Crumpet Recipe

Crumpets sound like something you only have with tea, in a stuffy room filled with doilies surrounded by people speaking Queen’s English. But I became slightly obsessed with them with a trip to Seattle years ago, when I was told to get them at a specialty shop in Pike’s Place. Somehow it never occurred to me to learn how to make a crumpet at home until recently, when I went through a crazy jamming and preserving phase (where I need a vehicle to eat said jam and preserves). Similar to an English muffin, the crumpet has more chew to it and isn’t quite as dry or craggily. In fact, for me, a good crumpet should be moist and chewy and full of holes so the butter and jam can soak into it. These particular homemade crumpets aren’t full of holes, but that’s probably because I don’t have the patience to cook them properly (traditionally you don’t flip them when you cook them which produces more holes). That’s OK. I also cut them in half (something most British people adamantly are against) to put the jam on two halves. Call me a terrible bastard American, I’ve given instructions on how to create a crumpet with lots of holes in it, but feel free to bastardize your crumpet like I have and flip away.