A popular British breakfast food, English Crumpets warm and fresh out of the toaster with a slight crispness to the exterior and a warm soft center and bathed in melted butter because it oozes through all the holes. Serve with a hot tea and you have a classic taste of England. Doesn’t this sound yummy? Everything’s better with butter and these crumpets are no exception.

Browned English crumpets topped with creamy butter

One can enjoy them topped with jam, but not for me. Served warm and dripping with butter is the only way I like eat them. They are one of my favorite items to eat for breakfast, with a large mug of tea of course or as an afternoon tea time snack, tea and crumpets is one of Englands best afternoon treats.

What is a crumpet?

Crumpets are savory, light, airy and a little bread-like. They are made by cooking a yeast and flour batter in a round ring mold in a pan until cooked through and bubbles develop on the top. They are then turned and when the bubbles pop, they create the famous holes on the top that butter melts into.

Crumpet dough in ring molds cooking in a pan showing the holes

Crumpets v’s English Muffins

Crumpets are not to be confused with English muffins, but they are similar. With the combination of only 6 ingredients, milk, sugar, yeast, flour, baking powder and salt, the batter is poured into ring molds and cooked stovetop in a skillet over low heat. As they cook the batter bubbles and when the bubbles burst this is how the holes are created.

The crumpet rings (shown in the picture above) which are the same as muffin rings can be purchased from Amazon.

Crumpet distinctive holes

I have had many questions regarding the holes not developing. The holes are created by the heat causing steam which rises up through the dough and creating bubble pockets that burst and create holes. SOMETIMES THEY MAY NOT DEVELOP, this has happened to me. You can see in the video some of mine don’t have holes. Make sure you use the freshest yeast and baking powder.  Also, only fill the molds to 3/4-inch (2 cm).

I have to admit, I was standing over them a little too eagerly as they cooked and urging on as many bubbles to appear as possible so that would equate to lots of holes. The more holes means more butter melts into the center of the crumpet.

Crumpet making tip

To retain the characteristic holes, it is important not to turn the crumpets too soon.

If you look at the picture above, the bottom one was turned too soon (still wet in the center) and it flattened the dough and closed the holes. You want it to look like the top one. This is also important, because the step is partially cooking the crumpet that you can finish in the toaster.

English crumpets lined up on a board topped with butter

I’m so excited that after many attempts, I have perfected my own crumpet recipe and I’ll never buy store bought again. Why eat rubbery, manufactured crumpets when homemade is so much better?

These are lighter, better tasting and I can control what ingredients put into them, which are all real and nothing I can’t pronounce.

Yield: 6

English Crumpets

4 English crumpets with butter, berries and a cup of tea

Fluffy and light sourdough round breads with characteristic holes all over the top. They are usually served for breakfast or enjoyed as a snack.

Prep Time 50 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Additional Time 1 hour
Total Time 2 hours

Ingredients

  • 1 cup (236 ml) milk, plus 1 tablespoon, warmed to 100– 110 °F (38 - 43°C)
  • 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon instant instant dry yeast
  • 1 cup (150 grams) all-purpose flour
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 4 tablespoons butter (for serving)

Instructions

  1. Add the milk to a mixing bowl, lightly whisk in the sugar and yeast. Allow to sit for 5-10 minutes until you start to see the yeast foam.
  2. Sift in the flour, baking powder, and salt into the milk and sugar and whisk until combined and smooth. Cover the bowl with a towel and leave in a warm place for 50 minutes; the dough should double in size.
  3. Preheat a heavy non-stick frying pan over medium-low heat. You can also use a cast iron skillet.
  4. Grease 4-3 ½ inch (9 ½ cm) metal English muffin molds or cookie cutters with butter or non-stick spray and place them in the skillet.
  5. Spoon 6 tablespoons of batter into the rings until half full, no more than ¾ inch (2 cm) full. Smooth the top to make them even.
  6. Cook for about 5 minutes until the bubbles burst, create holes and the top is no longer shiny. Check the bottoms to make sure they are not browning too fast. The edges should be pulling away from the molds.
  7. Use tongs to remove the rings. If they stick, run a knife around the edge. Use a spatula to flip the crumpets over and brown for 1 minute on the other side.

Nutrition Information

Yield

6

Serving Size

1 crumpet

Amount Per Serving Calories 86Total Fat 1gSaturated Fat 0gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 0gCholesterol 2mgSodium 282mgCarbohydrates 17gFiber 1gSugar 1gProtein 2g

This nutrition calculation is provided by Nutronix that is only a guideline and not intended for any particular diet.

Classic English Scones

4 English Scones on a board with one sandwiched with jam and clotted cream