No yeast crumpets – in search of a better honeycomb
Sharing this recipe for no yeast crumpets I developed and am quite proud of.
I don’t know why this doesn’t exist already (or maybe it does but is just obscure). The no-yeast crumpet recipes I have found previously don’t really have holes on top and looked more like pancakes than crumpets imo. All the recipes for holey crumpets I found on the internet were either made from sourdough discard or some combination of yeast and baking powder/baking soda.
I’ve tried a sourdough discard + baking soda crumpet recipe (the KA one I believe) and also two different crumpet recipes which use instant yeast and baking powder. None worked for me, they all turned out cakey, mushy, and/or gross. I decided to develop my own crumpet recipe. My first attempt using sourdough to leaven the batter was not ideal.
After several failures, I went and bought crumpets from the supermarket out of sheer frustration and noticed that there was no yeast listed in the ingredients. I consider this brand of crumpets (Oakrun bakery) to have the ideal texture as it has a very defined honeycomb with a bouncy texture when toasted. (Aside from no yeast, they also had more sugar than the crumpet recipes I found online.) So I decided to use this as a guideline to develop my no-yeast crumpet recipe. I don’t have access to some of the leaveners they use, so I only use baking soda. After some tinkering with hydration, I think I’ve hit a pretty good ratio.
Recipe is here. Hope you give this recipe a try and get consistent holey crumpets as well.
The most important thing about cooking crumpets is having a flat and heavy griddle or pan that retains heat well. Also, you should modify the vinegar amount if your white vinegar is not 5% acetic acid.
Process video here: (not sure why video embed not working?)
https://www.instagram.com/p/C9U7379yGd1/
or watch on my instagram or tiktok.
I am fairly certain that the addition of potassium bicarbonate will give a better honeycomb texture. Although I have not tried this yet, you can get “lye water” at Chinese grocery stores which is essentially a solution of sodium bicarbonate and potassium carbonate. I think this will work fairly well to give crumpets a good honeycomb texture. Chinese lye water is traditionally used in bai tang gao/bok tong go, a honeycomb textured rice cake that is fermented with yeast (leading to sourness) which then reacts with this sodium bicarbonate and potassium carbonate mixture when steamed to give high, defined honeycombs. Personally, I think the texture of a good bok tong go is very similar to that of a good crumpet.
Would be curious to know if anyone has experience baking with potassium bicarbonate or this potassium carbonate and sodium bicarbonate solution.
Comments
Watching your video, I noticed the texture of your crumpets is similar to 白糖糕, which you also mentioned in your blog. 白糖糕 is also known as 倫教糕. The ones I had as a kid tasted a bit tangy, without 鹼水. I guess adding 鹼水 is a more recent adaptation.
By the way, those crumpets look good!👍👍👍
Yippee
Thanks Yippee. When I was younger, I loved 白糖糕. Here in Toronto I often see 白糖糕 in Chinese supermarkets but the ones i've seen don't look super appealing based on texture (not enough aeration/honeycomb). I remember getting 白糖糕 maybe a few years ago and it was also a bit too sweet for me and not as tangy and bouncy as I remembered. Perhaps 白糖糕 will be a project for the future!
if you have the right instructions.👇👇👇He’s a retired 5-star hotel chef, and his recipes are authentic. Let me know if you need help with the translation when you try it.
https://youtu.be/ohmNe1msy_E?feature=shared
Yippee
P.S. another great one
https://youtu.be/bdJ5RjVUMJc?feature=shared
What a nice set of experiments and then ending in success!
What flour in UK are you using?
I liked your picture on pita puffing on the stove- I do it that way too!
I have the lye water and will give it a try.
I use bread flour; I think in the UK it will be called strong flour?
thanks for the kind comments and for visiting my blog!
I'm very curious how the lye water will work out! I'm not sure what ratio of lye water will be optimal but please let us know how it goes...
Although we don't really go for the honeycomb texture (but they are somewhat bubbly), what makes South African style crumpets super tasty is that in some recipes melted butter is incorporated in the batter:
https://www.food.com/recipe/easy-crumpets-138710
-Jon
I’m embarrassed to say that I have never had a crumpet. Yours looks really great, well aerated crumb!
Benny