English Crumpets

Description
Crumpets are traditionally served at breakfast and at afternoon tea. Accompany them with unsalted butter, syrups and your choice of jams, jellies or marmalades.
 * Contributed by Catsrecipes Y-Group
 * Source: The Cooking of the British Isles Cookbook
 * Typed by: Susan
 * makes about 10 crumpets

Ingredients

 * 1 pkg. or cake of active dry or compressed yeast
 * ½ tsp sugar
 * 2 tbsp lukewarm water (110°F to 115°F)
 * 1 cup all-purpose flour
 * ½ tsp salt
 * ½ cup milk
 * 1 egg
 * 5 tbsp butter cut into ½-inch bits

Directions

 * 1) To make traditional English crumpets, you will need five or six 3-inch round flan rings or open-topped cookie cutters.  Substitute molds easily can be made, if necessary, by removing the tops and bottoms from five or six tin cans that are 3 inches in diameter and 1 to 2 inches tall, such as ordinary tuna cans.
 * 2) In a small, shallow bowl, sprinkle the yeast and sugar over the 2 tbsp of lukewarm water and let them stand for 2 or 3 minutes.
 * 3) Then stir them together to dissolve the yeast completely.
 * 4) Set the bowl in a warm, draft-free place, such as an unlighted oven, for 4 or 5 minutes, or until the yeast bubbles up and the mixture almost doubles in volume.
 * 5) Sift the flour and salt into a large mixing bowl and make a well in the center.
 * 6) Pour in the yeast mixture and the milk, and drop in the egg.
 * 7) Beat vigorously with a large spoon, then add 1 tbsp of the butter and beat until a smooth soft batter is formed.
 * 8) Drape a towel loosely over the bowl and set it aside in a warm draft-free place for about 1 hour, or until the batter has doubled in volume.
 * 9) In a small pan, clarify the remaining 4 tbsp of butter by melting it slowly without letting it brown.
 * 10) Skim off the surface foam and spoon the clear butter into a bowl, discarding the milky solids at the bottom of the pan.
 * 11) With a pastry brush, coat the bottom of a heavy 10- to 12-inch skillet and the inside surfaces of the flan rings or cookie cutters or cans with about half the clarified butter.
 * 12) Arrange the rings in the skillet and place the pan over moderate heat.
 * 13) For each crumpet, drop about 1 t of batter into each ring.
 * 14) The batter will immediately spread out and fill the ring.
 * 15) When the crumpets begin to bubble and their bottoms turn a light brown remove the rings.
 * 16) Turn the crumpets over with a wide spatula and cook for another minute or so to brown them on the other side.
 * 17) Transfer the crumpets to a heated serving plate and cover with foil to keep them warm while you coat the skillet and rings with the rest of the clarified butter and cook the remaining batter.