Yesterday I got a craving for crumpets, and instead of going directly to KAF and searching for a recipe like I SHOULD have (!), I found a copy of the "Los Angeles Times" newspaper food cover story I had in my "stash" from November 1, 2000 that had several recipes for bread "classics". Included was a recipe for crumpets, so I followed their recipe, with the only change being substituting white whole wheat flour for the all-purpose they called for. The recipe differences they called for were: 1. Decreased milk to 1 C. 2. No baking powder. 3. Increased salt to 2 tsp. 4. Added 2 tsp. sugar. 5. After first rest of 45 minutes, dissolve 1/2 tsp. baking soda in 1/4 C. warm water, stir into batter and let rest an additional 20 to 30 minutes. So, I made them...the batter seemed much too doughy to me to spread well and look like crumpets, but hope springs eternal and I plunged on. My concern was legitimate: they would NOT spread on the pre-heated griddle. I kept on...they looked baked, so I put them on a cooling rack and continued to bake the rest of the 14 that the recipe made. There were none of the little holes that make crumpets look so great, and while I was disappointed, I thought maybe my crumpet craving would be satisfied. Here are my observations: Their decrease in milk volume may well be why the batter was so thick and wouldn't spread. The increase in salt was QUITE noticeable--I thought they were waaaaaaaaaaay too salty tasting! The addition of such a small amount of sugar probably didn't make much difference in taste either way. I'm not sure what the exchange of dissolved baking soda vs. baking powder did for the batter chemically--maybe that was part of the thickness of the batter. Having said all of that, the true test is in the eating. I broke one apart, and it looked completely done. I bit into it...UGH! In addition to the too-salty taste, it was way too doughy. I've eaten and enjoyed crumpets many times, so it isn't that I don't know what texture they should have, but these definitely didn't have it! This morning, I toasted a couple of them, added a pat of butter and some orange marmalade and gave them to my husband for breakfast. My hubby of 41 (!) years has eaten almost everything I have cooked in all that time. Now, I'm a good cook, some even say great, but I noticed after he left for work that one of those suspect crumpets was left on the kitchen counter, marmalade and all. And I don't blame him one bit! The rest are headed for the circular file. So, I'm off to get out my scale and ingredients, using KA All-Purpose Flour this time, and give your recipe a go today. Won't hubby be surprised at breakfast tomorrow when he has some GOOD crumpets to enjoy??? So here's my apology, KAF: I looked to another recipe source and was tremendously disappointed. In the same newspaper article, they have a recipe for Pain au Chocolat. I won't make the same mistake twice...I have the ingredients for your Whole-Grain Pain au Chocolat, and that will go together after the crumpets. Also, in response to sackvillebaggins, I do have a fool-proof recipe for clotted cream. It's simple to make, but you have to start it a few days before serving. That said, here it is: Clotted Cream 2 C. heavy cream 3 Tbsp. buttermilk 1 1/2 Tbsp. powdered sugar In glass jar, combine cream and buttermilk. Place lid on top, but don't seal so that there is a small opening for air. Leave at room temperature for 36 to 48 hours without disturbing. Mixture will thicken and look like the consistency of sour cream. Put lid on jar and place in refrigerator to chill thoroughly, at least 8 hours. Before serving, gently fold in sifted powdered sugar. Serve with homemade scones and jam. Yields 2 cups, or about 24 dollops. YUM! The recipe just gives you the proportions; of course you can adapt it to the amount of clotted cream you need for the number of people you expect for tea. And thanks for the Cran-Raspberry Spread idea and also the Strawberry-Raspberry Jam; I'm sure I'll be making both soon! One quick question on the Cran-Raspberry Spread: sugar-free raspberry Jell-O was specified; is there any reason you can't use sugar-sweetened? Perhaps dissolve it in a little boiling water before adding it to the cranberry sauce and raspberries? I'd rather avoid artificial sweeteners if possible. THANKS, KAF, for all you do for us home bakers! Wow, thanks so much for all the information you've shared here. And I'm hoping our crumpet recipe did well for you. I'm absolutely going to try this clotted cream - I actually just bought some buttermilk, so I'll nab some heavy cream, and Bob's your uncle - scones, here I come! :) PJH

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