Crumpets Galore!

Directions

1. 1
   Make the batter by sifting the flour and salt in a bowl. Warm up the milk and water and dissolve the yeast in it. Add the oil and sugar then pour onto a well in the flour. Whisk well for 5 minutes, until the batter turns very smooth. Cover the bowl and leave to rise for 45' in a warm environment (I put the bowl on a wooden bread board resting on a radiator, it works well).
2. 2
   Dissolve the baking soda into the warm water and add to the batter mixing well. Cover again and leave it to rise for another 30'.
3. 3
   Lightly grease a non stick, heavy bottomed frying pan using a piece of kitchen towel dipped into sunflower oil. Grease the pastry rings too. I find butter works best for these.
4. 4
   Heat up the pan into which you will have placed the pastry rings. As soon as the latter become a bit too hot to touch, pour a ladle of batter into each of them. The batter should come 1/2 inch up the side of the rings. Cook for about 10' over medium-low heat. After a while, you'll start seeing the classical bubbles forming. When the top of the crumpets look dry, ease out of the rings, turn around and cook for a further 2' on the other side.
5. 5
   Wipe clean pan and pastry rings and repeat the process untill you've used up all of the batter.
6. 6
   Pile them up on a cake grid to cool. They'll keep for 3-4 days if stored in an airtight container in the fridge. Or you could freeze, of course.