Crumpets
Vegetarian
Spongy British griddle cakes made from a yeasted batter boosted with bicarbonate, cooked in rings so the top fills with holes to catch melting butter.
Crumpets is a British bread from United Kingdom, ready in about 2 hours 5 minutes and made with all-purpose flour, instant yeast and baking soda. It serves 10 and is rated easy to cook.
- Prep
- 10 min
- Cook
- 40 min
- Rest
- 1 h 15 min
- Total
- 2 h 5 min
- Serves
- 10
- Level
- Easy
- Calories
- 135
Method
Step 1
Whisk (opens in a new tab) the flours, yeast, sugar (opens in a new tab) and salt with the warm milk (opens in a new tab) and 175 ml warm water for 3–4 minutes into a smooth, thick batter — beating develops the gluten that gives crumpets their chew.
How it looks · Photo: Kampus Production on Pexels Step 2
Cover and leave 1 hour in a warm place until risen, very bubbly and starting to fall back.
Step 3
Dissolve the bicarbonate of soda (opens in a new tab) in the remaining 100 ml warm water and beat it into the batter. It should be like thick pouring cream. Rest 15 minutes.
- 2 min
Step 4
Heat a heavy frying pan or griddle over medium-low heat and oil it and the insides of 9–10 cm crumpet or egg rings. Set the rings in the pan and pour in batter about 1.5 cm deep.
- 2 min
- medium-low heat
- Frying pan / skillet (opens in a new tab)
- Griddle / tawa (opens in a new tab)
How it looks · Photo: Muhammad Khawar Nazir on Pexels Step 5
Cook gently for 8–10 minutes until holes appear and the surface is just set and no longer shiny. Lift off the rings, flip and cook the top for 1 minute until pale gold. Repeat, re-greasing the rings each time.
- 30 min
- medium-low heat
If holes don't form, the batter is too thick — add a splash of water. If it seeps out of the rings, the pan isn't hot enough.
Step 6
Cool on a rack, then toast for 2–3 minutes until golden and crisp at the edges and serve hot with plenty of butter (opens in a new tab).
- 3 min
How it looks · Photo: Willians Huerta on Pexels
About this dish
- Origin
- United Kingdom · Well documentedAlso popular in Australia, New ZealandMore food from United Kingdom
- Dish
- Breakfast · Snack · Breads & flatbreads
- Cooking method
- Pan-fried, Fermented
- Taste
- mild, buttery, savoury
- Diet
- Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · No nut ingredientsWith the listed swaps: Vegan, Plant-based, Ovo-vegetarian, Dairy-freeWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
All labels
Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · DASH-style - Good for
- Freezer-friendly · Child-friendly · Budget-friendly
- Cook more with
- All-purpose flour · Instant yeast · Baking soda · Bread flour · Milk · Sugar
- Techniques
- Pan-frying · Fermentation
Allergens
- Contains, can be adapted: Milkfrom milk, butter
- Contains: Wheatfrom all-purpose flour, bread flour
- Contains: Glutenfrom all-purpose flour, bread flour
Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.
Nutrition
135 kcal per serving
Calculated1 serving ≈ 65 g · recipe makes 10
Where the energy comes from
- Protein 12%
- Carbohydrate 71%
- Fat 16%
| Nutrient | Per serving | Per 100 g |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 135 kcal | 207 kcal |
| Protein | 4.1 g | 6.3 g |
| Carbohydrate | 23.8 g | 36.6 g |
| Net carbohydrate | 22.9 g | 35.2 g |
| Sugars | 1.4 g | 2.2 g |
| Added sugars | 0.4 g | 0.6 g |
| Fibre | 0.9 g | 1.4 g |
| Fat | 2.4 g | 3.7 g |
| Saturated fat | 0.5 g | 0.8 g |
| Trans fat | — | — |
| Cholesterol | 2 mg | 3 mg |
| Sodium | 306 mg | 471 mg |
| Salt equivalent | 0.8 g | 1.2 g |
Vitamins & minerals per serving
- Potassium
- 59 mg
- Calcium
- 28 mg
- Iron
- 1.4 mg
- Magnesium
- 10 mg
- Vitamin A (RAE)
- 8 µg
- Vitamin C
- 0 mg
- Vitamin D
- 0.2 µg
- Vitamin B12
- 0.1 µg
- Folate (DFE)
- 98 µg
How these numbers were made
- Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
- Optional ingredients are not included: butter.
- “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
- Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.
Good to know
Tips
- Low, steady heat is everything: the base should be deep brown by the time the top sets.
Common mistakes
- Turning too early, before the top has set, which closes up the holes.
Serve with
- Toasted with butter and honey, jam, Marmite or a poached egg.
Storage
- Keep 2 days in an airtight container or freeze for 2 months.
Reheating
- Toast from fresh or frozen until crisp at the edges.
Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated
Recipe DNA
How this dish is built
Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.
What the dish is built around
Main ingredient
- All-purpose flour150 g
- Bread flour150 g
- Milk175 ml · 180 g
Baker’s notes
Customise in Bread & BakeryTimeline and readiness cues
Mix and knead · about 15 min
Weigh everything. Knead until smooth and elastic: a small piece stretches thin enough to see light through (the windowpane test).
First rise (bulk) · about 1 h 15 min
About doubled, domed, jiggly, with bubbles on the sides. A floured finger poked in leaves a dent that fills slowly.
Bake · about 40 min
Deep golden; bread sounds hollow when tapped underneath, or reads 93–96 °C inside (enriched breads 88–90 °C).
- Start to finish: about 2 h 10 min. Times are a guide — warmth changes everything; follow the cues.
The dough
| Ingredient | Role | Weight | Baker’s % |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-purpose flour | Flour | 150 g | 50% |
| Bread flour | Flour | 150 g | 50% |
| Water | Water | 275 g | 91.7% |
| Milk | Other liquid | 180 g | 60.1% |
| Salt | Salt | 6 g | 2% |
| Instant yeast | Yeast | 4 g | 1.5% |
| Sugar | Sugar | 4 g | 1.4% |
- Total flour
- 300 g
- Hydration
- 91.7%
- With milk, eggs…
- 143.9%
- Wholegrain
- 0%
Hydration = water ÷ flour × 100. Milk is about 87% water and eggs about 75%, so they’re shown separately as “with milk, eggs…”.
- Wet dough (over 75%) — sticky; use wet hands and folds instead of kneading. Ciabatta, focaccia and open sourdough.
- Milk, eggs and other liquids add about 52 points of extra water, so it handles like a 144% dough.
- Salt 2% — normal for bread.
If something goes wrong
Dense, heavy loaf
Likely causes
- Under-kneaded (weak gluten)
- Under-proofed
- Old or dead yeast/starter
- Too much wholegrain flour without extra water
What to do
- Knead to the windowpane stage
- Proof by the poke test, not the clock
- Test yeast in warm water with sugar; feed the starter and use it at its peak
- Add 5–10% more water for wholegrain flours and give them a rest
Gummy or wet crumb
Likely causes
- Under-baked
- Sliced while hot
- Hydration too high for the flour
What to do
- Bake to 93–96 °C inside (cakes: clean skewer)
- Cool completely on a rack before slicing
- Reduce water by 3–5% or use a stronger flour
Spreads flat / no oven spring
Likely causes
- Over-proofed
- Weak shaping (no surface tension)
- Oven not hot enough
- Too much water for the flour
What to do
- Shorten the proof; bake when the poke springs back slowly
- Shape tightly so the skin is taut
- Preheat fully (30+ minutes; with a stone or Dutch oven, 45)
- Lower hydration or use bread flour
Collapsed or sunken middle
Likely causes
- Oven door opened too early
- Too much leavening or sugar
- Under-baked centre
- Over-proofed yeast dough
What to do
- Don't open the oven for the first two-thirds of baking
- Measure leaveners exactly with spoons, levelled
- Test the centre before removing
- Proof less
Pale crust
Likely causes
- Oven too cool
- Too little sugar or no milk/egg for browning
- Over-fermented (yeast ate the sugars)
What to do
- Check the oven with a thermometer
- Brush with egg wash or milk
- Shorten the fermentation
Burnt bottom
Likely causes
- Tray too close to the heat
- Dark tray absorbs more heat
- Too much sugar in the dough
What to do
- Bake on the middle shelf
- Double up trays or use a light-coloured one
- Lower the temperature 10–15 °C and bake a little longer
Crust too hard or thick
Likely causes
- Baked too long at too low a temperature
- No steam at the start
What to do
- Bake hotter for a shorter time
- Add steam for the first 15 minutes (tray of boiling water, or a covered Dutch oven)
- Cool under a tea towel for a softer crust
Big holes or tunnels
Likely causes
- Overmixed batter (cakes, muffins)
- Air trapped while shaping bread
- Uneven proof
What to do
- Mix quick breads only until no dry flour shows
- Degas gently and shape tightly
- Proof covered in an even, warm place
Dough didn't rise
Likely causes
- Dead yeast (expired or killed by hot liquid)
- Kitchen too cold
- Salt in direct contact with fresh yeast
- Starter not active
What to do
- Liquid should be lukewarm (no hotter than 40 °C)
- Proof somewhere warm (an oven with just the light on)
- Mix the salt into the flour, not onto the yeast
- Feed the starter until it doubles in 4–8 hours
Over-proofed (sour smell, collapses when scored)
Likely causes
- Too warm
- Too much yeast
- Left too long
What to do
- Knock back, reshape and proof again briefly (yeast doughs)
- Use less yeast or a cooler proof
- Set a timer and check early with the poke test
Dry or crumbly
Likely causes
- Too much flour (scooped, not weighed)
- Over-baked
- Too little fat or sugar
What to do
- Weigh flour, or spoon it into the cup and level
- Check 5 minutes early
- Don't cut fat or sugar by more than a quarter without another moisture source
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