Cookbook challenge, week 28: crumpets

Week 28 had the theme of crumpets, so I thought it was a perfect time to try a recipe that I've had stashed away for ages. It's not technically from one of my cookbooks: I copied it from the Epicure section of the Age newspaper ages ago, and the recipe in the article was reprinted from a book called The Home Cook, by Barry Vera. The recipe is for crumpets, and the picture accompanying the article looked really enticing, so I definitely wanted to try making them sometime.

Ingredients:
7.5g fresh yeast or 3.5g dried yeast
300mL warm water
225g plain flour
1 tsp salt
soft butter

Mix the yeast with a few tablespoons of warm water in a small bowl and stir until dissolved.
Leave for 5 minutes.
Sift the flour and salt into a larger bowl.
Stir about 2/3 of the remaining water into the flour, then add the yeast.
The mixture should be thick but pour quite easily - add more water if necessary (I added the full amount).
Cover and leave in a warm place until doubled in size (I sat it in the oven set to the lowest temperature with the door ajar).
Heat a non-stick frying pan to medium (I used a flat electric grill plate).
Grease crumpet rings/egg rings/pastry cutters with a little butter.
Place the rings on the pan and fill 1cm deep.
Cook for 5 mins or until small holes start to appear and the top starts to dry.
Remove the rings and flip the crumpets.
Cook until golden brown on both sides.
Serve with butter and honey.

I cooked half the amounts listed above, and it made 4 lovely little crumpets. I did two at a time - I used one heart-shaped cookie cutter plus an improvised ring made from folded aluminium foil, which worked surprisingly well! The second two crumpets were definitely fluffier and tastier than the first two, as I cooked them at a higher heat (the recipe specified a low heat) and also put less batter in the rings. I'll make these again sometime for sure.


The crumpets during the cooking process:



Cooked!