Tea And Crumpets

Day 159: There is a lot of confusion regarding crumpets, especially in the United States. They are not the same thing as English muffins, no, although both were originally made on a griddle. Nowadays, English muffins are more likely baked, and they are breadlike in texture. A crumpet, on the other hand, is softer and full of holes. Imagine, if I may be so bold as to suggest, an English muffin crossed with a pancake: thicker than a pancake, but with a similar tender bite. There is no "crunch" to a crumpet unless it is toasted, and they are generally served whole, not split. Many cooks will insist that an "authentic" crumpet is made with milk in the batter. I'm not sure how much more "authentic" you could get than the recipe I use, which comes from a retired chef from Sunderland (northern Great Britain), but it contains no milk at all. Crumpets are made with a batter as opposed to a dough, stirred rather than kneaded. Some people say that they should only be cooked on one side, others flip them to brown both sides as I do. Perhaps the most important feature of crumpets is a surface dotted with holes. These serve to trap lavish quantities of butter, preserves or other toppings. Whatever recipe you use, crumpets are delicious. Just don't call them English muffins.