Make these delicious and quintessentially English crumpets for your Secret Garden tea time, serve toasted with butter and raspberry jam.
“It was an agreeable idea, easily carried out, and when the white cloth was spread upon the grass, with hot tea and buttered toast and crumpets, a delightfully hungry meal was eaten, and several birds on domestic errands paused to inquire what was going on and were led into investigating crumbs with great activity.
Nut and Shell whisked up trees with pieces of cake and Soot took the entire half of a buttered crumpet into a corner and pecked at and examined and turned it over and made hoarse remarks about it until he decided to swallow it all joyfully in one gulp.”
The Secret Garden,
Frances Hodgson Burnett
In The Secret Garden, we are introduced to Soot, Dickon’s clever pet crow. Found as an abandoned fledgling, Soot was nursed back to health by Dickon, forming a deep bond of trust. Soot often accompanies Dickon on the Yorkshire moor and into the secret garden. His lively antics and intelligence add a fun whimsy to the children’s time within the garden.
Today, we will make delicious English crumpets inspired by the scene in which Soot grabs an entire half of a buttered crumpet and eventually swallows it in one joyful gulp! Below you’ll find the recipe. We suggest pairing these crumpets with copious amounts of butter and raspberry jam, and of course, Yorkshire Gold for a proper British brew!
Funnily enough, a huge crow swooped into our backyard the very same day I made these crumpets! Sadly, he didn’t stick around long enough for me to snap a picture. It would have been absolutely amazing if he had perched on the table and posed next to my Blue Willow teapot! But alas, he flew off before I could even reach for my phone. You can stage food… but animals? Not so much!
Be sure to check out all our Secret Garden inspired activities here.
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English Crumpets Recipe
Ingredients:
- 1 c water (lukewarm)
- 1 tsp Instant or active dried yeast
- 1 tsp sugar
- ¾ c all-purpose flour
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 T olive oil or 2 T softened butter (set aside in a bowl for greasing the crumpet rings)
- 4 to 6 crumpet rings for this recipe (metal cookie cutters can be substituted if you don’t have rings)
Instructions:
1. Mix the sugar and yeast in warm water, then allow the yeast to activate for 10 minutes until it foams up.
2. Pour the yeast mixture to a bowl. Add the sifted flour, baking powder and salt to the bowl, and mix together for 2 minutes with a whisk (or 1 minute with an electric mixer.
3. Scrape down the sides then cover the bowl and let it rest it in a warm spot for 45 minutes until it’s active and bubbly.
4. Heat an electric griddle or large nonstick frying pant to 375°F.
5. Using a pastry brush, coat the inside of one of the rings with the butter and oil mixture, then place the ring into the hot pan.
6. Spoon the mixture into the hot ring to about halfway up. Do the same for 3-5 more rings (one at a time) careful not to overcrowd the pan.
7. After 5 minutes the classic crumpet bubbles will start to appear from the edges of the crumpets. Simply take a small pointy knife to pop any bubbles.
8. Once each crumpet has dried out around the edges, use your oven mitts to lift off the rings.
9. As the centers appear less gooey, then carefully turn them over to brown off the tops.
10. Once they are golden brown on the tops, remove them from the pan and transfer them onto a wire rack to cool. (You can freeze them or keep them in the fridge until ready to eat.)
To serve, pop them in the toaster for a couple of minutes, then serve with butter and raspberry jam while they’re piping hot. (Clotted cream is delicious on them as well.)
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