Scottish Oatcakes

I've looked at various oatcake recipes over the years but never previously made them. I was always a bit hampered by the fact that, although the recipes were very simple, they always seemed to call for "oatmeal". No doubt whoever wrote the ur-recipe knew what they meant by that, but the trouble with being on a different continent is that it is a safe bet that my "oatmeal" is not their "oatmeal".

This post on oatcakes at the Guardian appeared serendipitously just as I was experimenting with my first attempts at making these. I was greatly helped by the commenters, who were quite clear that these were not the perfect oatcakes at all. I am inclined to agree that there should be no sugar or loads of butter, etc, in oatcakes - although getting bent out of shape by 1/4 teaspoon sugar seems a bit hardcore - these are a very basic staple bread dish, and as such should be quite plain.

I went for a slightly more luxurious* amount of butter than the teaspoon or two suggested by commenters - who also noted that butter in itself was a bit spiffy  and traditionally was more likely to be bacon fat or lard - and made several attempts with different kinds of oats. My conclusion, in general, is that your oats should be fairly fine in texture, but that quick cook oats are fine enough. Oat bran ups the fibre content and helps to keep that fine but rather sandy texture. I did make one batch with all oat bran, but thought it had too much of a sandy texture.

The butter helps keep these on the crispy side of crunchy, but the real trick to really good oatcakes is indeed to get them as thin as you can. I found it easier to pat them out by hand but if you are handy with a rolling pin you may prefer to do them that way.

8 to 12 oatcakes
40 minutes - 15 to 20 minutes prep time

1 cup quick cook rolled oats
1 cup oat bran
1/2 to 1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2/3 cup boiling water, about

Put a kettle of filtered water on to boil. Mix the rolled oats, oat bran, and salt in a mixing bowl. Work the butter in thoroughly with your fingers. Preheat the oven to 375°F.

When the kettle boils, measure out 2/3 cup and drizzle it over the dry ingredients. Quickly mix it until it forms a cohesive, workable dough.

You may need to add a little more water or a little more rolled oats to get the perfect texture. It should not be dry and crumbly; it should be pliable but not wet. The oats absorb the water quite quickly so give it about 10 or 15 seconds of mixing before you make a judgement.

Divide the dough out into 2 or 3 (better) equal portions. Roll or pat them out into thin rounds on parchment paper. Ideally they should be less than a quarter of an inch thick but I have yet to achieve that. One quarter inch thick will be okay.

Put them on a baking tray and bake for 20 to 30 minutes until dry and crisp at the edges. If they seem at all moist, give them a little longer. They are not likely to get brown, but if they do get a little brown that's fine. It's a good idea to turn them over for the last 5 minutes or so of baking.

Traditionally these are cooked on a griddle; a cast iron pan will work well. If you want to cook them that way, heat the pan over medium heat and brush with a little oil using a paper towel. Cook for 3 or 4 minutes per side until dry and lightly flecked with brown. If they seem to be browning quickly turn down the heat. You will need to do multiple batches and watch them, also they are quite delicate until they set up. It is really easier to bake them in the oven.




* I keep hearing a Monty-Pythonesque Yorkshire man bellowing "looooooxury" in my ear as I add my tablespoon of butter.

Last year at this time I made Rumbledethumps. What; is it Scottish day? I guess it must be.