You’re feeding your sourdough starter and you reluctantly have to discard two-thirds of it during the process. Enjoy that, do you? Absolutely not! Here’s one of the best things ever to do with that discard starter. In just 10 to 15 minutes, start to finish, you can turn unfed starter into these wildly delicious sourdough crumpets.
Place the starter in a medium-sized bowl. Stir in the sugar and salt, then the baking soda. The batter should rise up and bubble a bit, becoming almost billowy.
Heat your griddle over medium-low heat; 300°F is perfect. Lightly grease the surface with cooking oil (if your pan isn't non-stick), then melt a pat of butter atop the oil.
Lightly grease four English muffin rings (1" high and 4" across) and place on the griddle. Divide the batter evenly among the rings. Each ring will take a generous 1/4 cup of batter; a generously heaped muffin scoop is the perfect tool for this task. Cook for about 5 minutes, until the tops are set and full of small holes. Carefully flip the crumpets over, remove the rings (they should pop right off), and continue to cook for about 3 minutes, until they're golden on the bottom.
Enjoy the crumpets warm, split and spread with butter and jam. Or toast to brown and crisp them before serving.
Store any leftovers at room temperature for several days. Freeze, well wrapped, for longer storage.
Don’t have any starter? Here’s a recipe for homemade sourdough starter. If you're making it from scratch, you'll need to feed it for 5 to 7 days before it’s ready for baking. Want a head start? Purchase our classic fresh sourdough starter — it’ll be ready for baking soon after it arrives at your door. Looking for tips, techniques, and all kinds of great information about sourdough baking? Find what you need in our sourdough baking guide.
Don't have English muffin rings (or suitably sized canning jar lids)? Instead of crumpets, make pikelets. Griddled free-form (so they're flatter) and with fewer holes than a typical English crumpet, Australian-style pikelets are a kind of "toaster pancake," perfect for toasting and spreading with butter and jam.
Join pastry chef Gesine Bullock-Prado as she demonstrates how to make Sourdough Crumpets from start to finish. Watch Episode 3 of the Isolation Baking Show now.
