Crumpets | Girl, Woman, Other
She showed me how to toast crumpets over the coal fire How to make tea using proper milk and not condensed How to put milk in last and not first
Girl, Woman, Other
Bernadine Evaristo
Girl, Woman, Other is a book I think I devoured within a single weekend. I plucked it from my TBR pile on a whim and began reading, and did not stop. By the end of the weekend I had finished it and was eagerly adding more of Bernadine Evartisto's work to my buy list. I have a particularly fondness for short stories, and the entire book had that atmosphere of it, despite not being short stories.
There is an array of delicious foods mentioned throughout the pages of Girl, Women, Other and choosing to make crumpets from it was a bit of a surprisingly choice, even for myself. I had been wanting to attempt a crumpet recipe however and it seemed like the perfect opportunity. These turned out amazing - so amazing in fact that my partner spent the morning on a continuous trek from the table to the stovetop, where he would pluck a freshly cooked crumpet from the pan every few minutes. We devoured all 14 crumpets in the space of 20 minutes that morning.
These are surprisingly easy to make, but can be a little tricky when first doing them. If you're having issues getting the bubbles to form, try adding a little more water to the mixture. It took a few tries before I was able to get the perfect crumpet out of the pan.
Crumpets
Makes approximately 13 crumpets
Ingredients
430ml milk, lukewarm
100ml water, lukewarm
1 tbsp dry yeast
1 tsp bi-carb soda
1 tsp caster sugar
300g plain flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp vegetable oil
Combine the yeast, warm milk, sugar and warm water together. Leave for about five minutes or until it begins to froth a little.
Sift in the flour, bicarb and salt into a large bowl, make a well in the centre and add the yeast mixture. Whisk well - it should have the consistency of thick cream, if it's too thick add a splash more water. Cover with cling wrap and leave in a warm place for 45 minutes.
After 45 minutes have passed, the mixture should have a lot of tiny bubbles all over the surface. It may have thickened during this time also, so don't be scared to add a little more water in. If it's too thick, the bubbles won't form properly when cooking.
Heat a frying pan on medium heat, grease two egg rings and the pan. Arrange the rings in the pan and spoon the mixture into each - don't leave it go over the top of the rings. They will take around 5 - 10 minutes to cook, but bubbles should begin to appear on the tops of each crumpet. When it's at this stage, you can remove the rings with some tongs - or hands if you're feeling particularly daring - and flip the crumpets. Cook on the other side for no more than 1 minute - just to brown the top.
Repeat the process with the remaining mixture and enjoy hot with butter and jam!