Crumpets vs Classic Southern Cornbread

Crumpets and Southern cornbread share butter, milk and sugar, yet use them very differently. In crumpets, warm milk and water loosen a yeasted flour batter that proves until bubbly, then cooks slowly in rings on a griddle, giving a golden base and a top full of holes; butter only arrives at the table, melting into them. Cornbread relies on cornmeal, egg and baking powder, with butter melted in a hot pan before the batter goes in and sugar optional, baking into a golden, sliceable bread. Each dish highlights the versatility of simple pantry staples.