This is the crumpet recipe released by Warburtons, the UK’s biggest commercial crumpet maker. They’re an absolute dead ringer for store bought – except far better – with the signature holes, distinct “spongey” texture, perfect for toasting. If you’ve ever wanted to know how to make a crumpet, this is going to blow your mind! And it’s easy!
Crumpet recipe
Warburtons is the UK’s biggest and most popular commercial crumpet producer. They make over 700 million of them a year!
To cheer up the UK public during lockdown, they shared their secret crumpet recipe for people to make at home. Though I doubt it’s the precise commercial batter recipe (they probably adapted it for the home cook), the end result is EXACTY like store bought crumpets.
After many, many, MANY failed crumpet attempts over the years (even from notable chefs!), I am still shaking my head at how astonishingly perfect these crumpets are – and how easy they are to make!
What are crumpets?
Hailing from England, they’re like a cross between an English muffin and pancakes. Their distinguishing feature is the surface that’s riddled with holes which allows butter to permeate through from top to bottom. The surface has a unique almost “spongey” texture, but it’s very fluffy inside, just like bread!
What goes in crumpets
Here’s what you need to make crumpets. I always knew yeast was in the batter. The addition of baking powder was the key that made all the difference – from crumpet making fails to crumpet making success!
Yeast – use instant / rapid rise yeast or active dry yeast (sometimes just labelled “yeast”). Both work just fine.
Fresh yeast? Haven’t tried with fresh yeast but see no reason why it wouldn’t work using the standard conversion of 7.75g / 0.275 ounces fresh yeast per 1 teaspoon of dry yeast. Crumble into warm water with sugar and follow above directions for active dry yeast.
Flour – just normal plain / all purpose flour. Not self raising flour, not wholemeal flour.
Gluten free – unfortunately doesn’t work with gluten free flour. We tried, and it was a dismal failure!
How to make crumpets
Here’s how to make crumpets in 3 easy steps:
Mix water, flour and salt to form a sticky but stirrable batter. Then mix in yeast dissolved in a bit of water, baking powder and sugar to form a smooth batter;
Leave in a warm place for 30 minutes until the surface gets foamy; then
Ladle into rings and cook on the stove until bubbles pop on the surface and the top is cooked.
It is quite straightforward, but because homemade crumpets is a bit of a unique recipe, I’m going to add a bit more information about each step in the proceeding sections. If you’re not interested, jump to the recipe! (Or video – or Dozer 😂)
The crumpet batter
The crumpet batter is literally a dump-and-mix job, though you do need to mix well for a couple of minutes by hand (or half that time using a handheld mixer) which I assume is to get good gluten formation to get that signature chew for any type of yeast bread, as opposed to being “cakey”.
Then once mixed, you simply put it in a warm place so it gets nice and foamy. This is the equivalent of dough rising so the crumpets rise when they’re cooking.
The crumpet batter won’t increase in volume very much – just around 10 / 15%.
Crumpet rings
Crumpet rings are a “thing”. They are around 9 cm / 3.5″ wide and about 2.5cm / 1″ tall. The ones I have are non stick, but they come in silver too.
But honestly, anything metal and round will do the trick – egg rings, biscuit cutters, scone cutters, even cleaned large tuna cans. Actually, it doesn’t even have to be round! Star shaped crumpets, anyone??
Cooking crumpets
Now, I’m not going to lie to you – you probably won’t nail the first one. It does take practice – but no more than when you first started out perfecting the art of golden fluffy pancakes or pikelets!
The secret to cooking crumpets perfectly is to start them off on a high heat to get those bubbles activated, then turn the stove down so the crumpet cooks through without burning the base. The cooking technique is one change I made to the original Warburtons recipe – they say to cook on medium high the whole time = scorched base.
Though store bought crumpets don’t have colour on the holey side, I like to flip to get a blush of colour on it and cook any residual raw batter.
And here’s a close up of the inside of the crumpets with the signature vertical “tunnels” from the holes!
Even better the next day!!
An essential step with crumpets is to cool them completely, otherwise they are kind of moist and “doughy” inside.
In fact, if you want an absolute dead ringer for store bought crumpets, they are best made the day before, or the day before! They keep for days in the fridge – I’ve kept them for 5 days and once toasted, they are perfect.
Can you freezer homemade crumpets?
They freezer perfectly too. Thaw or even microwave thaw, then toast as usual!
How to eat a crumpet
I realise that writing about how to eat crumpets may induce eye rolling from Crumpet-Eating-Experts. But bear with me – not everyone has been eating crumpets all their life!
Toasting is essential to make the golden base crispy. Then slather with butter (what do you think all those holes are for?? So the crumpet gets soaked with butter, from top to bottom!) then spread of choice.
What to put on crumpets
As far as what to put on crumpets (other than the mandatory butter) – honey is by far the top choice (think – hole seepage). My personal second choice is Vegemite (it’s an Aussie thing 🇦🇺), followed by jam. Other spreads like Nutella and peanut butter go great too – whatever you put on toast, you can put on crumpets!
Though if you want the ultimate crumpet experience, don’t go past butter and honey. That moment when you bite into the crumpet and salty melted butter and sweet molten honey squirts into your mouth…
Arrrgh … I’m torturing myself at the thought. I’m off to toast another crumpet for morning tea! – Nagi x
Watch how to make it
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Crumpet recipe
Ingredients
- 150g (1 cup) white flour , plain / all purpose
- 200ml (3/4 cup + 1 tbsp) warm water , tap water (200g) (Note 1)
- 1/2 tsp salt , cooking/kosher salt (1/4 tsp table salt)
- 1/2 tsp white sugar
- 1 tsp baking powder
Yeast Mixture
- 1 tsp yeast , instant/rapid rise OR dry active yeast (Note 2)
- 1 tbsp warm water (just tap water)
Cooking:
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter , melted (or vegetable oil)
Instructions
Crumpet Batter:
- Place flour, water and salt in a bowl and whisk for 2 minutes (electric beater 1 minute on speed 5).
- Yeast Mixture – Dissolve Yeast into 1 tbsp warm water in a small bowl.
- Add Yeast Mixture, sugar and baking powder into bowl, then whisk for 30 seconds (or 15 sec speed 5).
- Cover with cling wrap or plate, then place in a very warm place for 15 to 30 minutes until the surface gets nice and foamy. It will only increase in volume by ~10 – 15%.
Cooking Crumpets:
- Grease 2 or 3 rings with butter (approx 9 cm / 3.5" wide, though any ring or metal shaper will do, Note 3) (TIP: Non stick rings – brush with melted butter. Everything else – smear with butter)
- Brush non stick skillet lightly with melted butter then place rings in the skillet.
- Turn stove on medium high (medium for strong stoves) and bring to heat (Note 4 for “sizzle test”).
- Pour 1/4 cup batter into the rings (65ml), about 1cm / 2/5" deep (will rise ~60%).
- Cook for 1 1/2 minutes – bubbles should start appearing on the surface (but not popping yet).
- Turn heat down to medium, cook for 1 minute – some bubbles should pop around the edges.
- Turn heat down to medium low, cook for a further 2 1/2 to 4 minutes, until the surface is "set" and it's clear there will be no more bubbles popping! (At this stage you can help the final bubbles pop with a skewer!)
- Remove rings (you might need to run knife around to loosen).
- Then flip and cook the other side for 20 to 30 seconds for a blush of colour.
- Transfer to write rack (golden side down) and fully cool.
- Can be eaten once cool, but it’s even better the next day (Note 5).
How to eat crumpets:
- Toast in a toaster until the base is crispy.
- Slather generously with butter, then spread of choice (honey is perfection) and devour immediately!
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Life of Dozer
And every once in a while, his patience pays off and food I’m shooting falls to the ground….
Great worked first time very easy to follow.
Hi Nani
You got that recipe nailed just perfect!
Thank you.
How many times have I missed collecting them from my supermarket shop.
To be able to cook them your self? Fantastic!
Thanks
Keith👍😄
Thank you, Nagi! I have made several of your recipes which I find easy to follow. But I just had to leave a review for these crumpets.
I am Canadian and had easy access to crumpets at the supermarket, however, I have spent the last 3 years in Norway and was craving.
This recipe was super easy to follow and your video was helpful.
I had to cook them in 3 batches and by the third, it was perfect. Definitely cook on higher heat for a bit longer, once I saw the big bubbles break through the top, then I turned down the heat.
I have zero self control and ate one, delicious…imagine will be better the next day toasted and buttered!
Thanks again
This was my first time making crumpets and this recipe did not disappoint! Biggest challenge for me was getting the temperature right to not burn the bottom of the crumpets. I doubled the recipe so I could have some in the freezer ready to go for a quick breakfast or lunch.
Holy smokes, I’ve made this idk how many times and never reviewed it! This is DELICIOUS! I was born in the US, never been outside of it, so these are my first exposure to crumpets, and they’re a major hit! I use these instead of english muffins for eggs benedict, and they are so much more delectable and desired than english muffins for that! Soft enough to cut through easily, absorbs the hollandaise sauce, but doesn’t get broken down easily much at all. It’s very good at holding its consistency! Highly recommend if english muffins hurt your mouth or you just want something similar but softer!
My dietician prefers me to not use white flour, is it possible to use wholemeal flour with adaptations to amounts of ingredients?
An excellent recipe, all the ingredients and proportions are correct.An excellent recipe, all the ingredients and proportions are correct. Cooking times are not enough at altitude. Almost double at 5,000 ft. Made rings with folded foil. Thanks!
These were easy to make and delicious. I shared with my neighbor and he loved too.
I laughed about American measurements. I’m American, and I hate volume measures. It’s messy and inaccurate for many things. When I search for a recipe, I add “ weight measurements.” More and more reliable sources here are using weights now as many cooks, especially bakers, prefer it. I’ve converted a few of my friends!
These are so yummy. I make them often. Better than bought ones
So glad I came across this recipe. I’ve tried so many and they always were more like a muffin, or maybe a cruffin. I was about to give up. This recipe was easy peasy and they are great! Thanks.
I’ve been dreaming about these crumpets for so long. I live in Melbourne , Australia for 9 year and i use to eat them all the time. Now I move to South America, Uruguay and I forget about crumpets and Vegemite. Now after some time now I have able to get access to Vegemite, Going back to my dream, with your recipe now I can make it reality. Thank you very much Nagi !!!!
Hi Nagi, thank you so much for your excellent instructions. My husband, who misses his crumpets dearly, is ever so happy, that now he can eat crumpets on his birthday – and in between. They’re delicious! (His family can’t believe I made them myself!)
The BEST crumpet topping after butter is golden syrup!
Looks great
I love this recipe, I can’t get crumpets where I am but these are so easy to make and taste just like I remember!
Wondering if anyone has made these gluten free, and how they turned out?
Thank you
I loved this recipe they turned out picture perfect!
I have a question please, has anyone one doubled the recipe? and If they yes, did you use 2 packets of instant yeast or could you get away with double everything else with still only one packet of instant yeast? TIA x
I tripled the recipe – I tripled everything, incl. yeast.
The crumpets turned out great. Maybe a bit less yeast would be ok, but I don’t know.
Hey Courtney! A standard grocery store packet of yeast in the US is definitely more than the 1tsp that the single batch recipe calls for, so you should be fine with an entire packet in a doubled recipe!
Yes! I just used double the amount of yeast and water mix. Worked fine for me.
I am doubling this recipe and it works perfectly for me. I find that even after an inital rise of 30mins, the second and third sets of four rise more, so it possibly could do with a longer initial rise for me. I don’t know how that would impact the later ones though.
I double every ingredient in the recipe and have never tried with less yeast. I suppose you could but it will take longer to rise. I have 4 rings so that means I cook 3 rounds and by the end I do feel like the structure is not as good – I don’t get the nice big holes. This probably means the gluten is breaking down and cannot hold the bubbles open (over proving) so I am going to try less rise and keep a closer eye on it (timing is not the best way to judge really)
A packet of yeast in the US is usually 2 1/4 tsp of yeast, so double the recipe should use one packet of yeast minus 1/4 tsp (although the extra 1/4 tsp shouldn’t really matter at all, so you can feel free to just use a full packet)
I’ve never made foccaccia before. Your tips and tricks have made my first attempt a success! Thank you Nagi,
These crumpets are great! I love your recipes Nagi -keep them coming. My only problem with the crumpets is getting the temperatures right. I have a new induction stove so either I have it too hot or too cool. Guess this will take some trial and error to get it right. Luv your pics of dozer as I am a dog lover as well!!
I just made these crumpets from your recipe and they turned out amazing! The texture was perfect and the flavor was so delicious. Thanks for sharing such a great and easy recipe! I can’t wait to top them with my favorite spreads.