Traditional British Tea Time: Crumpets

A wonderful and meticulous recipe from the British teatime tradition. Perfect for afternoons, for kids after school or for big family breakfasts. Crumpets are neither like crepes, nor like waffles, they are totally original yumminess. If you have doubts throughout or if you question whether it will be worth all the hassle, trust me, it does! Takes about a couple of hours to make, just beware.

Ingredients:
350 gr white flour
15 gr dry yeast
1 teaspoon icing sugar or caster sugar
350 ml warm milk
150-200 ml warm water
1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda 
1 teaspoon salt 
Oil
4 10 cm metal rings  

How to:

1. Take the flour into a deep bowl and mix with the dry yeast. 

2. Melt the sugar inside warm milk and add into the flour, immediately start mixing with a wooden spoon. You need to keep mixing for about 5 minutes. This step is very important as it will help make the air bubbles while the dough is frying on the pan.

3. Cover with a cling film and leave to rest for about an hour. The dough will rise, then will start shrinking back. You can see it from the stain on the bowl's edge.

Waiting for the first hour to rise. 

4. Mix the bicarbonate of soda with warm milk and beat into the risen dough slowly. Do not add the water all at once; pour and mix little by little until it becomes creamy. Then, cover and rest for another 20 minutes.

5. Now you have to have a big fluffy dough with plenty of air bubbles inside (seen on the surface). 

6. Grease the metal tins. Put some oil in the pan and spoon two or three tablespoons of the mixture into the round metal tins. Cook for 4-5 minutes on each side, until the bubbles rise and the surface at the bottom is flat. Turn over slowly.

 Ready to be turned over.
I tried two different sizes of tins and decided the 10 cm one is perfect. 

7. Serve when hot and always with butter and jam and/or honey. If you are not going to serve it immediately, you can always warm your crumpets in the toaster. It can be consumed the next day as well. Enjoy!