How to make fluffy homemade Sourdough Crumpets
Want to learn how to make fluffy homemade Sourdough Crumpets? Well, you're in the right place. Yay! These Sourdough Crumpets are everything you have dreamed of - they are crisp on the outside, soft on the inside. They are fluffy, thick and just the right amount of melt-in-your-mouth delicious. They are so amazing that every time I make them, I eat the first one completely PLAIN. Uh huh. No butter, no honey, nothing. They are that good. And I regret nothing. This is the stuff weekend dreams are made of.
FAQs
What is sourdough starter?
Sourdough starter is cultivated wild yeast that is in a form we can use for baking.
How does sourdough starter work?
You add plain flour and water to the starter, and as the microbes eat the sugars in the flour, they exhale carbon dioxide, producing the billowy bubbles. When you see these beautiful bubbles, it means the sourdough starter is ready to use to make light and fluffy sourdough bread. Because sourdough starter is "living", it needs to be "fed" with equal parts flour and water every week. You can watch this process here where I share my experience with getting the sourdough starter, started.
Is sourdough starter the same as yeast?
No, while yeast is almost always ready to use, sourdough starter is not.
Are they sugar free?
Yes! My recipe for these delicious Sourdough Crumpets is sugar free. But that's not including the honey I lavished all over them just before eating them all in these photos :)
Crumpets are definitely having a moment here in Australia, and I've seen a few packs floating around at markets and fruit shops, but they are really expensive. I have also seen a lot of iterations but truthfully, I haven't seen many sourdough crumpets. So I thought, why not make some?
In order to have crumpets with sourdough, you need to begin with a sourdough starter. Last month I bought some sourdough starter from Noosa Sourdough Co; I was curious after seeing it at a few local fruit shops and decided to buy it. I have always wanted to make sourdough bread, but like so many people before me and probably you too, I have been very intimidated by the process because it seems so daunting and complex. Instead of starting with bread, I wanted to dip my toes into the world of sourdough with something a little easier. Hello Sourdough Crumpets! If you have been following along on Instagram lately, you'll know I have been testing my recipe. It's perfect if you've never made sourdough but have wanted to give it a go with a simple and easy sourdough recipe.
What you'll need:
An airtight container (must have a lid)
Kitchen scales
Pan
8 x non-stick egg rings (will make 4 crumpets at a time)
Tongs
Very Important Note
Your sourdough starter is a living product, so each week you need to "feed" the sourdough starter with at least 50g plain flour and 50g water. Think of it as watering a plant. You water an indoor plant once a week, so you feed your sourdough starter once a week with equal parts plain flour and water.
How to make fluffy homemade Sourdough Crumpets
Servings
6
Prep Time
15 minutes
Cook Time
15 minutes
Want to learn how to make fluffy homemade Sourdough Crumpets? Well, you're in the right place. Yay! These Sourdough Crumpets are everything you have dreamed of - they are crisp on the outside, soft on the inside. They are fluffy, thick and just the right amount of melt-in-your-mouth delicious. They are so amazing that every time I make them, I eat the first one completely PLAIN. Uh huh. No butter, no honey, nothing. They are that good. And I regret nothing. This is the stuff weekend dreams are made of.
Ingredients
Sourdough Starter
Sourdough starter, I used the most beautiful starter from Noosa Sourdough Co.
80g plain flour
90g tap water
150g plain flour
150g tap water
Sourdough Crumpets
200g sourdough starter (that you have made above)
80g plain flour
90g water
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp sea salt
Toppings
Butter
Honey
Directions
How to make the Sourdough Starter
Empty contents of the Noosa Sourdough Co Sourdough Starter (15g) into the bowl of an airtight container. Add plain flour and mix with a fork to combine. Add water and mix really well with a fork to combine. Cover the airtight container with its lid.
Leave the container on your kitchen bench, in a warm spot, for 24 to 48 hours, stirring occasionally. Once you see some bubbles on the top, it is ready. Add 150g plain flour and 150g water to the mixture, and stir thoroughly with a fork. Set aside in the fridge overnight.
How to make the Sourdough Crumpets
Add 200g sourdough starter you have made above, 80g plain flour, 90g water, 1 tsp baking powder and a pinch of sea salt to a mixing bowl. Mix thoroughly with a spoon.
Set a large pan on low heat. Grease the egg rings generously with butter. When the pan feels warm, add a knob of butter into the pan and wait for it to melt. Stack two egg rings on top of each other (it's actually very easy to do) and repeat until all of you egg rings have been stacked. Using an ice cream scoop, or a measuring spoon, or a cookie scoop, or a spoon, dollop an equal amount (to the best of your ability) of sourdough batter into the egg rings. The batter should at least reach the top of the first egg ring. Because of the baking powder, the batter should double in size and reach the top (or close to) of the second egg ring.
Cooking these crumpets is all about taking the low and slow approach. Slowly as the batter cooks, it'll rise and eventually you will start seeing it bubble and holes appear at the top of the surface. The edges will start to look translucent as it cooks.
When you start seeing lots of bubbles on top and the translucent edges start to get closer to the middle of the top of the crumpet, pull the egg rings up and off using tongs. Melt another knob of butter in the pan, flip the crumpets over. The bottoms should be a lovely golden colour. Cook the crumpets for another couple of minutes until the top is lightly golden in colour.
Serve straight away with butter and honey, or your choice of topping!
An extra note:
What is sourdough starter?
Sourdough starter is cultivated wild yeast that is in a form we can use for baking.
How does sourdough starter work?
You add plain flour and water to the starter, and as the microbes eat the sugars in the flour, they exhale carbon dioxide, producing the billowy bubbles. When you see these beautiful bubbles, it means the sourdough starter is ready to use to make light and fluffy sourdough bread. Because sourdough starter is "living", it needs to be "fed" with equal parts flour and water every week. You can watch this process here where I share my experience with getting the sourdough starter, started.
Is sourdough starter the same as yeast?
No, while yeast is almost always ready to use, sourdough starter is not.
