How to make Paul Hollywood's chocolate crumpets from Great Celebrity Bake Off

'It's all about the bubbles'

The Great Celebrity Bake Off’s Paul Hollywood divided viewers on Tuesday night after he asked contestants on the show to create “six chocolate crumpets with a rich black cherry jam”.

A twist on the classic teatime treat, Hollywood’s version left both the celebrities and the show’s viewers in a state of confusion, with many admitting they never knew chocolate crumpets existed.

While it’s possible to buy decent ready-made traditional crumpets, chocolate versions remain surprisingly elusive and so it seems the only way you’re going to get to try one is by making them yourself.

Luckily, Hollywood has shared his secret recipe to creating the perfect chocolate crumpets and accompanying black cherry jam.

“A twist on a classic, these crumpets are best served warm from the griddle and spread with butter and black cherry jam,” the The Great British Bake Off's recipe states.

“If you can’t eat the crumpets all at once, allow them to cool, store them in an airtight container, then toast to reheat.”

Paul Hollywood’s chocolate crumpets with black cherry jam (Serves 6)

(The Great British Bake Off/Love Productions)

Ingredients

For the crumpets:

• 75g plain flour
• 75g strong white flour
• 25g cocoa powder
• 7g fast-action dried yeast
• ½ tsp caster sugar
• 175ml warm whole milk
• 75ml warm water
• ¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 1 tsp salt
• sunflower oil, for cooking & greasing

For the cherry jam:

• 200g frozen black cherries, defrosted
• 100g jam sugar
• ½ tbsp lemon juice
• 1 cinnamon stick
• butter, to serve
• You will need:
• Flat griddle pan
• 6 crumpet rings, greased

Method

Step 1 – Make the crumpet batter. Tip the flours, cocoa powder and yeast into a bowl and mix together. Stir the sugar into the warm milk until dissolved, then pour onto the flour mixture.

Use a wooden spoon to beat the mixture for three to four minutes to a smooth batter. (This is hard work but is essential to produce the holes in the crumpets.) Cover and leave to stand for 30 minutes.

Step 2 – Meanwhile, make the jam. Place the cherries in a small, deep-sided pan and crush with a potato masher.

Add the sugar, lemon juice and cinnamon stick and bring to the boil over a low heat until the sugar has melted. Increase the heat and boil for four minutes, then remove from the heat and pour into a shallow container. Leave to cool and set.

Step 3 – When the batter is ready, in a jug, mix the water with the bicarbonate of soda and salt. Stir this into the batter, then add a further two to three tablespoons of warm water and mix the batter to a thick, dropping consistency, like double cream. Cover and leave to stand for 20 minutes.

Step 4 – Heat the griddle pan over a medium–low heat and lightly grease it. Sit three of the crumpet rings on the griddle. Ladle the batter into the rings until it comes half way up the side of each ring.

After four to five minutes bubbles should appear and the surface should be set. Carefully turn over the crumpets in their rings and cook for a further three minutes.

Step 5 – Remove the cooked crumpets from the griddle and set aside to keep warm. Repeat with the remaining three rings and batter.

Spread all the crumpets with butter, then top with the cherry jam and, for the best results, serve straightaway.

The full recipe can also be found on The Great British Bake Off website.