Perfect for soaking up your favorite sweet or savory toppings, these whole wheat crumpets boast a soft, airy crumb and a bubbly top, with the wholesome flavor and texture of freshly milled wheat.
Crumpets sound fancy, look beautiful, and truly are easy to make. Incorporating freshly milled flour into this recipe adds loads of flavor, a wholesome texture, and better nutrition than you can find in the grocery store kind. This crumpet recipe also keeps to pantry staples, making it easily available for any whole-grain baker to take on.
While you can get by with store-bought wheat flour, I love to use freshly milled wheat because it offers nutritional benefits and a hearty flavor that only fresh flour can provide. If you’re new to freshly milled flours, learn all about milling your own wheat and which mill I think is the best.
When I make whole wheat crumpets, we love to enjoy them buttered and spread with a generous amount of fresh fruit preserves, peach jelly, or raw honey. You’ll find there are many, many ways to enjoy them, but the most obvious are to serve them for breakfast, as a filling snack, or as a sophisticated tea-time treat.
If you haven’t tried them yet, these easy sourdough crumpets are also a big win. The same unique, butter-absorbing concept, with the addition of long-fermented, sourdough tang.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Wheat flavor and texture – Freshly milled wheat flour adds incredible flavor and a hearty, yet soft texture.
Soaks up all the butter – Airy pockets riddle the tops of the crumpets, causing them to soak up all the butter and toppings for a chewy, flavor-filled bite.
Simple to make – Not only are the ingredients simple, but the mixing and cooking process is pretty straightforward, too.
Ingredients
Whole wheat flour – I use freshly milled soft white wheat for this recipe.
Instant yeast – Instant yeast and active dry yeast behave very similarly in recipes, with instant yeast often producing a quicker rise than active dry. If using active dry yeast, increase the proof time.
A full ingredient list with exact amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
Tools You May Need
Ring molds – A good mold will hold the batter in place, producing that perfectly round crumpet shape while it cooks.
How to Make Whole Wheat Crumpets
Step 1: Add the dry ingredients (flour, salt, yeast, sugar, and baking soda) to the bowl of a stand mixer and mix. Add the warm water and mix for 2-3 minutes. Cover the bowl with a clean towel or plastic wrap and let it sit at room temperature for 30 minutes to one hour, until bubbly and about doubled in size.
Step 2: Place greased crumpet rings on a non-stick pan and heat to medium heat. Brush a little butter into the pan, particularly beneath each ring mold. Pour about ¼ to ½ cup of batter into each ring mold, filling them about halfway.
Step 3: Cook on the first side for about 1-1½ minutes, then reduce the heat to medium-low or low and cook for 3-4 minutes. The top of the crumpet should be full of holes, and the batter should be cooked through. Remove the rings, flip, and cook the second side for about 30 seconds to 1 minute until golden brown.
Step 4: Transfer to a wire rack to cool for a few minutes before serving.
How to Serve Whole Wheat Crumpets
- Serve warm or toasted, spread with fresh butter and honey, homemade strawberry jam, or peach preserves.
- Spread with homemade nut butter and sliced banana.
- Add a scoop of creamy ricotta or Greek yogurt, then top with fresh fruit.
- Homemade crumpets make the best breakfast sandwich. Slice in half, then layer with homemade mayo, fried egg, bacon or sausage, sliced cheese, and garden fresh tomato.
- Slice and spread with cream cheese, cucumber or avocado, and everything seasoning.
Tips
- Watch the heat closely while cooking. Starting with higher heat brings those bubbles to the top, but the bottom of the crumpet can easily burn if the heat stays too high for too long.
- Grease the ring molds well so they don’t stick to the crumpets.
- Cooking crumpets may take a few tries to get the heat and timing just right. You know your stovetop best, so aim for starting at a nicely hot, preheated pan, add your batter to the rings, cook for a few minutes, then reduce the temperature to finish cooking them slowly.
- Lightly toasting the crumpets when serving adds a delicious crispness to the outside.
- Double the recipe and freeze a batch for later. They are so freezer-friendly!
Recipe FAQs
Keep them in an airtight container or bag at room temperature for 2-3 days. For longer storage, wrap well and refrigerate for about 5 days or freeze for several months. Warm them up before serving.
Yes! Crumpets are made with a thinner batter and are primarily cooked on one side, giving them a pocketed appearance on top. English muffins are made with a thicker dough, formed into their shape, then cooked on both sides. English muffins appear smooth, but can be split open to reveal their airy, pocketed inside.
Crumpets and pancakes have a similar batter, but pancakes are thinner, flatter, and cooked on both sides. Crumpets are held in place with metal rings called ring molds, helping them keep their thick, round shape as they cook through from one side.
The holes are the best part! If your crumpets did not develop holes on top, there are several potential reasons. One, the heat was too low. A well-preheated pan should begin steaming the liquid content in the batter immediately, producing holes on top. Two, your batter could be too thick. You want the batter thin enough to be poured, but not so thin that it escapes the ring molds. Three, perhaps your batter did not prove long enough. Let the batter rest at room temperature until doubled in size to ensure proper gluten development.
Sure! Use all-purpose flour 1 to 1 for the whole wheat flour. You can also do a 50/50 whole wheat and all-purpose blend, or try my sourdough crumpets recipe for the tangy, fermented sourdough version.
More Whole Wheat Recipes from the Farmhouse
- Whole Wheat Pie Crust
- Whole Wheat Blueberry Muffins
- Whole Wheat Brownies
- Whole Wheat Biscuits
- Whole Wheat Tortillas
If you try this recipe and love it, I would love it if you could come back and give it 5 stars! Tag me on Instagram @farmhouseonboone.
Whole Wheat Crumpets with Freshly Milled Flour
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 cups whole wheat flour, 280 grams
- ½ teaspoon salt, 2.5 grams
- 2 ¼ teaspoons instant yeast, 7 grams
- 1 teaspoon cane sugar, 4 grams
- ½ teaspoon baking soda, 3 grams
- 2 cups warm water, 472 grams
Instructions
- Add the dry ingredients (flour, salt, yeast, sugar, and baking soda) to the bowl of a stand mixer and mix. Add the warm water and mix for two minutes. Cover the bowl and let it sit at room temperature for 30 minutes to one hour, until bubbly and about doubled in size.
- Place greased crumpet rings on a non-stick pan and heat to medium or medium-high heat. Brush a little butter into the pan, particularly beneath each ring mold.
- Pour about ¼ to ½ cup of batter into each ring mold, filling them about halfway.
- Cook on the first side for about 1-1½ minutes, then reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for 3-4 minutes. Remove the rings, flip, and cook the second side for about 30 seconds to 1 minute. Transfer to a wire rack to cool for a few minutes before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
