I’ve been playing around with versions of oatcakes for years. Sometimes I follow a recipe and other times I just wing it. I don’t make them every day, but when I want something other than biscuits or scones, I find these somewhat fragile “cakes” to be quite satisfying. They can be served with a soft cheese and a glass of sherry, but I love them most with butter, raspberry jam, and a good chat with a dear friend over a cup of tea. The ingredients are simple and you just may have them on hand.
OATCAKES
Makes one 8” oatcake
1 cup (85 g) of old-fashioned rolled oats
pinch of baking soda
1/4 cup (35g) oat flour
2 tablespoons (30g) butter
1/4 cup (60 ml) milk
1/8-1/4 teaspoon salt (Some recipes call for 1/2 teaspoon salt but if you are using salted butter, they taste a bit too salty to me.)
Put old-fashioned rolled oats in the food processor with a metal blade. Press the “On” button and count to 10…neither too slowly or too fast…but at a moderate pace. (I’m still using my 1979 Cuisinart which I’ve patched back together.) They will be broken down some but still look “oatey.”
Turn the oats in to a bowl, add a pinch of baking soda, and the oat flour. (You could probably process additional oats down in your food processor until they turn in to flour.)
In a small saucepan, slowly melt butter, add salt, and milk and gently heat together.
Pour the milk mixture in to the bowl and mix until well combined using a fork, spoon, a flexible spatula, or your hands to make a stiff paste. (If you use your hands, they will get sticky with the wet oat mixture.)
Scatter some oats or oat flour on a flat surface and knead for a few minutes. One recipe I have says “Knead well with the hands covered in oatmeal to prevent sticking.”1
Roll out to about 1/4” (0.6 cm) thick and about 8” (20 cm) in diameter. I cup my hands and pat the edges in to make them smooth and roundish.
Heat a “girdle” (the Scottish word for griddle) or cast-iron frying pan for 5 minutes over medium heat.
Cut the oatcake in to quarters (which are known as farls) and carefully lift them one at a time on to the heated griddle, and cook each side for 5 minutes. You can also use a glass or a biscuit cutter to make circles.
Carefully lift each farl with a spatula and set on a rack to cool. These can be quite fragile. I find that the longer they set, the better they hold together.
Miranda’s Oatcakes
Meander’s Kitchen2 was right across the alley from me when I lived in West Seattle for a year. I would often would pop in the back door of Miranda Krone’s kitchen with a freshly baked pie to share with her and her staff. Here’s her recipe for oatcakes.
2 cups thick rolled oats
1/2 cup brown rice flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 eggs lightly beaten
1/4 cup oil or melted butter
3 cups buttermilk
Mix dry ingredients together.
Beat wet ingredients together.
Mix wet into dry and let sit overnight.
Cook 1/3 cup portions on a griddle 2 minutes per side.
Kylemore Abbey Oatcakes3
And one more from Kylemore Abbey in the heart of Connemara in County Galway in Ireland.
1 and 1/2 cups (200 g) oatmeal
1/3 cup (75 g) sugar
pinch of salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 oz (55 g) shredded coconut
1 and 1/4 cups (140 g) flour
3/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons (200 g) butter (the Kylemore Abbey Cookbook calls for margarine)
Mix dry ingredients, melt butter, add to dry ingredients and bind well.
Roll out to 0.6 cm/1/4 inch thick on a floured board and cut into rounds using a 2 inch cutter.
Bake in a preheated very cool oven (275F/140C/Gas 1) for 15 minutes.
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A Taste of Scotland in Food and In Pictures by Theodora Fitzgibbon.
Meander’s Kitchen is no longer but here is a lovely review from 2011. https://www.seattletimes.com/life/food-drink/meanders-kitchen-comfort-food-offered-at-this-quirky-west-seattle-diner/
The Kylemore Abbey Cookbook, edited by Mary Dowling.
I just recently found out about my Celtic/Scottish/Irish ancestry. What great recipes to make to celebrate my heritage! Thank you!
I love when you share recipes. I especially liked seeing 3 different takes on oat cakes. Ever made them with coconut oil? The aroma is tropical heavenly.