Sourdough Crumpets at the Barely-Better-Than-Roadkill Grill

Notice I didn’t include Good Eats in the headline.  Yeah, and serving crumpets at a grill seems a little off.  

I really wanted to try these when I first came across the recipe earlier this year.  But I didn’t have proper crumpet rings and I wasn’t sure I wanted to buy them.  Would I make these often enough to justify the cost (rather cheap) or the real estate in the drawers (very expensive)?

Learning the ropes of marketing my books for the past couple of weeks had taken a toll on me, and I decided it was time for a break.  The recipe for these crumpets won the contest to get tried out this afternoon.

Sourdough Crumpets

1 cup sourdough discard

2 teaspoons granulated sugar

¼ teaspoon salt

Scant ½ teaspoon baking soda

Preheat a large cast iron skillet over medium-low heat for about 10 minutes.  You should be able to feel the heat with your hand a few inches above the skillet.  Lightly oil the skillet.

In a small bowl (a 2-cup Pyrex measuring cup is ideal), combine the discard, sugar, and salt.  Sprinkle in the baking soda and whisk thoroughly.  The batter will bubble and rise. 

Spray or grease proper crumpet rings, or lacking those ;), metal cookie cutters or wide-mouth canning rings.  Pour ¼ cup of batter into each ring.  Cook 5-10 minutes, until the top is set and covered with small holes, adjusting the heat as needed.  Use a flat spatula to flip the crumpet.  Remove the ring (cut around with a knife, if necessary) and cook another 4-5 minutes, or until golden brown.  Serve warm with butter and jam.  Yield:  4-5 crumpets. 

Family reviews:  Having never made or eaten crumpets before, I had nothing to compare them to, other than my imagination.  I did imagine they would taste better.  Aaron has had crumpets, regular, not sourdough.  He said the texture was right, but he didn’t care for the sourdough.  We both agreed we could eat them, but we didn’t want to.  We tossed them out to the dogs.  They were wondering where the good stuff was.  I did like that these were quick and easy to make and used sourdough discard.  I think some people would happily eat them with butter and jam.  At the same time, I think the Brits who ate these 100-200 years ago will someday wish they’d had the luxury of chocolate chip cookies for their afternoon tea.

And this, dear readers, is why we try out recipes before the crisis.