In Honor of Mrs. Pattmore--Crumpets

As Downton Abbey came to an end, I find myself this weekend, going through withdraws!  The beloved series on PBS kept us all wondering what the Crawley family was up to and how the changing of times closed the gap between the downstair's help and the privileged elite upstairs.

Admittedly, I am going to miss it, especially Mrs. Pattmore, who cooked and baked each week for a family she respected and they respected her.  I couldn't help but chuckle when an electric mixer was introduced and it reminded me of a similar occasion with my mother and a Cuisinart Food Processor! I still can hear my Mom saying, "that's not making bread in one of those contraptions!"  She came around, as Mrs. Pattmore did, and bought one herself after I showed her how easy it was to mix and knead dough in.

So, the last few days, I made Brown Sugar Shortbread Cookies and this morning, Crumpets.  They're very simple to do and with the help of rings, you can pull these off too.

Crumpets
1 cup + 3 T milk
1/4 cup water
2 cups + 2 T King Arthur Bread Flour
1 T dried yeast
1/2 tsp. granulated sugar

Melted butter for greasing the rings

Heat the milk and water together in a small saucepan until just warm enough to put your finger in and hold it for a few seconds.

Place the remaining ingredients in a medium mixing bowl and make a well in the center.  When the liquid is the right temperature, pour it in the center and stir with a rubber spatula to make a smooth batter.  Don't overheat, stop as soon as it is smooth!  Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and leave in a warm place for 45 minutes.

The batter will rise, forming bubbles and become sticky.

Melt about 3 Tablespoons of butter in a small saucepan.  Put a flat griddle or large heavy-based frying pan on the stove over medium heat.  Brush the rings with the melted butter.  When the butter is sizzling, spoon about 3-4 tablespoons of batter into each ring.

Turn down the heat to low and continue cooking for 10-15 minutes until the crumpet tops are almost cooked, with just a hint of undercooked mixture.

Remove the crumpet rings and flip the crumpet over, using an off-set spatula.

Cook for 2 minutes more.  You can place them in a low oven to keep warm while you cook the remainder batter.  Recipe made 10 crumpets.

You can serve straight away with butter and jam or whipped honey, but they can also be toasted.

As Isobel and Violet said...

Isobel (Wilton): "What else could we drink to? We're going forward into the future, not back into the past."
Dowager Countess: "If only we had the choice."

My choice would be for this series to never end, but then no one asked me.  Enjoy!!