cook the crumpets for about 5 minutes until the mixture bubbles.
Reduce the heat until the bubbles have burst.
Turn the crumpets over and cook for a further 2 minutes. You can put the ready crumpets into a warm oven wrapped in a tea towel while the rest cook.
Serve hot with butter, jam, and a nice cuppa tea.