Nothing says summer more than a nice afternoon tea with friends in the shadow of a lovely tree! Okay, maybe I'm behind the times but it's nice to have a nostalgic visit to bygone days. If you are lucky enough to live in a city or village that still has a nice tea house, why not make that date for a Summer Tea with some good friends.
Hubby and I have gone back to making a lot of baked goods. Breads, rolls, and of course crumpets and English Muffins.
We are not into the cakes so much, even though they can be part of an afternoon tea. Somehow with our age, the sweets just aren't as appetizing as they once were. I guess we are concerned for our aging figures, NOT! But the truth is that we prefer the savory things over the sweets. I know, we are weird, but that is how it is for us. If you enjoy the sweets go right ahead and enjoy.
I'm sharing with you our recipe for some lovely crumpets that are light airy and can be used in many ways. So Here you go:
CRUMPETS FOR HIGH TEA AND MORE (yield for recipe 6 crumpets)
INGREDIENTS:
150 g (1 cup) white flour, plain all purpose flour works
200 ml (3/4 cup + 1 TBSP) warm water (warm and not cold)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp white sugar
1 tsp baking powder
YEAST MIXTURE
1 tsp yeast (instant or rapid rise works)
1 TBSP warm water
DURING COOKING
2 TBSP unsalted or sweet butter
Now the the how to!
- Place flour, water and salt in a bowl and whisk for 2minutes
- Dissolve the yeast into 1 TBSP warm water in a small bowl
- add yeast mixture sugar and baking powder into a bowl and whisk it all for 30 seconds
- cover with cling wrap or a plate and place in a very warm place for 15 to 30 minutes until the surface becomes nice and foamy. This will not double like bread does, but it will increase in volume a little bit.
Now let's continue making crumpets!
Grease 2 or 3 rings, or better yet, spray them with non-stick spray.
In a non-stick skillet coat with some melted butter and then add the rings to the skillet as well.
On medium high heat warm the skillet and rings.
Pour 1/4 cup batter into the rings. Do not over fill, they will rise in the rings.
Cook on medium heat for 1 and 1/2 minutes and then on low heat for another 2 to 4 minutes. Bubbles should stop showing up on the surface of your crumpets.
When this is happening, it's time to flip the crumpet over and cook for just 30 seconds on the other side,without the rings.
Transfer to a cooling rack for a few minutes and enjoy! Some people say they are better on day 2. But I can't help myself, they are usually gone very quickly.
Now this might seem like a lot of work, but if you have nice cool day, you can make these up and any number and freeze them for a later date.
Don't forget to invite you friends to join you for some fresh baked crumpets and honey, jam or fresh fruit compote. Yum!
