Crumpets and Pikelets

Don't know why I suddenly feel like having a traditional English Tea and also the accompaniment. Yesterday, we ate English Muffin, and today I decided to make crumpet.

Fuhhhhhhh..... Perasan Le plak kan! Tetiba rasa macam kat England! Actually, rindu nak pergi sana lagi, entah bila boleh sampai agaknya ye! Well, enough said!

M two lil' kids enjoy eating it, simple and easy for your tea time.

Crumpets are made from a thickish, yeasty batter and poured into rings. If you don't have rings, make thinner pancakes, or pikelets. Whether they are thick or thin, crumpets or pikelets, toast on the flattened bottom first and then on the holey side, so that maximum butter will melt into the crisp toasted holes. Now all you need is a big pot of tea, a fire and, possibly, a clean shirt standing by.

Crumpets
Source: The Guardian
Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstalls tea time treat recipe

Hugely satisfying to make. Makes 12.

450g plain white flour
350ml warm milk
350ml warm water (approximately)
5g powdered dried yeast
10g salt
1 tsp baking powder
A little sunflower or vegetable oil

In a bowl, whisk the flour, milk, water and yeast into a rather runny batter the consistency of single cream. Cover with cling-film and leave for an hour until really bubbly (or three to four hours, if need be).

Heat a heavy-based frying pan or flat griddle over a medium-high heat. Whisk the salt and baking powder into the batter. Lightly grease the crumpet rings and pan. Put one ring in the pan, fill to just below the top – the batter should stay in the ring and lots of holes should appear on the surface after a minute or two. (If it dribbles out underneath, it is too thin, so whisk a little more flour into your batter mix. If lots of holes don't form, it's too thick, so whisk in some water.) Assuming your test crumpet is OK, after five minutes or so, when the surface is just set, flip it over, ring and all. (If the cooked base seems too dark, turn down the heat.) Cook for two to three minutes, until golden on the other side. Repeat with the remaining batter in batches. Butter and eat at once, or cool on a wire rack for toasting later.

A pikelet variation If you don't have rings, whisk an extra 50g flour into the batter, to stiffen it, dollop spoonfuls into a greased, warmed pan and cook for a couple of minutes a side.

I don't have rings so I make a Pikelets ! Eat it with butter and jam, but my kids love to have it with peanut butter and Nutella.