Let’s make Crumpets this week!

Mother crumpet (revisited) plus the dried yeast go to recipe. Easy crab Crumpets, plus a mushroom, pear & pecorino topping, for an epic brunch.

Jan 31, 2025

∙ Paid

Nothing beats a proper homemade crumpet golden on the outside, soft and full of those perfect little pockets ready to soak up butter. They’re surprisingly easy to make, and once you’ve nailed it, you’ll never go back to store-bought. These recipes are all about getting that light, airy texture with just the right chew. The trick? Letting the batter ferment properly to develop flavor, not over mixing the batter to an inch of its life, and cooking them low and slow for the ultimate rise. Slather them with good-quality butter, drizzle over some honey, ricotta and perhaps for grilled fruits. Or take the savoury road with poached eggs, bacon and Bernaise, Xo pipies, melted cheese and Oomite, or even topped with Welsh Rarebit (shoutout to Reed House in Melbourne). Either way, these beauties are next-level comfort food.

There are two recipes below, the first is with a starter. And, in case you don’t have any sourdough starter at home, the second recipe is made using dried yeast.

Cooking 200 crumpets at Tasting Australia, using this very recipe (sourdough).

First up, 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.

Mushroom crumpet, burnt butter, shaved pear, herb salad (recipe and video below)

The cake ring crumpet.

A big pan, a cake tin and a little patience.

Mother Crumpets

Prep time 15 mins (plus 6- 8 hours at room temp)/cook time 15-20 mins/easy

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.

For anyone wandering what Three Blue Ducks is!

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.

Recipe:

175g sourdough starter (70% hydration)

200g bread flour

200ml full cream milk

100ml filtered water

A pinch of salt

A pinch of sugar

Splash of apple cider vinegar or lemon juice

Half tsp bicarb

(40g ghee + 30g diced butter to cook the crumpet)

Method

Warm the milk and water till tepid. Pour over the starter, mix in with hand, add flour, mix till flour is incorporated. Cover with a cloth leave on the bench till morning. 6 - 8 hours does the trick, any longer keep in fridge.

In the morning...Fold in salt, sugar, bicarb + vinegar leave for 15 mins.

Heat some ghee in a pan, cook mostly on one side, add a little butter and reduce heat to cook through.

Finish on the other side. serve with whatever takes you fancy...