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Homemade crumpets are fabulous things, but the batter contains yeast and needs time to rise. If you have a sourdough starter on the go though, you can very quickly make amazing crumpets with fantastic flavour.
Equipment
You will need some rings to make your crumpets in. You can buy special crumpet rings, or cut the top and bottom off a tuna can (be careful of the sharp edges). they should be about 8-9 mm (3-3½ inches) diameter. You'll need to lubricate them by smearing a little oil or butter around the inside, even if they're 'non-stick'. Likewise, coat the bottom of a frying pan with oil or butter. The pan needs to be large enough to comfortably accommodate the rings, and heavy enough to have a truly flat bottom. If your pan's bottom isn't flat, batter will leak out from your rings.
Make the crumpets
In a bowl, mix together the starter, salt, sugar and baking powder. Leave for a minute and stir again to make sure you don't have clumps of baking powder. Heat your pan on medium-low heat. When it's warm, pour one quarter of the batter into each ring. Cooking the crumpets perfectly is a matter of trial and error - the results depend on many factors, but these are the timings that work for me. Let it cook for 3-4 minutes. Carefully remove the rings when the crumpets are set - they'll be hot so use a cloth to protect your delicate digits. When the top is almost set, flip the crumpets over and cook for 30 seconds, then remove from the pan.
Serve the crumpets
Crumpets are always served hot and a thick slathering of butter is traditional. You can also add Marmite, or bacon, or jam or marmalade. We have them every Saturday or Sunday with kippers and grilled tomato.