Cinnamon Buckwheat Crumpets with Orange Curd and Strawberries

The instant I bite into a crumpet I'm transported back to my childhood.  I can see my 7 year old self sitting at our enormous kitchen table, in our huge kitchen with the wood-fired stove.  My two older brothers sitting opposite me, my little sister sitting next to me and my baby sister in her high chair. Mum and Dad sitting at either ends of the table passing trays of toasted crumpets and condiments (usually salted butter and honey) and pouring coffee for themselves and milk for us. There were no acai smooth bowls back then.

Cinnamon Buckwheat Crumpets with Orange Curd and Strawberries

adapted from here

Makes 18 crumpets

For the Crumpets:

110g buckwheat

100g spelt flour

1 teaspoon dark muscovado sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon fine sea salt

1¼ teaspoons dried yeast

175ml lukewarm milk

225ml buttermilk

60g unsalted butter

For the Curd:

220g caster sugar

180ml fresh orange juice

3 eggs

3 egg yolks

1 teaspoon vanilla

70g unsalted butter, softened

Pinch sea salt

To Serve:

Fresh strawberries, sliced

Make the Crumpets:

Combine the buckwheat and spelt flours in a bowl and add the sugar, cinnamon, baking soda and salt.  Set aside.

In a separate bowl, make a sponge by mixing the yeast and milk together and adding ½ cup of the dry mixture.  Set this sponge mixture aside for 30 minutes. 

Whisk the sponge into the remaining dry mixture along with the buttermilk.  Whisk until you have a smooth batter.  Cover with plastic wrap and set aside in a warm spot for about 1 hour, or until doubled in size and bubbly.

Preheat the oven to 180°C.

Spread about 40g of the butter over the base of a rimmed baking tray.  Place some egg rings or cookie cutters on the baking tray and heat in the oven for 3 minutes, until the butter starts to melt.  Remove the tray from the oven, brush the rings with the remaining butter, and pour heaped tablespoons of the batter into the rings.  Bake for 14 minutes or until risen and cooked through.  Use a butter knife to release the crumpets from the rings.  Continue with the remaining batter.  Keep the crumpets warm.

Make the Curd:

Put the sugar, orange juice eggs, egg yolks and vanilla into a heat-proof bowl and whisk to combine.

Put the bowl over a pan of simmering water, don't let the pan touch the water, and continue whisking. The mixture will start to become foamy, then it will start to thicken. Remove from the heat, whisk in the butter and salt.  Pour into a sterilised jar and set aside to cool.  Refrigerate to set.

To Serve:

Spread the warm crumpets with generous dollops of orange curd and strew with sliced strawberries. If you have any leftover for the next day, toast them and repeat with the whole orange curd - fresh strawberry thang... or go old school and drizzle with honey like in the good old days. :P