Oatcake recipe

Makes 12

8 oz fine oatmeal
8 oz wholewheat or plain flour
1 tsp salt
1/2 oz fresh yeast
1 1/2 pints warm milk and water, mixed half and half
1 tsp sugar

(Chris and Pam Ellis, ex-pats in Australia use double the amount of salt and sugar and claim to get excellent results. They should know because they have tasted the original. They even cook them on the barbie!!)



Method

1. Add salt to flour and oatmeal.

2. Dissolve yeast with a little warm liquid and add sugar. Allow to become frothy.

3. Mix dry ingredients with yeast and rest of warm liquid to make a batter.

4. Cover with clean cloth and leave in warm place for 1 hour.

5. Bake on well-greased griddle. Put enough batter onto griddle to produce an oatcake about 8 or 9 inches in diameter. The surface will be covered in holes as it cooks. Turn oatcake after 2-3 minutes when upperside appears dry and underside is golden brown, and cook for another 2-3 minutes.


Eat as soon as possible. Oatcakes freeze well.

eJennifer Court suggests using ordinary porridge oats after using a blender and a sachet of Sainsbury's Easy-Blend yeast


Her method is as follows :-

Mix the oatmeal and flour in a (preferably warm) basin.

Add the salt and stir. Dissolve the yeast with a little of the warm liquid and the sugar in a mug or small basin. Leave in a warm place (airing cupboard) for 5-10 mins. to allow it to rise (goes frothy). Mix the dry ingredients (oatmeal, flour and salt) with the yeast mixture and some of the liquid: stir well and keep adding the rest of the liquid until all mixed. The result should look like a thin batter.

Cover the bowl with a clean cloth or tea-towel and place in warm airing cupboard for about an hour (until risen: you can't mistake it, it almost tries to escape from the bowl).

Remove from the warmth and stir well. Bake as pancakes on a well greased iron skillet, griddle or (at a pinch) frying pan. For preference use the heaviest item you can find: the bulk of the metal keeps the temperature constant and gives better results than a thin pan.

This amount should make about a dozen oatcakes.

N.B. there is no need to cook the oatcakes immediately: you can leave the mixture in a cool place overnight. Leave it in the airing cupboard and it will start to rise again, which is useless.