“This recipe is my interpretation of Yoke Mardewi’s recipe on page 214 of her fabulous book ‘Sourdough’. You will need crumpet rings for this recipe, egg rings work but they are a bit shallow. Check op shops and look for old fashioned, heavy crumpet rings. These could be jolly good for Christmas breakfast.” – Holly Davis

INGREDIENTS

For the leaven:

50g starter (check that it’s active by performing a float test)

300g unbleached wholegrain wheat or spelt flour

450-500g filtered water

 

For the crumpets:

600g active leaven (see above)

1 teaspoon sea salt

1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

Ghee or coconut oil, as required to grease the rings and pan

INSTRUCTIONS

6-12 hours prior to making the crumpet batter, prepare the leaven. Mix the starter, flour and water well and leave covered in a warm place, ideally around 28C. It should resemble a thick pancake batter. It is ready when the starter mix is bubbly and should have a pourable consistency – if the mix is too thick, add a little extra water.

Mix the ingredients together for the crumpet batter with a whisk or electric whisk. The mixture will be frothy and look like cream. Heat up a cast iron pancake pan or griddle or saute pan. Ghee the crumpet rings and place on the pan to heat up. Wait until the pan and rings are very hot, then grease the pan and add batter to each ring. Fill to about two thirds of the height of the ring. Lower the heat to medium and cook for about 8-10 minutes, or until bubbles appear all over the surface.

When the outer surface is dry and translucent (the centre will still be damp), pull off the ring and flip the crumpets. Add a little extra ghee and cook for 2-3 minutes or until the base is golden.

These are suitable for freezing and will keep this way for a few months. Toast the crumpets before serving with lots of fresh cultured butter and delicious raw honey or jam.