Sourdough Crumpets with Natural Starter

• Baking & Spices

  • 1/2 tsp Baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp Sea salt
  • 1 tsp Sugar

• Oils & Vinegars

  • 1 Vegetable oil

• Other

  • 270 Grams (1 cup "100%" natural starter (see note -- it doesn't need to be particularly ripe, and may have been kept in the fridge for a few weeks

Found on chocolateandzucchini.com

Ingredients

• 270 grams (1 cup) 100% natural starter (see note) -- it doesnt need to be particularly ripe, and may have been kept in the fridge for a few weeks
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• vegetable oil for greasing

Directions

• Place the starter in a large bowl, about 1 liter (1 quart) in capacity. Add the sugar and salt, and whisk to combine.
• Place a lightly oiled skillet over medium heat, or preheat a griddle to 180°C (360°F). Grease crumpet rings well, if using, and place on the skillet to preheat.
• When the skillet and rings are hot, add the baking soda to the batter and whisk it in. As the baking soda reacts to the acid in the starter, the batter will quickly start to foam and rise.
• Using a measuring cup, a small ladle, or an ice cream scoop, pour about 60 ml (1/4 cup) of the batter into each crumpet ring, or directly onto the skillet if youre not using rings.
• Cook for a few minutes, until the top is set; exact timing will depend on your stove, your skillet, and the thickness of your crumpets. (If your stove has hot spots -- and I dont mean the wifi type -- you may have to rotate the skillet every once in a while, and rotate each crumpet after a few minutes so they brown evenly.) As they cook, the crumpets will gradually shrink back from the rings.
• Using tongs, lift the crumpet rings off the crumpets (wriggle them loose and/or use a knife to help loosen the crumpets if they stick a bit), and optionally (this is not traditional but I prefer them that way), flip the crumpets to brown lightly on the other side.
• Transfer to a rack to cool completely. Wipe down the crumpet rings if necessary, re-grease, and place them on the skillet to preheat again before repeating with the remaining batter. (When youre done with the crumpet rings, handwash and dry them thoroughly so they wont rust.)
• Crumpets should be toasted before eating.
• The crumpets can also be frozen once cooled: freeze them in a single layer on a cookie sheet before putting them in a freezer bag so they wont clump. You can pop them in the toaster straight from the freezer.