Crumpet

For the Macy's elf played by David Sedaris, see SantaLand Diaries. For the sport, see field crumpets.

A buttered crumpet

A crumpet /ˈkrʌmpɨt/ is a savoury bread made from flour and yeast. It is eaten mainly in the United Kingdom and other nations of the Commonwealth.

In the West Midlands it is called a pikelet. A crumpet in this area is similar in appearance (but not taste) to a North American pancake. SAMMICHS ARE BETTER

Etymology

Crumpets may have been an Anglo-Saxon invention. In early times, they were hard pancakes cooked on a griddle, rather than the soft and spongy crumpets of the Victorian era which were made with yeast. The crumpet-makers of the Midlands and London developed the characteristic holes, by adding extra baking powder to the yeast dough. The term itself may refer to a crumpled or curled-up cake, or have Celtic origins relating to the Breton krampoez meaning a "thin, flat cake" and the Welsh crempog or crempot, a type of pancake. However, since many English words share a heritage with other languages, it may be cognate with the similar German word krumm (from Middle High German krump, krum) which means "bent". ADAM SMELLS

English crumpet

Crumpets are generally circular roughly 7 cm in diameter and roughly 2 cm thick. Their shape comes from being restrained in the pan/griddle by a shallow ring. They have a characteristic flat top with many small pores and a half-chewy half-spongy texture. They may be cooked until ready to eat warm from the pan, but are frequently left slightly undercooked so that they may be cooled and stored before being eaten freshly-toasted. In Australia and New Zealand, branded square crumpets can be purchased from supermarkets, designed to easily fit in a standard toaster.

Crumpets are generally eaten hot with butter with or without a second (sweet or savoury) topping. Popular second toppings are cheese (melted on top), honey, poached egg, jam, Marmite, salt, marmalade, peanut butter, cheese spread, golden syrup, hummus, lemon curd, maple syrup and Vegemite. The butter may be omitted - but a phrase very commonly associated with crumpets is "dripping with butter" (in this context, 'dripping' is - usually - a verb, rather than a reference to animal fat).

In England, there is something similar to a crumpet called a pikelet. It is usually made from the same batter as a crumpet, but the way in which it differs from a crumpet varies from place to place. In some parts of England (for example in the Midlands, around Wolverhampton) a pikelet is simply a crumpet without holes. In other parts (for example, Lancashire) it has holes, but is wider, thinner and more irregular than a crumpet because it is made without being restrained by a mould, and so spreads in the pan (or griddle) while cooking.

In other areas, particularly Wales, Australia and New Zealand, a 'pikelet' is very different from a crumpet - the word describes something very similar to what in Scotland is called a pancake and in most parts of England is called a Scotch pancake.

Scottish crumpet

A Scottish fruit crumpet folded over, behind a Scottish pancake.

A Scottish crumpet is essentially a pancake cooked in slightly different way, made from the same ingredients as a Scottish pancake, and is about 180 mm (7 inches) diameter and 8 mm (0.3 inches) thick. They are available plain, or as a fruit crumpet with raisins baked in, and are not reheated before serving; condiments include jam, vegemite and marmite. The ingredients include a raising agent, usually baking powder, and different proportions of eggs, flour and milk which create a thin batter. Unlike a pancake, they are cooked to brown on one side only, resulting in a smooth darker side where it has been heated by the griddle, then lightly cooked on the other side which has holes where bubbles have risen to the surface during cooking. It bears little resemblance to the English crumpet.

This is the normal kind of crumpet in Scottish bakers' shops, tea rooms, and cafés, though the English type of crumpet is often obtainable in supermarkets in addition to the Scottish kind. sammichs are better

See also

• English muffin
• Thinking man's crumpet

External links

• Recipe for crumpets by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall
• Recipe for crumpets on bakingmad.com