Staffordshire Oatcakes

5 from 1 vote

This area is famous for beer, its byproduct- Marmite - and pottery, I therefore photographed these oatcakes on Staffordshire-made plates.

These are very different from their Scottish counterparts, being more like an oat-based pikelet. People from the area have them for breakfast, often with melted cheese, sausages, bacon and eggs. A more modern filling would be melted cheese and avocado, rather like a burrito.

My advice is to make them the night before and leave the batter to rise slowly in the fridge, ready for the next morning. As for yeast, I often keep blocks of fresh yeast in the freezer which I defrost. Otherwise feel free to use fast action dried yeast.

Count two per person. Three for big eaters. This recipe makes ten. You will need a flat cast iron frying pan or non stick pan.

Course: Breakfast

Keyword: Breakfast foods, English dishes, Oats

Ingredients

225 g oat flour You can grind up porridge oats in a high speed blender
100 g wholemeal flour
100 g strong flour
1 tsp salt
400 ml milk
400 ml lukewarm water
10 g fresh yeast or 2 packets fast action yeast
1 tsp sugar
Butter
Grated cheese or other toppings of your choice.

Instructions

In a large bowl measure out and mix the different flours and salt. In a jug, add the milk, water, yeast and sugar. Leave for ten minutes or so until frothy. Then combine the wet ingredients with the dry ingredients. Cover and leave overnight in a cool place.
The next day, retrieve the batter and melt a little butter, not too much, on on the pan on a medium heat.
Add a ladle of batter to the pan and tip the sides until you have a thin 10 inch/20cm circle. Let it bubble and pop in a crumpet like fashion. Do not hurry this process, and only turn the oatcake towards the end when the top is set. Then add the melted cheese.
Don't worry about the first one, like pancakes, they always go wrong.
Oatcakes can be served with sweet fillings, such as blackberries and cream.
Oatcakes can be made in advance and frozen.