Traditional English Pikelets - Gluten Free

If you're a fan of crumpets, then you will love pikelets - they're very similar in taste and texture, far less faffing about, and a bit bit lighter and less stodgy!

You can make a batch of these, then either keep warm or store them in a resealable bag or container in the fridge or freezer, and toast lightly as needed.

They are delicious with a smear of butter, and your topping of choice - some like jam, some like golden syrup or honey, and some go for savoury with melted cheese and a splash of Worcerstershire sauce - me? I like to rebel against convention and have a smear of cream cheese, some smoked salmon and freshly snipped chives on top, a bit like large blinis!

I developed this recipe because my daughter and I had tried all the gluten free crumpets we could find on the market, and frankly we didn't like any of them, so I had to come up with something myself! If you want to make crumpets rather than pikelets, you can use this recipe and use greased rings to cook them in, and cook for a bit longer on each side. I just prefer pikelets, and of course less faffing about!

This amount of batter will make 20 small-ish pikelets (the same diameter as your average crumpet), and you can fit three or four in a large frying pan at once, so not too much time spent at the stove, as they only take a few minutes to cook!

Approximately 51 calories per pikelet (if yield is 20).

Ingredients
[Calories in square brackets]

• 170g plain gluten free flour (I strongly recommend Dove's Farm brand) [600 calories]
• 55g cornflour (ensure gluten free, if cooking for Coeliacs) [198]
• 250ml/g whole milk (I use lactose free) [163]
• 100ml/g water
• 1 tsp fast action yeast (GF) [11]
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp caster sugar [8]
• 1/4 tsp xantham gum
• 1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (later on)
• Oil - a little oil with a silicone brush, or oil spray (roughly a teaspoon should be enough for all of them if using a good non-stick pan) [41]

Method

1. Warm the milk and water up together until it's about 35-37C (essentially body temperature) [Thermomix 3 minutes / 37C / Speed 2 - you can add the sugar and yeast at the same time as well], and boil a full kettle if you haven't got anywhere warm in the house to put the batter to rise.

2. In a large bowl, mix together the ingredients down to and including the xantham gum (don't mix the bicarb in) [Thermomix 10 seconds / Speed 7], cover (e.g. with clingfilm or a plate) and put into a warm place to rise until doubled in volume (will take about an hour). HOT TIP! If your house is cold, simply put a large pan or bowl of hot/boiled water right at the bottom of a cold oven, and place your bowl onto a shelf in the oven for about an hour, this will provide the perfect warm atmosphere for rising dough/batter!

3. Mix the bicarbonate of soda with a tablespoon of water, then mix into the batter (this will knock it back at the same time) [Thermomix 10 seconds / Speed 5]. Leave to rest for about 10-40 minutes (depending on how much time you've got!) until increased in volume again.

4. Heat up a non stick pan over a medium heat, brush or spray with a small amount of oil, and then with a ladle carefully and slowly spoon in puddles of the batter, around 3 1/2 inches / 8-9cm in diameter. In a large pan you'll probably manage 3 or 4 at a time.

5. When the batter is just starting to set around the very edges but is still wet on top (after a minute or so), help along the bubbles along by poking with a fork and / or the blunt end of a skewer to burst the bubbles / make holes in the top. The more holes, the more butter can seep in when you eat them!!! 

6. When there are visible holes in the top (natural, or poked!), flip the pikelets over and leave for about 20-30 seconds or so, until there are a few golden brown patches. Remove from the pan, give a very light brush or spray of oil for the next batch, and either enjoy with melted butter, keep warm until serving, or set aside until cool to freeze. If storing un-frozen, keep in the refrigerator.

What did you think of this recipe? Please leave me a comments below to help other readers choose whether to make this recipe and keep my blog alive! Thank you. :)