Ratty and Mole’s Crumpet Recipe (The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad)

INTRODUCTION

Welcome back friends! This week we’ll be cooking up the crumpets Ratty and Mole share during their tea time in Disney’s The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad (or The Wind in the Willows).

These crumpets are featured when Ratty and Mole are sitting down to afternoon tea, before they’re pulled into all of Mr. Toad’s manias. Looking at them, they really could be crumpets or cookies, but since we’ll be featuring cookies from other Disney features, I thought it would be a fun challenge to make something new!

Crumpets are relatively easy to make, albeit time consuming due to the amount of time the dough/batter spends resting. These are tasty on their own, but you’ll definitely get the most out of them by slathering them with some butter, honey, jam or whatever topping you prefer. Like most foods, these are best when they’re fresh, but my husband has toasted them the last two mornings for breakfast and they’re still tasty!

CRUMPETS

• 1 teaspoon of cane sugar
• 1 tablespoon of dried active yeast
• 1 cup of warm milk
• 2 cups of all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• ½ teaspoon of baking soda
• 1 cup of warm water

INSTRUCTIONS (CRUMPETS)

1. Stir the sugar and yeast into the warm milk and let it rest for 10 minutes until frothy.
2. In a large bowl, combine the flour and salt.
3. Add the liquid to the flour mixture and stir/knead until a thick dough forms.
4. Cover the bowl loosely with plastic wrap and set it in a warm place for an hour to let the dough rise.
5. Dissolve the baking soda in the warm water and add it to the dough. Using a mixer, beat the dough for about one or two minutes. Any remaining lumps will dissolve during the next resting stage.
6. Cover the batter again and let it rest in a warm place for at least 30 minutes. After 30 minutes the batter should be nice and bubbly.
7. Prepare the crumpet rings by oiling the inside of each rim and lightly oil the frying pan. You can use a regular skillet or a cast iron pan (my preference for even heating).
8. Place the rings in the frying pan over medium-high heat.
9. Once the rings are hot, pour the batter into each ring until it’s slightly more than half full.
10. Cook for about 5 minutes or until the classic pores/holes are present and the bottoms slightly browned.
11. Remove the rings and flip the crumpets over to cook the other side for a minute or two until golden brown.
12. Serve warm with butter, jam, golden syrup or honey. To reheat later, toast them in the toaster. These can also be frozen, thaw first before toasting.