Elevate your weekend breakfast routine and give these spunky pepperberry crumpets with whipped balsamic butter a whirl. If you’ve never made crumpets from scratch before, don’t fret – they’re truly as simple and pillowy as fan favourite pancakes.

Ingredients

300 ml milk

7 gm (1 sachet) dried yeast

200 gm plain flour, sifted

2 tsp caster sugar

¾ tsp bicarbonate of soda

2 tsp finely crushed pepperberries

½ tsp vegetable oil, for frying

Honey, to serve

Balsamic butter

150 gm unsalted butter, softened

1½ tbsp balsamic vinegar

40 gm (¼ cup) icing sugar mixture

2 tsp vanilla bean paste

Method

1.Mix milk and yeast together in a jug or bowl and set aside until surface is foamy (5 minutes). Combine flour, sugar, bicarbonate of soda and ½ tsp fine cooking salt in a large bowl. Gradually whisk in yeast mixture until smooth. Cover and set aside in a warm place until surface is foamy (1 hour).

2.For balsamic butter, place butter in a bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and beat butter until pale (8 minutes). Add remaining ingredients and beat until well combined (2 minutes). Cover and refrigerate until required.

3.Heat a heavy-based frying pan over medium-high heat, grease with butter and place 3 greased 10cm metal crumpet rings in pan to heat. Fold pepperberries through batter, then fill each ring with 80ml (1/3 cup) batter and cook until holes appear, and top has set (10 minutes). Using tongs carefully remove rings and turn crumpets. Cook until just golden (1 minute). Regrease rings and repeat with remaining batter.

4.Serve crumpets toasted, topped with balsamic butter and drizzled with honey.

Recipe by Jessica Brook Recipe Writer and Food Stylist

Jessica’s culinary journey has covered every corner of the food world as a professionally trained chef, recipe writer, food editor, food consultant and stylist. With over 16 years of experience, Jessica has worked across many of Australia's most prestigious food titles, including Gourmet Traveller, Martha Stewart, Donna Hay, and Vogue Entertaining & Travel. When it comes to food, Jessica's all in. With a genuine passion for flavour and a deep appreciation for its diverse cultural influences, Jessica excels in crafting engaging food stories and creating unique recipes. Her style? Tasteful simplicity that highlights the essence of ingredients and heartfelt cooking. You could say she's a bit of a food fanatic, bringing her own unique touch to every dish she creates, particularly in her contributions to Gourmet Traveller through which her dishes resonate with readers seeking new and inspiring culinary experiences.

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Styling by David Morgan

Ingredients

Method

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