• Gather the ingredients so you have everything close at hand on the counter or table.

Prepare Skillet for Cooking

• Heat butter in microwave for a few seconds until melted.
• Warm the skillet over low heat. Lightly spray the skillet with cooking oil. Place crumpet rings in the skillet and cover with lid for a few minutes to warm. When the skillet is nicely warmed, remove the lid and generously brush the melted butter along the inside of the crumpet rings, using the long-handled tongs to hold the rings.

Make the Batter

• While the skillet is warming, prepare the batter. Place unfed starter in a medium-sized bowl. Add to this the cold water, granulated sugar, and kosher salt.
• When the skillet has fully warmed, finish the batter by adding the baking soda to the sourdough mixture. Rapidly whisk the batter to combine. You will see a difference in the batter now that the baking soda has been added. (I like to add the baking soda right before I cook the crumpets for ultimate rise.)

Cook the Crumpets

• Using a cookie/muffin scoop, spoon batter into each of the prepared crumpet rings. The batter will immediately sizzle, like a pancake, and will fill the rings to about half full.
• Cook on low for about 1 minute until bubbles start to appear on the tops. Place the lid on the skillet and continue cooking for 4-5 minutes. (Cooking the crumpets with the lid on helps to cook the centers of the crumpets.)
• Remove the lid, and if necessary, continue cooking for 1-2 minutes until the tops are dull and opaque. The tops should now be full of small indentions–the signature mark of a true crumpet.
• Carefully remove the rings, then turn the crumpets in the skillet. If desired, cook the crumpets for another 1-2 minutes to lightly brown the tops. This step is optional.
• Traditional English crumpets are not browned on the top, so feel free to stop before this step. Instead you may toast the crumpets before serving.
• If necessary, clean the crumpet rings, then repeat the above steps for the remaining batter. Or if you’ll be making this recipe a lot or for many people, you may want to purchase 2 sets of rings for a total of 8!
• Serve warm crumpets with a pot of hot tea and with butter, your favorite jam, or honey. Make 6-8 crumpets.