Pikelets are a type of crumpet whose origin and recipe have divided opinions and sparked enormous ‘Twitter’ rows over the years. Our recipe is for a yeasted batter which is cooked similarly to a pancake. They are super easy to make and delicious. You can even make the batter the day before if you wish, saving time in the morning if you want to cook them up for breakfast.
We served ours with speck, a delicious Tunworth hollandaise sauce and a poached egg, inspired by the classic ‘Eggs Benedict’. They make a fabulous alternative to the usual crepes for pancake day and a perfect Sunday morning breakfast too. This recipe makes 8 pikelets, so will serve 4 hungry people for breakfast or supper. However, if you’re cooking for less you can always pop the leftover pikelets in the toaster the next day, like you would a crumpet, and serve with lashings of butter!
For the pikelets
250g strong white flour
1tsp fast-action dried yeast
1tsp caster sugar
½tsp salt
330ml warm milk
For the hollandaise
3 egg yolks
120g unsalted butter, cubed
30g Tunworth, cubed without the rind
Splash of white wine vinegar
Lemon juice
For the top
2-3 slices of speck
8 poached eggs
Chives, finely chopped
Method
Start by making your pikelets batter. Add all of the dry ingredients into a bowl and add the warm milk whisking all the time to form a smooth batter. Cover with a clean tea towel and leave in a warm area of your kitchen for an hour and a half. You can then refrigerate the batter at this stage if you wish to use it the next day.
Once the batter is ready, heat a non-stick, heavy based pan over a medium heat. Warm up a little oil and spoon the mixture into the pan. Once you see the bubbles on the surface of your pikelet and no wet batter, flip and brown on the other side. Transfer to a warm oven at about 100°C to keep warm while you make your hollandaise.
To make your hollandaise sit a roasting tin of water over a ring on the stove and bring to a simmer. Mix a couple of cubes of your butter with your egg yolks, a pinch of salt and a splash of vinegar in a heatproof bowl and stand over the simmering water. Stir continuously until you see the egg/butter mixture start to thicken.
Add the butter one cube at a time stirring all the while. You might find that your sauce is getting too thick so you can add a splash of cold water if so. Continue to add the butter cube by cube until you have no more left, then start to add the cubed Tunworth. It will take slightly longer to melt and incorporate than the butter did but be patient, the end result is really worth it.
Season to taste with salt, white pepper and lemon juice. Your hollandaise won’t stand for very long so try to make it as close to serving as possible.
Top your pikelets with speck, a poached egg and your Tunworth hollandaise. We like to sprinkle a few chives on the top as a garnish!
*The Tunworth hollandaise also makes an amazing accompaniment to steak or even just to dip chips in!
