These mini yet indulgent pieces of griddle bread are made soft, spongy and porous to trap and hold copious amounts of melted butter, maple syrup and even berry compote.
Ingredients
- 1 vanilla bean, split lengthways, seeds removed, pod reserved
- 2⅓ cups (580 ml) warm water
- 3⅓ cups (500 g) bread flour
- 1 tsp brown sugar
- 2 tsps (7 g sachet) dried yeast
- ¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
- 2 tsps fine sea salt
- Butter, to serve
Steps
Process vanilla seeds with remaining ingredients until smooth. Keep mixture in processor with lid on; stand in a warm place for 30 mins.
Lightly grease four 8 cm egg rings or round cutters with oil. Lightly grease a large non-stick frying pan with oil then place over high heat. Place rings in pan; fill each ring with a scant ¼ cup of batter. Reduce heat to medium; cook for 5 mins or until tops have bubbles and batter tops look dry. Turn crumpets over. Remove rings; cook a further 3 mins or until golden brown.
Serve warm crumpets with butter.
TIP Use your hand to fill the ¼ cup measures of crumpet mixture as it’s difficult to handle with a spoon. You can use more than one frying pan and extra egg rings to make cooking faster. Save the vanilla pod and place in a jar of sugar for vanilla infused sugar. Or use as a stirrer for warm milk or hot chocolates. You can use 1 tsp vanilla extract instead of the vanilla bean if preferred. Crumpets will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days.
Photo: bauersyndication.com.au