English crumpets are a classic breakfast food! These tasty crumpets are full of holes – perfect for soaking up plenty of butter and jam.
Crumpets are soft breakfast breads that are full of lovely little holes. Those holes are perfect for soaking up plenty of butter, jam, or honey.
This authentic English crumpet recipe is so easy to make! You’ll only need a few simple, pantry-staple ingredients to make them. The recipe is a great starter yeast recipe, and it takes just 5 minutes of hand-on time to prep.
I’ve been a fan of crumpets as a tasty alternative to English muffins for years. Try this simple recipe, and you’ll end up with delicious crumpets that are sure to become a breakfast favorite at your house!
Ingredient notes and substitutions
- Whole milk: Whole milk makes for richer crumpets. You could substitute 2% milk if you prefer.
- Instant yeast: You could use an equal amount of active dry yeast in place of the instant yeast.
- Sugar: The small amount of sugar helps to aid in activating the yeast.
- Vegetable oil: Or substitute another type of oil, like avocado oil or olive oil.
How to make English crumpets
Here you’ll find step-by-step photos showing how to make this recipe. The full recipe, including instructions, is given below.
Step 1: In a medium bowl, whisk together the warm milk, yeast, sugar, and warm water. Let it sit until it looks foamy, about 5-10 minutes. If it doesn’t foam, start over or the crumpets will be dense.
Step 2: In a large mixing bowl, sift the flour, salt and baking soda together.
Step 3: Stir in the yeast mixture until combined.
Step 4: Put the mixing bowl in a warm spot and let it sit for 45 minutes. After the resting time, the mixture will have increased and should look very bubbly and active.
Step 5: Place a non stick skillet over a low heat.
Step 6: Grease the inside of the crumpet rings with vegetable oil and put them inside the skillet.
Step 7: Pour a level 1/4 cup of crumpet batter into each crumpet ring. The rings should be about two-thirds full.
Step 8: Cook for 4-5 minutes after which time you will notice bubbles appearing on the surface. These bubbles are what make the characteristic holes on the crumpets. If you overfill the crumpet rings or cook them on a heat that is too high you will not get as many holes.
Step 9: When the surface of the crumpets are covered with holes and you can see the sides of the crumpets are golden brown, carefully slide the crumpet rings off. The rings will be hot so be careful.
Step 10: You can flip the crumpets over but you may lose some of the holes where the batter on top is still a little wet. For perfect crumpets finish them by cooking them under a hot broiler for a few seconds.
Step 11: Serve immediately while still warm or store the crumpets in an airtight container and toast to reheat later.
Recipe Tips!
- Crumpet rings: For this recipe, I use crumpet rings that measure 8.5cm in diameter. You can use larger ones if you wish, but I wouldn’t recommend using anything smaller. You could also use pastry rings or deep cookie cutters as long as they are heatproof. This recipe won’t work unless you have a ring to contain the batter.
- Greasing: To grease the crumpet rings dip your index finger into some vegetable oil then wipe your finger around the inside of each crumpet ring. When the first round of crumpets are cooked, leave the rings to cool for a minute and then repeat greasing.
- Filling: The crumpet rings should be around two-thirds full. If you fill them more than this you will not get as many holes on the surface.Â
- Cooking: When you’re ready to cook the crumpets do so with a non stick skillet over a very low heat. The crumpets take 4-5 minutes to cook and if the heat is too high the bottoms will burn.Â
- Checking for doneness: The crumpet rings should easily slide off. If they don’t this means your crumpets aren’t quite cooked so leave for another minute or so.
Serving suggestions
Crumpets are loved for their comforting and delicious qualities and are a staple breakfast item in many English households. Serve them smothered with butter and jam, honey butter, or for a savory option, serve them topped with a poached egg.Â
Storage
The crumpets can be eaten immediately after cooking while they are still warm. Any leftovers should be stored in an airtight container.
Crumpets will keep for 4 days at room temperature when properly stored. They can be reheated up in a toaster, under the broiler, or in a dry skillet.
Crumpets also freeze very well and can be frozen for up to 3 months.
More breakfast bread recipes!
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English Crumpets
Equipment
- 4 x 8.5cm crumpet rings or similar
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups warm whole milk at about 110ºF
- 2 packets instant yeast 4 ½ teaspoons
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup warm water about 80ºF
- 2 ½ cups all purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- vegetable oil for greasing
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the warm milk, yeast, sugar, and warm water. Let it sit until it looks foamy, about 5-10 minutes. If it doesn’t foam, start over or the crumpets will be dense.
- In a large mixing bowl, sift the flour, salt and baking soda together.
- Stir in the yeast mixture until combined.
- Put the mixing bowl in a warm spot and let it sit for 45 minutes. After the resting time, the mixture will have increased and should look very bubbly and active.
- Place a non stick skillet over a low heat.
- Grease the inside of the crumpet rings with vegetable oil and put them inside the skillet.
- Pour a level 1/4 cup of crumpet batter into each crumpet ring. The rings should be about two-thirds full.
- Cook for 4-5 minutes after which time you will notice bubbles appearing on the surface. These bubbles are what make the characteristic holes on the crumpets. If you overfill the crumpet rings or cook them on a heat that is too high you will not get as many holes.
- When the surface of the crumpets are covered with holes and you can see the sides of the crumpets are golden brown, carefully slide the crumpet rings off. The rings will be hot so be careful.
- You can flip the crumpets over but you may lose some of the holes where the batter on top is still a little wet. For perfect crumpets finish them by cooking them under a hot broiler for a few seconds.
- Serve immediately while still warm or store the crumpets in an airtight container and toast to reheat later.
Nutrition
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