JOLLY DELICIOUS CRUMPETS!!

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Crumpets!! My latest obsession. Having exhausted my, some would say, over-the-top preoccupation with bagels and feeling that, finally after 18 months, I've gone as far as I can go with the New York and Montreal varieties, I've moved on to Ever-So-English crumpets. And I have to say that they are a lot easier to make than bagels and possibly even more delicious. One or two of these dripping in melting butter for breakfast with a frothy cinnamon-flavoured coffee is IT!! So thank you, Dan Lepard and Jamie Oliver for the inspiration, and thank you Shentel Lee for schlepping store-bought Tip Top crumpets from Sydney to Kuching every time you come here. Between those, the fresh rhubarb wrapped in newspaper and the tins and bags of Bassett's Liquorice Allsorts, Malaysian Customs must think you're nuts! (FYI you can skip the crumpets from now on...😘.)

INGREDIENTS

(You're going to need two or three - depending on the size of your heavy frying pan - 10cm metal egg rings.)

400ml whole milk

1 tbsp dried yeast

1 tsp caster sugar

300g bread flour

1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda

1 tsp fine sea salt

vegetable oil spray

METHOD

Gently warm the milk. Pour into large bowl and add the yeast, sugar and 100ml tepid water. Whisk a little and leave in a warm spot to dissolve for about 15 minutes or until it's frothy.

In another bowl, sift the flour, bicarb and sea salt together and make a well in the centre.

Pour the dissolved yeast mixture into the well.

Whisk from the outside in until all the dry ingredients are incorporated and you have something that's the consistency of thick cream. You can add a bit more water if needed.

Cover bowl with a damp tea towel and leave to rest in a warm place for at least 45 minutes. By now, the mixture should have bubbles on the surface.

Spray a heavy frying pan with oil and wipe with kitchen paper. Spray the insides of your egg rings too. Over a medium heat, get frying pan hot but not smoking. Place egg rings onto the base of the pan and pour in about 4 tbsps of the batter into each one. When you see lots of bubbles formed on the top, gently remove the rings with tongs and very carefully flip the crumpets over.Leave to cook for a further 2 minutes or until they've taken on a bit of colour.

Remove, re-grease and repeat until you have used up all the batter. You should have about a dozen crumpets.