It's a baking-palooza over here - CRUMPETS (Oh, Brits. I love you for these.)

[stoney321]

(I have a few comments left to be replied in yesterday's post, which I will get to. AND THANK YOU, EVERYONE. The overwhelming support of this little community on LJ has been one of my favorite aspects of life for years, now.) <3

SO LET'S TALK CRUMPETS. I love them, would eat them almost daily, and now will be making them.

Remember how I mentioned the "wild yeast " project? It's coming along swimmingly, to the point where I have two bathes of starter going. (I can't bear to throw any out.) WELL GUESS WHAT, I DON'T HAVE TO. Each time I "feed" my starter (once it's refrigerated I won't be doing this daily) I have to scoop some out to discard. NOPE. That goes into a Mason jar I keep in the fridge now. When I have a good cup and change, I do this in a separate bowl:

1 C starter (leave some for the next time, right?)
1 tsp sugar
pinch of salt

MIX THIS, HEAT YOUR SKILLET, SPRAY CRUMPET/BISCUIT RINGS.

Add 1/2 tsp of baking soda. It's going to bubble like crazy, which is good. Drop 1/4 C into each of those rings, cook on medium low for several minutes (about 5) until the top is set. Pull that muh-fuh onto a plate, slather with good butter and honey and DEVOUR. (They can also be frozen and then toasted later. Or refrigerate and toasted. Or just eaten. Possibly you could use them as oven mitts, but I don't know why you would. They would NOT make good Frisbees, I mean, the diameter's all wrong, not to mention how crumpets aren't aerodynamic at ALL.)

ION, I baked off two loaves of bread today with a scoop of my baby starter and I can already taste the difference. As can the kids, seeing as one loaf is almost completely gone. =/
ION #2, I tried a goat's milk cheese with balsamic vinegar soaked into the rind, and you'd think it would be delicious. You would be wrong. *ptooey!*
ION #3, I made oxtails again this weekend, and I want to heap praises on the Asian market where I bought them. So much better quality than the high end Whole Foods, let me tell you. PLUS (and this is the important part) they cut the large sections in half, so everything is sized uniformly. Cooked so much faster, and I think the exposed marrow gave it even more flavor. I have leftover sauce that we're eating tonight. I CANNOT EXPRESS HOW FREAKING DELICIOUS THIS SAUCE IS.

HEY I LOVE DELICIOUS FOOD A LOT. HI EVERYONE, I HOPE YOU ARE HAVING A STELLAR EVENING. <3

Comments

[sheafrotherdon.livejournal.com]

Tonight I have West African Peanut Soup on the stove - lots of garlic and fresh ginger, onions, chopped roasted peanuts, sweet potatoes, kale, and a can of diced tomatoes. And then a half cup of peanut butter when it's done. DELICIOUS. I am accompanying this, as all things, with red wine, because that is exactly how things ought to be.

I love your recipe for crumpets! I miss crumpets, and had no idea they were so easy to make. Easy if I can get the starter to work, that is, but YAY.

[stoney321.livejournal.com]

You had me at lots of garlic. I mean, is there ever enough? I don't think you can ever put too much garlic into a dish. <3 (And I love that you have kale in it! I LOVE KALE.) All things should end in red wine! Okay, maybe not surgery, but you know what I mean. Hahaha. I have a glass of red wine at my elbow as I type!

I had no idea they were so easy to make, either! I'm OVERJOYED to know how simple they are, let me tell you. I freaking LOVE them.

(The starter is doing beautifully, I must say. So easy! Just make sure you get really fresh whole grain flour to start, and then that's about it!)

[sheafrotherdon.livejournal.com]

Your icon just made me hoot out loud.

[stoney321.livejournal.com]

Heee! It is my oldest icon, too! I made that when I first got an LJ. <3

[fiveandfour.livejournal.com]

I'll be giving the starter* a try sometime later when work isn't so insane (which should be...around...January? Maybe?) and after that THERE WILL BE CRUMPETS. (January's a good time to gain 10 pounds from eating carbs, right? May as well make them delicious, crumpet-y carbs, I say.)

*Funnily enough, it was just a couple of weeks ago that I was reading an article online somewhere (damned if I can find it now) about starters and how scientists originally thought the bacteria that makes native San Francisco sourdough so delicious must be unique to the area, but now they know it is endemic to other areas, too. Anyway, that article had me thinking about finding a starter recipe so I could make sourdough, then you did the post on starters. Now I'm thinking it was all one big sign from the universe pointing me towards the promised land of baked goods. And I mean, who am I to argue with the universe?

[stoney321.livejournal.com]

It's ridiculously easy, I should say. While my coffee steeps in the French Press, I feed my starter. That's it. (But yes, I get it - you want to focus on it, so do that when you CAN.)

The nice thing about crumpety carbs is that you can only make so much from the amount of product available. SO YOU KNOW, GO TO TOWN. <3

Let me say this: my starter smells so freaking good. And it's just going to get better. It's all about letting it grow BEFORE you refrigerate it. I think West Coast bakers understand this, and have understood this for a long time, hence their reputation.

[entrenous88.livejournal.com]

CRUMPETS!!!!!!!!!! *moves in with you*

I have to go read about your wild yeast project thing, because how cool is that?

Hi, Stoney, I'm kind of flibbertigibbet-y and floomp-y lately and I need to pull myself together. *floomps all round*

[timba.livejournal.com]

ARGH WHERE YOU GET CRUMPET RINGS?

I have been looking for freakin EVER, and I can't find em for cheap...or if I find 'em they want shipping of a zillion dollars.

Halp?

[halfmoon-mollie.livejournal.com]

I am going to use your 'starter' recipe soon as it gets cool enough to actually use my stove. Would lemon juice do for the fruit juice?

[kuzu-no-ha.livejournal.com]

Hmm...crumpets you say.....
Fine, I will get the starter out of the fridge. FOR SCIENCE.

[stoney321.livejournal.com]

IDK about lemon juice, honestly. It might be TOO acidic? Nothing to it but to try it out! (And I say get the starter going a few weeks before you want to bake so it has time to develop flavor.) Orange juice was one of the juices listed. (You're wanting to encourage good bacterial growth and inhibit bad bacterial growth, is all.)

[stoney321.livejournal.com]

OMG, NOUS. You know I'm thinking of you every time I bake, right? YOU ARE MY BAKING SISTER. Yes yes, go read the wild yeast post and give it a try! It's a full week now, total success, and WOW does it smell amazing. One more week before I refrigerate it and declare it a full grown Mother, but the wee quick breads I've made with the cast offs have been flavorful and nommy!

I have been that way, too! LET'S BE GOOD TO OURSELVES AND BE PRODUCTIVE! One big thing crossed off our lists, go! <3

[stoney321.livejournal.com]

ONLINE! Look for ones at least 3 1/2" wide. 4" wide and 1 1/2" high are what I have. GOt them on Amazon, but any baking goods store (or heck, even Target, etc) should carry them! Crumpet/English muffin/egg rings are what you're looking for.

Mine - set of 4 - were $8?

[stoney321.livejournal.com]

MMMMMMMM, THEY ARE SO GOOD. Spongey and nommy!

[halfmoon-mollie.livejournal.com]

I guess I could buy an orange.

Thanks. I will get it going, but we're having YOUR weather today (it's 90+).

I'll keep you posted if you like.

[stoney321.livejournal.com]

BUY AN ORANGE. Or a can of pineapple chunks! Mmm, pineapple.

OY, that is hot and gross I AM SORRY FOR YOU. :(

(Ooh, if you manage to get it going, I definitely want to hear back! <3)

[halfmoon-mollie.livejournal.com]

I think I like the idea of pineapple chunks - I know that's what you did! Apple juice would make it truly NYS sourdough, but apples are not acid.

It IS hot and gross but not for much longer, and I am really looking forward to trying this!

[stoney321.livejournal.com]

I bet you could use apple mash/juice and get a good result. It's not super acidic, but there's so much sugar in it that the yeast would be able to overtake anything undesirable, I bet.

I baked off two loaves last night with some of the starter (I let them slowly rise all day long) and they are easily some of the prettiest loaves of bread I've ever baked in a long life of bread making. This starter is the BOMB.

[halfmoon-mollie.livejournal.com]

I think I will try the apple stuff.

I love making bread. I can't wait to try this.

[halfmoon-mollie.livejournal.com]

I used grapefruit juice from a fresh grapefruit for the first two days but then I ran out so I used lime juice. Today, day 4, I had a nice bubbly mixture. I saved the excess as you suggested, planning to make muffins or cookies or something tonight. This is FUN.

I know, I read your post yesterday. You're busy and probably don't have time to reply. I just wanted you to know!

[stoney321.livejournal.com]

I'm here for this!! <3 That's so great that it's working!

I've made that crumpet recipe and wasn't wowed by it. There's not enough flavor to the dough. That could be that my starter is too new, or because the non-stick spray I'm using is gross, TIME WILL TELL.

GOOD LUCK WITH YOUR BREAD!!