Unholy Crumpets (aka Failure-ish #1) TGIF!

I'm really getting into this baking thing and had plucked up the courage to give gluten free crumpets a whirl. It hadn't actually occurred to me to make them, except I spotted the recipe in a cookbook in the waiting room at the paediatrician. So I quickly read it and thought I had remembered correctly, but evidently hadn't.
So why am I about to write down the recipe and method? Because it didn't go to waste, and after a little more research I discovered I hadn't gone totally wrong. I also live in hope that another gluten free blogger will spot this and leave a comment so I can know where I went wrong.

Ingredients: Stage 1.
3 cups gluten free all purpose flour (I used Orgran's)
1 tablespoon of sugar
1 teaspoon of salt
1 sachet (7g) of dry yeast
1.75 cups low fat soy milk

Stage 2.
80 mLs tepid water
0.5 teaspoons baking soda

Method:
Stage 1. Mix flour, yeast, sugar and salt in a mixing bowl. Make a well in the centre and add soy milk. I used a hand-mixer and mixed on low for about 5 minutes until a thick dough was formed. (Was the hand-mixer my mistake?). Leave for half an hour to allow the dough to rise.

Stage 2. Mix baking soda into water and mix into dough to form a batter. (Again I used the hand-mixer...I'm starting to think I should have whisked it by hand).

Set aside while you get everything ready for cooking. Preheat non-stick pan, and lubricate egg rings to help your batter stay nicely formed.
TIP! - Pour a little oil into a small ramekin, and roll the egg ring through the oil!
This is where I realised something was wrong. I am sure the recipe I glanced over in the paed's waiting room said to pour the batter into the egg rings. Mine wasn't runny enough. It certainly wasn't being poured in. In fact, I pretty much plopped or dolloped the batter into the egg rings. And then I waited patiently for the bubbles to form. I was armed with a knitting needle (it's ok, it was clean. I still can't knit!) waiting to pop the bubbles to create the "holes" in my crumpets. And they never came. *sob*


I was pressed for time at this stage with two hungry children sitting at the table waiting for their lunch. So I flipped the buggers of things over and bolted to the freezer for some berries. I raced back to the kitchen and ransacked the pantry and pulled out a jar of golden syrup. I finished cooking the unholy crumpets, flipped them onto plates, topped them with berries and drizzled with golden syrup. Voila! Lunch was served.

So then it was time to work out what I did wrong.
And then I discovered a blog by KitchenMage which talked about all the ins and outs of crumpets and after reading that I went on to find more information at Cakebaker.co.uk.

Neither of these sites are gluten free. And from their recipes it's hard to tell where I went wrong.

Anyway, all I can say is Thank the Gods it's Friday. It's been an interesting week. I've had really bad back pain until this morning when I got to my chiropractor. It's starting to get difficult having Torin at school for only 3 days a week. With the constant rain, it's hard to keep the kids out of each others' faces and entertained. We need the rain, and I am grateful for it, don't get me wrong.

TGIF&GF Trivia.



Did you know:
* Bundaberg Rum, which is made in sunny Queensland, Australia is gluten free?
* The Bundaberg Rum emblem - a polar bear - was to represent the rum would ward of the chills?!
* Bundaberg Rum is made from molasses?

Visit the Bundaberg Rum Website.