Nuts and Bolts:

When Covid hit our area last spring, and my family went into quarantine, there were many storages. Flour was hard to purchase. So, I did not want to waste it. I was making every ounce count. That is when I found King Arthur Baking Company’s recipe for crumpets that use Sourdough starter discard.

My thoughts on Sourdough Crumpets:

1.    This recipe uses an unfed sourdough starter that would be discarded.

2.    This recipe lets you see how potent your sourdough starter is.

3.    It only takes four ingredients.

4.    It is a homemade bread that can be made in minutes.

Method:

Start with sourdough that is at room temperature. Remove a cup of sourdough and feed your sourdough as usual. Take a cup of the discard and mix with 1 teaspoon of sugar, 1/4 teaspoon of salt, and 3/8 of a teaspoon of baking soda.

Important tip: if you do not have a 1/8 teaspoon measure, you can use a 1/4 of a teaspoon measure. Since 3/8 is 1/4 plus 1/8. So measure 1/4 of a teaspoon of baking soda and then measure about half as much again. It will be approximately 3/8 of a teaspoon.

 Then mix everything, and it should start becoming puffy with lots of little bubbles. This is my favorite part of this recipe because it lets me see how awake my sourdough starter is.  I like to watch the dough and see how fast it takes to get to this stage. It shows how ripe my sourdough starter is. If it happens right away,  the dough is perfect, which means my starter is healthy. Sometimes it can take a while to bubble and let it rest for a few hours. If it has bubbles, it means you need to let the starter get fed again before you use it for bread. If nothing happens then, the starter needs to be remade because it has died. 

So, get the griddle to preheat to about 300°F and add a little bit of oil to the pan to prevent sticking. 

Most important tip: Do not forget the oil.  Since the previous times I used a nonstick pan, I did not need the oil. So I forgot to oil the regular pan, and one stuck. It is a bummer. I just scraped it off and continue making more crumpets. 

You can use greased English muffin rings for perfect circles. These are cooked like pancakes. Cook the first side for 4-5 minutes or until you see the crumpet set with the little holes on the top. Then (remove rings if using) flip and cook for 2-3 minutes and then eat. The only downside to the recipe is that it only makes about four crumpets.

Final thought:

This is an easy and useful recipe to have around. It tests how potent the sourdough starter you are using is, and you get a yummy treat as a bonus! 

Sourdough Crumpets:

1 cup (227g) sourdough starter, unfed/discard

1 teaspoon sugar

1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon salt

3/8 teaspoon baking soda

Directions:

Place the starter in a medium-sized bowl. Stir in the sugar and salt, then the baking soda. The batter should rise with little bubbles and be puffy.

Heat your griddle over medium-low heat. Lightly grease the surface with cooking oil (if your pan isn't non-stick).

Lightly grease four English muffin rings. Cook for about 4-5 minutes, until the tops are set and full of small holes. Carefully remove the rings and flip the crumpets over and cook for about 2- 3 minutes until they're golden brown on the bottom. 

King Arthur Baking Company”s Sourdough Crumpets.