Sourdough Crumpets

Recipe by PJ Hamel
460 Reviews 4.6 out of 5 stars

Sourdough crumpets are the easy-to-make, buttery addition to breakfast you didn't know you needed! They're the slimmer, more elegant cousin of English muffins; what they lack in nooks and crannies they make up for in small holes and sourdough tang. (Those small holes allow butter to seep through the entire crumpet.) When you have to feed your sourdough starter or have an excess of discard on hand, make these sourdough crumpets in just 10 to 15 minutes, from start to finish.

Prep
3 mins
Bake
8 mins
Total
11 mins
Yield
4 to 5 crumpets
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Sourdough Crumpets - select to zoom
Sourdough Crumpets - select to zoom
A stack of sourdough crumpets topped with butter and jam - select to zoom

Instructions

Prevent your screen from going dark as you follow along.

  1. 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.

  2. 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.

  3. 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. 

  4. Enjoy the sourdough crumpets warm, split and spread with butter and jam. Or toast to brown and crisp them before serving.

  5. Store any leftovers at room temperature for several days. Freeze, well wrapped, for longer storage.

Tips from our Bakers

  • 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.

  • Taking the pancake idea one step further, the flavor of these sourdough crumpets or pancakes, while quite delicious with butter, syrup or jam, is equally good with savory additions. Try adding a half cup each of grated zucchini, cheese, apple, chives, or onion, or a combination of your own, and serve them with lunch or dinner.

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