Crumpets

SERVES Serves 6 (Makes 3 Large Crumpets)

TIME 50 minutes, plus 40 minutes resting

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS

Crumpets—thick, yeasted rounds with moist, slightly elastic, honeycombed interiors and holes that cover the surface—can be hard to find in the United States, and homemade versions rarely live up to commercial products. Most home cooks don't own special crumpet rings to corral the batter, so instead we made three large crumpets in a small nonstick skillet and cut them into wedges to share. Combining all-purpose flour with bleached cake flour lowered the overall gluten content of our crumpet batter and the temperature at which it set, allowing the crumpets to cook through rapidly. Trading the conventional low-and-slow cooking method (which results in dense crumpets with few holes) for an initial blast of high heat quickly converted the water in the batter to steam; this expanded air bubbles already in the batter and powered their upward expansion before the crumpet had a chance to firm up, producing the proper spongy texture and holey appearance. Lowering the heat allowed the crumpets to cook through without burning on the bottom, and lifting a small amount of raw batter off the top of the crumpets before flipping them ensured that the maximum number of holes was preserved. Crumpets-thick, yeasted rounds with moist, slightly elastic, honeycombed interiors and holes that cover the surface-can be hard to find in the United States, and homemade versions rarely live up to commercial products. Most home cooks don't own special crumpet rings to corral the batter, so instead we made three large crumpets in a small nonstick skillet and cut them into wedges to share. Combining all-purpose flour with bleached cake flour lowered the overall gluten content of our crumpet batter and the temperature at which it set, allowing the crumpets to cook through rapidly. Trading the conventional low-and-slow cooking method (which results in dense crumpets with few holes) for an initial blast of high heat quickly converted the water in the batter to steam; this expanded air bubbles already in the batter and powered their upward expansion before the crumpet had a chance to firm up, producing the proper spongy texture and holey appearance. Lowering the heat allowed the crumpets to cook through without burning on the bottom, and lifting a small amount of raw batter off the top of the crumpets before flipping them ensured that the maximum number of holes was preserved.

INGREDIENTS

1 cup (5 ounces) all-purpose flour

1 cup (4 ounces) bleached cake flour

2 teaspoons instant or rapid-rise yeast

¾ teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon table salt

1 ½ cups warm water (105 to 110 degrees), divided

½ teaspoon vegetable oil

Salted butter and jam or creamed honey

note: BEFORE YOU BEGIN

Because the heavily leavened batter will continue to rise as you cook, we call for dividing it into thirds rather than measuring by volume. (The cooked crumpets will all be about the same size.) We developed this recipe on a gas stovetop, which is very responsive. If you're using an electric stovetop, use two burners: Heat the skillet on one burner set to low for 5 minutes, and then increase the heat to medium for 1 minute before adding the batter and set the second burner to high. Move the skillet between the medium and high burners for the appropriate heat level. A digital timer is helpful for this recipe. Because the heavily leavened batter will continue to rise as you cook, we call for dividing it into thirds rather than measuring by volume. (The cooked crumpets will all be about the same size.) We developed this recipe on a gas stovetop, which is very responsive. If you're using an electric stovetop, use two burners: Heat the skillet on one burner set to low for 5 minutes, and then increase the heat to medium for 1 minute before adding the batter and set the second burner to high. Move the skillet between the medium and high burners for the appropriate heat level. A digital timer is helpful for this recipe.

INSTRUCTIONS

Whisk all-purpose flour, cake flour, yeast, baking powder, and salt together in 8-cup liquid measuring cup. Add 1¼ cups warm water and whisk until smooth. Cover and let rise in warm place until doubled in volume, about 40 minutes.

Directions at cooksillustrated.com

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