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    Home » Breakfast

    Crumpets

    Published: Jan 21, 2022 · by Elizabeth Waterson · This post may contain affiliate links, which may pay me a small commission for my referral at no extra cost to you! Thank you for supporting Confessions of a Baking Queen!

    Jump to Recipe
    hand holding a crumpet above a rack of more crumpets on a light brown surface

    Soft, chewy, and topped with tons of delicate holes, this recipe for crumpets will have you swooning at breakfast! Step-by-step photos teach you how to bake this quintessential British bread!

    crumpet served on a black plate on a blue linen with a cup of coffee on a light brown background

    Growing up in a British family in America there are a few food items that are favorites but unfortunately not too frequently enjoyed because of the lack of availability here in the States. Crumpets are one of those foods, you can find some store-bought crumpets at some Trader Joe's but to be honest, they aren't my favorite. Nothing compares to the iconic Warburtons Crumpets. My absolute favorite, we always load up in England and will often smuggle some back into the States!

    These are best served warm, reheating and toasting them is the way we enjoy. My ideal way is to enjoy a warm toasted crumpet slathered with a thick schmear of Lurpak butter. And sometimes butter and jam. Some enjoy honey on top too!

    hand holding a half eaten crumpet

    So when I saw that Warburtons released their iconic recipe I knew I had to try it myself. The first time I made these was with my mom, we were both shocked it had taken us so many years to make them for ourselves. So easy and so delicious. I adjusted the Warburtons recipe to use one standard American packet of yeast, 2 ¼ teaspoons. This recipe makes 12 crumpets using a 3.5-inch ring, I tried using 3-inch rings and we felt they were just too small.

    The beauty of crumpets is that they freeze beautifully. You will adore this tasty bread recipe.

    butter spread on to a crumpet served on a white plate next to a cup of coffee and a blue and white linen

    Let's get to the recipe

    Jump to:
    • What are crumpets
    • Ingredients
    • Instructions
    • How to freeze
    • Can you double
    • More British recipes
    • Recipe Card
    • Recipe Ratings & Comments

    What are crumpets

    Crumpets are a British unsweetened griddle cake. Made from only six ingredients this porous bread is best served toasted with generous amounts of butter, jam, and/ or honey.

    The texture is lightly spongey that soaks the topping up beautifully.

    Ingredients

    For these delicious bites of carb heaven you only need a few ingredients:

    • Instant Yeast. You'll need to use rapid rise or instant yeast for this bread recipe.
    • Warm Water. The water needs to be at the correct temperature to activate the yeast.
    • All-Purpose Flour. Also known as plain flour, just make sure you measure your flour properly. Too much or too little flour could potentially ruin the recipe.
    • Salt. You may think it sounds like a lot of salt but the salt helps give the dough great flavor.
    • Sugar. Just a smidge helps feed the crumpet batter.
    • Baking Powder. You'll want to make sure your baking powder is fresh so it activates properly.
    • Butter. I like to use butter to cook the crumpets it gives them a gorgeous golden brown exterior.

    There is one other key component the crumpet rings. You could use egg rings or cookie cutters that are heatproof, but ideally they will not have a top piece that you can easily hold a cookie cutter with, because it will be hard to flip out the crumpet.

    You can cook them in a non-stick frying pan, cast iron pan, or a stainless steel pan greased well.

    crumpets stacked on top of each other on a wire rack on a light brown surface

    Instructions

    First thing is you need to activate your yeast, if it doesn't activate then your crumpets will not turn out.

     In a small bowl combine the yeast and 2.5 tablespoons of warm water. It is critical that you use the right temperature of water for your brand of yeast, mine is 120F-130F. I use a thermometer to check the temperature as you want to make sure you activate your yeast without burning and killing it. Whisk it together then let it sit aside for 5 minutes it should get nice and foamy.

    yeast activated in water in a liquid measuring cup on a light brown surface

    In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment or a large bowl, needs to be large enough for the batter to almost double in size. Now with a whisk combine the flour, remaining water, and salt.

    water poured into bowl of dry ingredients in a metal bowl on a light brown surface with a blue linen

    Mix for 2-3 minutes in a stand mixer on low-medium speed or for 5 minutes whisking by hand.

    Now add in the baking powder, sugar, and yeast mixture. Mix for another 30 seconds to a minute everything should be completely combined.

    crumpet batter in a metal bowl on a light brown surface with blue linen

    Cover the bowl with a clean tea towel and place it in a warm environment to proof for 15-20 minutes.  I turn my oven on to 200F/93C and turn it off to create a warm but not too hot place for the batter to rest. When ready the crumpet batter will have lots of air bubbles, about 15-20 minutes.

    crumpet batter after resting in a large metal bowl on a light brown surface

    Place a non-stick frying pan over medium heat add half a tablespoon of butter and swirl around. Take your round cutters and heavily butter them. I take a paper towel and rub some butter inside each round cutter.

    butter rubbed onto metal ring with a paper towel over a metal pan
    crumpet batter poured into metal rings in a metal pan

    Place the buttered cutters inside the pan so they are sitting completely flat. I like to use a large ice cream scoop but two spoons will work to drop the batter into the round cutter. You do not want to fill them more than halfway full.

    three crumpets in the middle of cooking on a metal pan

    Cook on medium-high for 2-3 minutes until you start to see lots of bubbles popping then reduce the temperature to low, and cook for another 2-4 minutes or so until the top of the crumpet no longer looks wet and there are lots of empty holes.

    close up of crumpets cooking in a metal pan

    Take a piece of butter and place it in the pan to melt then remove the rings and turn the crumpets down onto the butter. This helps create a gorgeous golden brown crumpet top. Cook for an additional minute or two.

    piece of butter added to pan for crumpet to cook in a metal pan
    hand holding a crumpet on top of the pan showing its golden brown

    Transfer cooked crumpets to a wire rack to cool completely.

    Store at room temperature in an airtight container for up to three days or freeze. 

    crumpets cooling on a wire rack on top of a blue linen on a light brown surface

    How to freeze

    Let the crumpets cool completely then transfer to a freezer-safe container in an even layer. Flash-freeze for an hour or two then you can stack them in your freezer not in an even layer.

    To thaw the crumpets let them sit in the fridge overnight or you can toast right away. Since crumpets are quite small you can transfer from the freezer directly to the toaster. Depending on the strength of your toaster you may need to toast on both sides.

    hand holding a crumpet above a rack of more crumpets on a light brown surface

    Can you double

    You can certainly double the recipe, this would be a great to have a nice big freezer stash. Make sure that you use a very large bowl so the batter has room to proof.

    More British recipes

    Another delicious British classic are sausage rolls, so easy to make and so delicious!

    An afternoon tea treat we all love is my Bakewell Tart recipe.

    Our favorite dessert has to be Sticky Toffee Pudding, it never disappoints!

    crumpets served with melted butter on a black plate on top of a blue and white linen with a cup of coffee in the background

    ★★★★★ Please let me know if you make this recipe by leaving a star rating and comment below!

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    crumpet served on a black plate on top of a blue linen

    Crumpets

    ★★★★★

    5 from 4 reviews

    Print Recipe
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    Soft, chewy, and topped with tons of delicate holes this recipe for crumpets will have you swooning at breakfast! Step-by-step photos teach you how to bake this quintessential British bread!

    • Total Time: 55 minutes
    • Yield: 12 Crumpets 1x

    Ingredients

    Units Scale
    • 2 ¼ Teaspoons ( 1 Standard- American Packet) Instant Yeast
    • 15.2oz ( 1 ¾ Cup + 2.5 Tablespoons) Warm Water
    • 338 grams (2.5 Cups + 3 Tablespoons +1 Teaspoon) All-Purpose Flour
    • 1 Teaspoon Salt
    • 1 Teaspoon Sugar
    • 2 ¼ Teaspoon Baking Powder
    • Butter, for cooking

    Instructions

    1.  In a small bowl combine the yeast and 2.5 tablespoons of warm water. Make sure you use the right temperature of water for your brand of yeast, mine is 120F-130F. I use a thermometer to check as you want to make sure you activate your yeast without burning and killing it. Whisk it together then let it sit aside for 5 minutes it should get nice and foamy.
    2. In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment or a large bowl with a whisk combine the flour, remaining water, and salt. Mix for 2-3 minutes in a stand mixer on low-medium speed or for 5 minutes whisking by hand.
    3. Now add in the baking powder, sugar, and yeast mixture. Mix for another 30 seconds to a minute everything should be completely combined. Cover the mixing bowl with a clean tea towel and place it in a warm environment to proof for 15-20 minutes.  I turn my oven on to 200F/93C and turn it off to create a warm but not too hot place for the batter to rest. When ready the crumpet batter will have lots of air bubbles, should take about 15-20 minutes.
    4. Place a non-stick frying pan over medium heat add half a tablespoon of butter and swirl around. Take your round cutters and heavily butter them. I take a paper towel and rub some butter inside each round cutter.
    5. Place the buttered cutters inside the pan so they are sitting completely flat. I like to use a large ice cream scoop but two spoons will work to drop the batter into the round cutter. You do not want to fill them more than halfway full. Cook on medium-high for 2-3 minutes until you start to see lots of bubbles popping then reduce the temperature to low and cook for another 2-4 minutes or so until the top of the crumpet no longer looks wet and there are lots of empty holes. Take a piece of butter and place it in the pan to melt then remove the metal ring and flip the crumpet down onto the butter. This helps create a gorgeous golden brown crumpet top. Cook for an additional minute or two, carefully check for a golden brown top with no wet batter. 
    6. Transfer cooked crumpets to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container for up to three days or freeze. 

    Equipment

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    Stainless Steel Rings

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    • Author: Elizabeth Waterson I Confessions of a Baking Queen
    • Prep Time: 25
    • Cook Time: 30
    • Category: Breakfast
    • Method: Cook
    • Cuisine: British

    Keywords: how to make crumpets, english crumpet recipe, british crumpets

    Did you make this recipe?

    Tag @confessionsofabakingqueen on Instagram and hashtag it #cbqbakes

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    Recipe Source: Warbutrons

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    1. Karen says

      January 15, 2022 at 12:40 pm

      I moved here from England and these bring back so many great memories, I would eat a Warburtons crumpet every day. These are just as good!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Elizabeth Waterson says

        January 17, 2022 at 1:51 pm

        Thank you for the lovely review, Karen! You truly cannot beat a crumpet!! Take care. XX Liz

        Reply
    2. Lydia says

      January 24, 2022 at 12:20 pm

      I have made these so many times, I love warming them up the next day in the toaster!!!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
    3. max nomad says

      July 18, 2022 at 3:17 pm

      i likes me a nice bit a crumpet.. with cheese n marmite usually ;P

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Elizabeth Waterson says

        July 19, 2022 at 10:52 pm

        Ooo I have never tried with marmite gotta change that!!

        Reply
    4. Doris says

      March 02, 2023 at 5:51 am

      This recipe was surprisingly easy and only took an hour from start to finish. I didn’t have the beautiful results like yours. I think my yeast was old or I used water that was too hot. I didn’t have the large number of bubbles and few eventually popped. Plus my centers should have been more firm so I probably didn’t cook them long enough. I plan to try again in the near future. Thanks for sharing.

      ★★★★★

      Reply

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    Waterson, Elizabeth Cropped Size Photo CAke copy 2

    Hiya! I am Elizabeth Waterson, welcome to my treat-filled site. After spending 15 years in the restaurant industry and growing up baking, I wanted to share my love of baking with you all. My step-by-step tutorials will help you learn how to bake at home. Confessions of a Baking Queen (CBQ) has been featured in CBS LA, HuffPost Taste, BuzzFeed, Taste of Home, and more! Here you will find loads of sweet recipes with a few savory ones for good measure. Feel free to message me with any questions! Happy Baking! 

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