Are you confident that you know the difference between flapjacks, crumpets and English muffins? We’ll be the first to admit that we scratched our heads a bit with this one. So in an effort to clear up this doughy debacle we put out some feelers into the underground world of baking puritans. Here’s how to tell one tea time treat from the next.
While we South Africans jump between the word crumpet and flapjack in the same sentence, many consider crumpets to be a relation of the English muffin. Cueeven more confusion when our friends in the US of A refer to flapjacks as pancakes. So, what gives?
What are crumpets?
First and foremost, a traditional English crumpet is nothing like a flapjack.Imagine something the size of an English muffin with abubbly outside and a chewy inside – now that’s a crumpet. Crumpet batter is generally like thick pancake batter, but contains some raising agents too. The best thing to do is to make them in advance and pop one into the toaster to crisp up before covering it in the spread of your choice. If you’re looking to try your hand at making these afternoon delights, grab a set of thesecrumpet ringsto help you get the perfect shape.
What are flapjacks?
In a nutshell, flapjacks are like small extra-puffy pancakes (they’re even called pancakes by most of our American friends). The great thing about them? You can dress them up for breakfast, tea or dessert! Their soft, spongy texture goes well with anything from bacon to blueberries and cream, but if you want to keep it simple then a few lashings of syrup will do just fine. You can make the batter from scratch using this foolproofflapjack recipeor take the easy route and use a ready mix. Either way, you’ll be licking your fingers (and possibly your plate) clean.
What are English muffins?
Our last doughy friend is the good ol’ English muffin, a distant relative of the crumpet. The English muffin is made from dough (as opposed to batter) that is left to rise. The dough-like consistency is then rolled out, formed into balls and cooked on both sides until golden brown in a frying pan. When it’s ready for eating, it’s split in half, much like a scone can be, and enjoyed with just about any topping you can imagine. Try Eggs Benedict for a decadent breakfast treat.
The easiest way to tell them all apart? Whip up a batch of each and host a tea party. After all, experience is the best teacher. Oh, and pancakes? They’re paper thin and great with cinnamon sugar – known as crêpes by our buddies across the pond.
Print or Save as PDF
