Crumpets from Guest Susan Van Kirk +Giveaway

MAYA: Please welcome today's guest Susan Van Kirk who will unravel the mystery of what crumpets really are and show us how to make them. She'll also send a book to one reader who comments on the post.

SUSAN: Thank you so much for inviting me to your website to talk about cooking. On a side note, I killed a new hosta plant in my backyard last week, and I’m told it’s impossible to do that. But I did. I mention that because my cooking ability is in the same category; however, I never gave food poisoning to my three children, who lived to be adults after years of my cooking. Obviously, I’m a better cook than hosta-grower. Only by a little. I always wondered what “crumpets” were, as in “tea and crumpets.” Today, we’re going to find out.

This recipe is adapted from one by Lidey Heuck published in the New York Times. 

Yields 10-12 crumpets

Ingredients

1 ½ cups warm water

½ cup whole milk

2 ½ teaspoons active dry yeast

2 ½ cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon granulated sugar

1 ½ teaspoons baking powder

Unsalted butter

(optional) butter, jam 

Directions

Step 1: Heat the milk in a microwave about 30 seconds until warm to touch. Gently whisk in yeast and sugar. Set mixture aside for 5-10 minutes until it is bubbling and a layer of foam forms on the top.

Step 2: Combine the flour, salt and baking powder in a large bowl or stand mixer with a paddle attachment. [I used a food processor.] On medium-low (stand mixer), add 1½ cups of warm water and the milk mixture. Scape down the sides with a rubber spatula occasionally. Mix until a runny, sticky batter forms with only small lumps. Usually one minute.

Step 3: Cover the bowl with a clean dish towel. Let the dough rest in a warm place for 1-1 ½ hours until it is full of bubbles and has doubled in size.

Step 4: Brush a griddle or nonstick skillet lightly with butter and grease the inside of 4 (3 ½ inch) crumpet or English muffin rings. Place the rings in the skillet and heat over medium-high heat about 1 minute until rings and pan are hot.

Step 5: Using a level 1/3-cup measuring cup, spoon the batter into the rings, using a spatula to scrape all of it from the measuring cup. Let the batter cook for 2 minutes, then reduce the heat to medium. Cook, lowering the temperature if the pan begins to smoke. Wait until the surface of the crumpets are completely covered with bubbles (4-6 min.)

Step 6: Use tongs to carefully remove the crumpet rings; then flip and cook the crumpets for 30 seconds to 1 minute. The tops should be completely cooked through and lightly browned. Transfer crumpets to a wire rack to cool.

Step 7: Return the rings to the pan and let them heat up before continuing with next batch of crumpets. You might need to grease the rings again.

Serve crumpets warm with butter and jam. You can also cool them completely and wrap and refrigerate for up to 3 days. You may reheat them in a toaster. To freeze, cool completely and wrap individually in plastic wrap. Freeze for up to 3 months.

I love having tea and crumpets while I’m reading. 

What’s your favorite snack to munch on while you’re reading a great mystery?

I’ll give away a copy of Death in a Ghostly Hue to a lucky commenter in the United States or Canada. I’ll need your email address in your comment to contact you if you’re the winner. This contest ends July 16.

ABOUT THE BOOK

The past never leaves us…
Jill Madison and her brothers have never forgiven Quinn Parsons for driving drunk and killing their parents. When Parsons returns to Apple Grove from his six years in prison, he’s looking for redemption. But his thoughtless actions, so long ago, hurt more residents than the Madisons, Andpeople are now taking bets on how long Quinn will survive. Safe bet.

Meanwhile, the Old Friends senior group at Jill’s art center is rehearsing a radio-play of Oscar Wilde’s “The Canterville Ghost,” a ghostly story of forgiveness. Jill and Angie are convinced a ghost is haunting the art center, and they decide to investigate. That’s never a good idea with these two, who have gotten in and out of trouble together since they met in kindergarten.

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Susan Van Kirk is a Midwest writer, living in downstate Illinois. Her writings include the Endurance Mysteries, a small-town series republished by Harlequin Worldwide Mystery. A Death at Tippitt Pond is a standalone mystery. Her Art Center series includes Death in a Pale Hue, Death in a Bygone Hue, and Death in a Ghostly Hue. She is a member of Mystery Writers of America, Sisters in Crime, and is Past President of the Guppy Chapter of Sisters in Crime. Her website and blog are at https://susanvankirk.com.

Buy Link

https://www.Amazon.com/dp/B0D5NTNGVK


Social Media

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Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/susanivankirk/