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This recipe has been on its fair share of Three Blue Ducks menus over the years, and I’ve certainly cooked many versions of these crumpets at various food events. Ive served it up with fresh water cray fish, with spanner crab, with XO Pipies (my all time favourite!) with grilled peaches and maple or simply with yogurt and honey.
It came about as a way to use up excess sourdough starter and has been a proven hit that I still use to this day.
Here are my 5 tips to improve your crumpet game:
1. Use the Right Flour: I’m a fan of bread flour which gives crumpets their characteristic chewy texture.
2. Don’t over work the batter: After seasoning with salt, pop in the Bi Carb and vinegar, a little mix will do the trick.
3. It’s all about the shape: Use Ring s to get that classic round shape, use metal crumpet rings or cleaned and greased tuna cans with both ends removed. I love to use a cake tin (as shown in the photo below)for one big show stopping crumpet. Whatever you use, be sure to grease them well to prevent sticking.
4. Cook Low and Slow: Cook crumpets on a low to medium heat. This allows them to cook through without burning the bottoms. The low heat also helps create the signature holes on the top as the batter slowly cooks and bubbles rise to the surface.
5. Flip Carefully: Once the tops are set and full of holes, carefully remove the rings and flip the crumpets to cook the other side briefly. This step should only take a minute or so, just to lightly brown the tops.
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Prep time 15 mins(plus 6- 8 hours at room temp)/cook time 15-20 mins/easy
Recipe:
175g sourdough starter (70% hydration)
200g bread flour
200ml full cream milk
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