Best Afternoon Tea And Crumpets Recipes

AFTERNOON TEA AND CRUMPETS

Afternoon Tea and Crumpets image

Although the folks in Britain and Ireland consume more tea than anywhere else on the planet, no self-respecting Afternoon Tea would ever be complete without a "proper" crumpet. There is one thing that I found in my travels, and that the production of a crumpet can have some local variations. Some are cooked on both sides,...

Provided by Andy Anderson !

Time 2h15m

Number Of Ingredients 7

Ingredients

16 oz plain white flour (450g)
1 1/2 c warm whole milk (350ml)
1 1/2 c warm water (350ml)
1 1/2 tsp active dry yeast (7.5g)
2 tsp salt, table variety (10g)
1 tsp baking powder (5g)
vegetable oil, for coating crumpet rings, and fry pan.

Steps:

1. WHAT YOU WILL NEED
2. A good fry pan; preferably cast iron. Some cooking rings. They actually make, what are called crumpet rings; however, any cooking rings of the right size should work.
3. Chef's Tip: A good crumpet ring should be about 3.5 inches (8.5cm) wide, and 1 inch (2.5cm) tall.
4. Begin by whisking the flour, milk, water, and yeast into a thick liquid. A bit thicker than say, heavy cream.
5. Chef's Tip: To accomplish this, mix all the ingredients, except the water, and then slowly add the water until you achieve the correct consistency.
6. Cover the bowl, and leave in a non-drafty corner of the kitchen until the liquid gets nice and bubbly. This can take (depending on kitchen temperature) several hours.
7. Now, whisk the salt and baking powder into the batter.
8. Lightly grease the crumpet rings, and set aside.
9. Chef's Note: The greasing of the crumpet rings is very important, because the crumpets will need to slide easily out of the rings, during cooking.
10. Put some oil on a paper towel, and lightly grease a fry pan or flat griddle. Heat up over medium to medium-high heat.
11. MAKING A TEST CRUMPET
12. Place a single greased crumpet ring on the hot griddle or fry pan.
13. Use a ladle to add batter to the ring but don't fill to the top, give it a bit of room to expand.
14. Chef's Note: If the batter runs out the bottom of the ring... the batter is too thin. Add a bit more flour. It's okay if a bit runs out... however, most should stay within the ring.
15. After a few minutes, you should see bubbles beginning to form on the surface of the crumpet... Just like making pancakes.
16. Chef's Note: If you don't see many bubbles, your batter is too thick. Add a bit of water.
17. If you see a lot of bubbles, then after about five minutes, remove the ring, and gently (very gently) turn the crumpet over (unless you prefer to cook only on one side).
18. Chef's Tip: Be gentle when turning the crumpets over. If you flip them too hard, it will collapse a lot of the bubbles on the surface, and we want those bubbles.
19. Chef's Note: If the bottom is too brown, turn down the heat a bit.
20. Cook for two or three minutes, and remove from the heat. The top (that's the part you turned over), should not be as cooked at the bottom. Nicely brown on the bottom, lightly brown on the top, with lots of holes for butter and jam.
21. Repeat the procedure until you have the perfect crumpet.
22. KEEP CALM AND COOK ON
23. You should now have a good batter, and temperature for cooking the remaining crumpets.
24. Chef's Note: If you don't have any crumpet rings, you can always add a bit more flour to the mixture, and then drop dollops of batter onto the hot griddle and cook for a few minutes on each side. However, if you do this you won't have a crumpet; you'll have a pikelet.
25. Serving Tip: Crumpets store well in the fridge, and can even be frozen. Just reheat them before serving. And those holes in the bread are excellent for holding melted butter and jam... Enjoy.
26. Keep the faith, and keep cooking.

OLD FASHIONED HOME-MADE ENGLISH CRUMPETS FOR TEA-TIME

Old Fashioned Home-Made English Crumpets for Tea-Time image

MUCH better than shop bought crumpets, these are easy to make and are a rewarding and comforting meal for breakfast, tea or supper. Crumpets, pikelets, Scotch pancakes and English muffins: all traditional British tea-time treats but what's the difference? That's a good question! They're all cooked on a griddle or bakestone (a heavy-based frying-pan can be used as an alternative) but crumpets and muffins are both yeast-based. To make crumpets, you need egg rings (available from kitchen or hardware shops) or, if you can get them, special crumpet rings, and they need to be well-greased. More about crumpets: crumpets are flattened round breads which are cooked on a griddle or in a skillet. They are closely associated with English society and culture, and are sometimes confused with English muffins. Although the crumpet and the English muffin share some characteristics, the two foods are in fact very different. Classic crumpets have a smooth round bottom, and a top riddled with small holes. They are served fresh from the griddle or toasted, and can be topped with cheese, bacon, honey, jam or clotted cream - although butter is the traditional crumpet topping. Crumpets are never split, unlike English muffins, and they have a slightly spongy texture which absorbs butter remarkably well. The concept of toasting crumpets over a fire is often associated with companionable rainy days in British fiction. For people who are still confused about the differences between crumpets and English muffins, remember that crumpets have a holey top, they are not split, and they are far less "bready" than English muffins tend to be. It is believed that the English muffin may have been invented by someone who was trying to replicate the crumpet, which explains the commonalities between the two. The recipes for English muffins and crumpets are also very different, with crumpets being made from batter and English muffins being made from a dough. Because crumpets are made from a batter, they must be cooked in metal rings called crumpet rings or they will lose their shape.

Provided by French Tart

Categories Yeast Breads

Time 1h30m

Yield 18 Crumpets, 18 serving(s)

Number Of Ingredients 8

Ingredients

450 g strong plain flour, sifted (1lb)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
2 teaspoons fast-rising active dry yeast (1x7g sachet)
300 ml warm milk (1/2 pint)
300 ml warm water (1/2 pint)
1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
vegetable oil

Steps:

Note - you will need 4 crumpet rings, or egg rings or 7.5cm (3in) plain pastry cutters, greased.
Place the flour and salt into a large bowl and stir in the sugar and yeast making a well in the centre. Pour in the warm milk and water and mix to give quite a thick batter. Beat well until completely combined and cover with a tea towel or cling film.
Leave in a warm place to rise for about an hour until it's a light, spongy texture. Stir well to knock out any air, add the bicarbonate of soda and pour into a large jug - mix well and allow to stand for a further 30 minutes.
Heat a non-stick frying pan, or a greased griddle, over a very low heat with a drop of oil or butter. Wipe the pan with kitchen paper to remove excess oil/butter. Sit the greased crumpet rings in the pan and leave to heat up for a couple of minutes.
Pour in enough mixture to fill the rings just over halfway up the sides. Leave to cook until lots of small holes appear on the surface and the batter has just dried out. This will take about 8-10 minutes.
Remove the rings and turn over the crumpets to cook for a further minute or two on the other side. Sit the first batch of crumpets on a wire rack whilst continuing to cook the remaining crumpets.
Serve the crumpets warm, generously buttered. If you are making crumpets in advance, then reheat them by toasting lightly on both sides before serving. (Prep time includes rising time for the yeast dough.).