FROM POURING BATTER TO OATCAKE
Oatcake batter recipes tend to be closely-guarded secrets and we make no exception for ourselves. There are a few constants, and other variables that allow you to adjust the balance and texture to suit your preferences.
We offer two batter mixes – a Rich Blend and a Light Blend – that exemplify the two most useful variants: the Rich mix has a stronger, maltier flavour and produces a darker, heavier, thicker oatcake ideal for umami-rich savoury fillings; the Light mix produces less caramelisation and has a simpler flavour and fluffier texture for those who prefer their oatcakes this way. The Light mix is also recommended for sweet fillings. The light blend is gluten-, lactose- and alcohol-free.
If making your own batter from raw ingredients, you may find the following guidelines useful . . .
DRY-MIX INGREDIENTS
The backbone of an oatcake is of course oatmeal – milled (ground-up) oats. Processed porridge oats, rolled oats and jumbo oats can all be blitzed at home into serviceable oatmeal for oatcake batter, but the more flavoursome and nutritious option is to grind the whole groat. However, like coffee beans, ground groats leak aromatics and nutrients instantly when atomised: whole-groat oatmeal (but pre-ground) versus freshly ground (but pre-processed) flakes is a contest with no clear winners. The only way to make oatcake batter without compromise is to grind whole groats straight into the dry mix – capturing all that oaty goodness without delay.
Oatcake No. 1 – the ground zero pr-oat-otype – was likely pure wet oat powder. However, a 100% oatmeal batter is as joyless as fat-free porridge: the addition of flour and yeast gives oatcakes their multi-layered flavour and gratifyingly spongey texture. The ratio of oatmeal to flour should be not less than 1:1 – always use more oatmeal than flour: up to twice as much.
Flour acts as a binding agent and brings gluten to create those elastic bonds. Yeast aerates the mix. A wide variety of flour, or flours, can be used – including gluten-free variants. For a lighter mix, use a good quality plain flour. For a darker colour, a heavier consistency and superior nutritional content, use wholemeal or multigrain flour. The ratio of wholemeal-to-plain flour can be varied from 100:1 to 1:100, depending on your priorities and preferences. Sweet oatcakes tend to favour a higher proportion of plain flour. Gluten-free flour can also be used, but additional ingredients are recommended to achieve a similar texture and taste.
Yeast is another key difference between an oatcake and a pancake: whatever the ratio of flour, dry yeast must comprise roughly 2% of the weight of the total dry mix (including oatmeal); fresh yeast must be around 4%. Pre-activated dry yeast is the cheapest, most readily available and most convenient option. Unactivated yeast is also available, but must be activated before mixing with other batter ingredients. Fresh yeast is the best-tasting option, but must be used soon after purchase, and is relatively expensive.
Bear in mind that yeast needs heat and food to fulfill its role. If using gluten-free flour, add a little sugar to the dry mix – and a pinch of Xantham gum for thickening body. Yeast can also feed on any alcohol you include in your wet batter. Especially in a mix intended for savoury filling, you will also want to add a dash of salt and sugar. The salt:sugar ratio can be adjusted depending on whether you’re making sweet or savoury fillings.
Though not part of the classic oatcake recipe, a good batter benefits from the addition of flavourings: for a savoury mix I like to add a healthy shot of freshly-cracked black pepper and/or smoked paprika. A dash of Jollof spice mix works well, too.
WET MIX INGREDIENTS
Comparison of a wide variety of ancient and modern recipes shows a consensus around a wet:dry ratio of approximately 2:1 – sometimes a little less, but rarely more. A thicker, drier mix sits up in the pan (more like a pikelet), uses more batter per unit, and gives a thicker finished oatcake.
What this mix comprises, however, is open to variation. If a lactose-free oatcake is required, the batter isn’t harmed too critically by using only water. If you do so, I would recommend adding a little oil. There’s little point using oat milk here instead of dairy milk: you may as well use 5% more oatmeal instead of water. Water-only oatcakes have a simpler, more oat-forward taste and a paler, more uniform colour when cooked.
The purpose of adding cow’s milk is to improve the flavour and mouth-feel of the finished oatcake and – crucially – to add proteins to caramelise and sugars to feed the yeast. Dairy-free milks such as soya, almond and coconut will all add flavour in their own way but not necessarily better colour. It’s commonly held that the ideal ratio of milk to water is 50:50, but this can be adjusted depending on your preference for milk fats. If you’re looking for the ultimately indulgent batter you can even add single or double creme.
I also find an oatcake batter benefits from the addition of beer – bringing it closer to its French cousin, the galette. Beer brings complexity, yeast-food and bubbles – happy inhabitants of any oatcake. I recommend that beer comprises 10-15% of the total wet volume of your batter. Once you accept this sacrilege, the door is open to fine-tuning your batter for specific fillings: a good stout or porter gives the richest taste, but also the heaviest texture. Less hairily artisanal: any Weissbeer brings a pleasantly wheaty whack to the batter, and many bubbles. At the other end of the spectrum – and well suited to sweet fillings – a pale ale like Deya’s Steady Rolling Man is very good here, but beware hop-heavy IPAs that finish sour: they bring unwelcome acrid notes to the mix.
QUANTITIES AND SERVINGS
A typical traditional oatcake uses 95-100g of batter and measures 20-24cm in diameter. Based on the ratios suggested above, the recipe for a batch of six oatcakes is therefore:
• 600ml batter total, comprising:
– 300g dry ingredients (at least 50% (150g) oatmeal, flour, 7g yeast, flavourings)
– 300ml wet ingredients (water, milk, beer)
COOKING METHODS
Oatcakes were peasant food, not an artisanal speciality. In the medieval period the average middle-class home (even if only a single room) had a wood oven that doubled as a heater. Food was heated on a shale mudstone. Oatcakes were sometimes prepared by smearing on a wooden board or linen, and transferred to the hot bakestone. During the industrial period, cast iron plates became affordable enough to be ubiquitous: they heated faster and were easier to clean.
Commercially, oatcake batter is fried on stainless griddle plates, typically heated by an array of gas burners or electrical elements. Some of the older family businesses in The Potteries still use cast-iron ‘stones’. But domestically, any flat piece of steel will suffice: a crêpe pan, griddle plate or any non-stick frying pan works similarly. My top recommendation is a lightly oiled carbon-steel pan heated to the point where the batter sizzles on contact. This will likely require using a moderate to high setting on your hob. The most important factor is that an even amount of heat reaches all parts of your pan.
Pour or ladle 90-100ml of batter mix into a hot pan and swirl until it reaches the edges – just as you would cook a pancake. Leave until the edges curl – typically 45-90 seconds – then flip. Don’t be a hero: carefully slide a silicon spatula under the edge of the oatcake and gently turn it over. Once cooked on both sides, it becomes flippable – but by then there’s no need: slide it out of the pan onto a cooling rack.
We don’t recommend serving a freshly-made oatcake until it has cooled and the gluten re-knitted, in order to reach the desired level of pliability and nicely yielding texture. If you choose to ignore this advice, it’s not a deal-breaker: you can start melting cheese on the freshly cooked surface while the raw face is pan-side, and roll and eat without delay.
Better, though, to wait. After around 15 minutes, they are ready to be re-heated to melt the filling and/or create a slightly crisp exterior.
Oatcakes immediately begin, albeit gradually, to dry out. The shelf-life of a cooked oatcake depends on your tolerance for a dry oatcake, and the temperature at which they’re stored – but either way, after 18-24 hours they become increasingly cracker-like. However, oatcakes also freeze well: for best results place them in a sealed bag as soon as they’re cool.
The following recipe suggestions assume you are already in posession of recently-made oatcake and ready to enter the world of oat cuisine.
SAVOURY OATCAKE RECIPES
The Classic Cheese
A well-made oatcake needs 30-40g of cheese. Never buy grated cheese: grate or mandolin cheese freshly from a block. Avoid thick chunks (more than 3mm) because it tends to result in over-crispy oatcakes or unmelted cheese (or – horrors – both). Beware red cheeses that instantly turn from solid blocks into rubber mats.
The most common oatcake cheese is English Cheddar, which ranges from a waxy, tastless substance to a sublime taste experience – largely depending on how long it has been aged. After approximately 18 months maturation, Cheddar proteins begin to crystallise. In terms of depth and complexity, you broadly get what you pay for: longer periods of maturation result equally in higher costs and better flavour.
However, the world of cheese is wide: shop around. Avoid using mozzarella, unless blending it with a more flavoursome partner: however alluring the texture, it brings minimal flavour to the table, and the excess moisture will ruin your oatcake. Alpine cheeses are well suited – combining an unctuous melt with strong flavour and organic provenance. Pasteurised nor unpasteurised versions retain their structure when heated and soften quickly. Some supermarkets sell Raclette or tartiflette cheese blends that are also suitable. From northern Italy, Tallegio is a particular favourite. Also, more affordably, Fleur des Alpes.
Whether you fold or roll, the aim is to contrast a slightly crisp outer shell with a soft, gooey, molten interior. This is best achieved by short exposure to high heat. A carbon-steel or cast-iron flat pan imparts a better flavour and gives better caramelisation than grilling. If you’re really dedicated, go medieval for the fullly authentic taste experience: finish pre-cooked oatcakes on a lava or pizza stone over charcoal.
The most popular relish is a filling of brown (OK or HP) sauce or tomato ketchup. The metric of a good ketchup is a high proportion of tomato; the tell of a good brown sauce is the presence of tamarind and date extracts. However, oatcakes eat acidity for breakfast, and the zingy top notes of fruit and tomato can get lost in the heat of their interior. Whatever you serve inside your oatcake, serve some on the side for dipping, too – ideally straight from the fridge. Not all chutneys suit oatcakes, and its different strokes for different folks. In our house the local favourites are caramelised onion, fig and medlar.
Add-Ons:
Onions: pan-fry for at least 15 minutes: initially covered, at high heat; then uncovered at lower hear. At the start of the process, add red wine, butter, a little wholegrain or mild mustard, and season well. Stop cooking before the onion slices shrivel, while they’re still al dente.
Chives: snip from a living plant in sections not more than 2cm in length.
Bacon, mushrooms, sausage and tomatoes all accompany a cheese oatcake very well but beware puting wet ingredient inside an oatcake – it’s essentially a sponge, and it the crisp outer is vulnerable. Eggs are best scrambled or made into an omelette and sliced.
Gloucester Oatcake
Gloucester pork sausage and Double Gloucester cheese made with chives and onions (originally a Clawson recipe), with red wine-caramelised red onions and fresh chives. Accompany with sweet mustard or ketchup.
Hereford Oatcake
Beef sausage combined with vintage Cheddar, wilted spinach, red wine-caramelised red onions and sweet mustard.
Spring Oatcake
Spiced lamb sausage with minted yoghurt, tabbouleh and wild garlic leaves. If making a small batter batch, you can add a little fresh, finely-chopped/blitzed mint and/or rosemary to the dry mix.
Autumn Oatcake
Venison sausage with blackberry and mulberry chutney, black pepper, Ashcombe cheese and sliced sorrel leaves.
Mountain Oatcake
Sausage and cheese are textbook oatcake fillings. From our Pennine basecamp, our Mountain Oatcakes trek upland to the Alps and mountains of Silesia in search of Bavarian bratwurst, Polish Wiejska and (if we can find it) the veal-filled delights of St. Galler. The key pairing is with an Alpine cheese – from the French side you might try Fleur des Alpes or Rebluchon; from the Swiss, a good Raclette; or from Northern Italy (my personal favourite) Tallegio. King Stone Dairy in Chedworth, Gloucestershire also offers fine local Alpine-style cheeses that work well here – try Moreton or Rollright. Serve with cornichons and sweet mustard. Accompany with Weissbeer for breakfast, or a Belgian quadruppel ale for lunch or tea.
Forest Oatcake
Vintage Cheddar cheese with wilted spinach, toasted pine nuts, Worcestershire Sauce and either wild garlic (February-May) or sorrel (May-November) in season.
River Oatcake
Smoked salmon slices, vodka mayonnaise, dill, sliced ginger
Souflette Oatcake
Soufflée omelette with chestnut mushrooms, Alpine cheese, chives and truffle mayonnaise.
Marinara Oatcake
Beef meatballs in pesto passata, accompanied by Tallegio or Mozzarella and mature Cheddar, fresh basil, rocket and black pepper.
Shawarma Oatcake
Shawarma chicken with hummus, pickle and baby leaves.
Keralan Oatcake
Curried aubergine and sweet potato with sultana, coconut, coriander, minted yoghurt
Chimichurri Chicken Oatcake
Grilled chicken with smashed avocado and fresh chimichurri sauce
Chicken Melt Oatcake
Crispy-fried chicken breast pieces with Alpine cheese (or Mozzarella and vintage Cheddar), shredded lettuce (or rocket) and hot mango (or spiced guava) mayonnaise. A good basic Mayonnaise is notoriously easy to make, and amenable to a thousand upgrades. But if you’re in a rush and just want to pep up an off-the-shelf mayonnaise, add crushed garlic, smoked paprika and approximately 1/6 of the volume of mayo of guava or mango nectar. Mix well. Season for heat with black pepper, chilli flakes or chilli sauce.
Feta/Hummus & Red Pepper Oatcake
Barrel-aged Feta cheese with roasted red peppers, garnished with rocket and tarragon chimichurri. Alternatively, any good goat’s cheese or a generous smear of hummus can be substituted for feta.
Mushroom Pancake
Mushroom parfait, shiitake mushrooms, tallegio, and pickled shallots
Truffle Salami & Truffle Cheddar
Served with tarragon mojo chimichurri
Truffle Cheddar, Mushroom and Pine Nut
Slice chestnut mushrooms into pieces no smaller than 15mm thick so they retain some texture when cooked. Fry in butter, truffle oil, freshly crushed / finely chopped garlic and a few drops of dark soy sauce. Add some acidity in the form of either Worcestershire Sauce (a few drops after the mushrooms are cooked) or red wine (added before the mushrooms are cooked). Season with black pepper and spread them out on a plate to evaporate excess moisture: it’s important that the mushrooms don’t go into the oatcake soggy. Sprinkle a fresh, cooled oatcake with truffle cheddar and a good red cheese (such as vintage Somerset or Leicester). Add the mushrooms, toasted pine nuts and either rocket or fresh tarragon leaves. Finish with cracked pepper and/or Worcestershire Sauce to taste.
LAYERED OATCAKE RECIPE
Mrs. Ping Special
On the Higherlands arcade in Newcastle-under-Lyme Mrs. Ping once made the finest breakfast in Staffordshire: oatcake logic ne plus ultra. Take a batch of cooked oatcakes: lay one down in a baking dish and cover it with cheese and soft-cooked onions. Lay an oatcake on top of that and cover it with mushrooms cooked in garlic. Crack black pepper and add a dash of Worcestershire Sauce. Cover it with an oatcake. Cover that with a layer of crisped bacon. Cover that with an oatcake. Cover that with scrambled eggs. Cover that with an oatcake. Cover that with a mixture of sausage and beans and add more Worcestershire Sauce. Cover that with an oatcake. Cover that with cheese. Cover that with another oatcake. Bake for 5-10 minutes until the cheese melts and the edges turn a little crisp, and serve with lashing of brown sauce and/or tomato ketchup. I know what you’re thinking: “is that six oatcakes or seven?”. Well, to tell you the truth, in all this excitement I’ve kinda lost track myself. But this being the most powerful breakfast in The Potteries, capable of blowing your socks clean off, the question you have to ask yourself is “Do you feel hungry, punk?” (Feeds 1-3 people)
Oatcake Lasagne
Cooked oatcakes can be used instead of pasta to make a fine variation on lasagne – without gluten, if required. It’s best to use two day-old oatcakes that have started to dry out in the fridge. Make a bechamel sauce and mince and tomato filling as usual, but shorten the cooking time considerably – as all the ingredients are assembled pre-cooked, the dish only needs to time to heat through (typically 20 minutes) at a low/moderate heat (typically 150°) in an oven or air fryer until an even temperature is reached throughout. Protect the topmost layer of oatcakes with cheese, sauce or mince so that it doesn’t harden.
SWEET OATCAKE RECIPES
There is a long-standing tradition (dating to at least the 17th Century, and probably much earlier) of simply eating oatcakes with butter and honey. Sweet oatcakes tend to suit our Light or Gluten-Free Blends rather than the Rich Blends (especially with the lemon and chocolate recipes), but some may prefer its malty contribution to the Highland and banana oatcakes.
Layered Fruit Oatcake
The same principle as Mrs. Ping’s Special breakfast works for dessert, too. Many fruit combinations sit happily in alternating layers of an oatcake stack: pear, ginger and apple are reliable partners. Pineapple, rum and sultanas, too. Try a melée of berries. Always include a splash of fruit-infused (or fruit-compatible) liqueur, and small amounts of thickened cream, or crème patisserie every other layer. Top with icing sugar and cook gently for no more than 10-15 minutes. Slice vertically into slices with creme (single or squirty, even), or custard.
Highland Oatcake
Scottish heather honey, Whiskey & vanilla crème patisserie and Whiskey-steeped sultanas.
Paying tribute to oatcakes North of the border, this recipes captures the aromas of peat and heather in combination with lightly toasted oats. The key to getting the consistency right is NOT to add the sweet ingredients until the oatcakes is already slightly crisped on one side. Then add the filling, and return to a hot griddle or pan for no more than 30 seconds.
Lemon Oatcake
Whereas crepes and pancakes respond well to saturation with lemon juice and sugar, oatcakes (being sponges) don’t tolerate wet fillings. The best way to exploit their natural affinity with lemon is therefore a good lemon curd. [INSERT CURD RECIPE]. If you have any Whiskey-steeped sultanas left over from making a Highland oatcake, they will hide happily inside and deliver delicious pops of boozy sweetness. Again, the secret is not to spread the curd until the oatcake is already slightly crisp on one side. Like a lemon pancake, devour instantly.
Lemon & Olive Oatcake
A more refined and complex variant of the lemon oatcake uses the same curd, but adds vanilla créme patisserie, extra virgin olive oil, and a sparse sprinkling of large sea salt flakes. This combination tends to divide eaters: Dua Lipa is a fan; my youngest daughter is not. You will find them highly moreish, or distinctly lessish. Again, it’s important not to allow the curd or crème to get too hot, only returning it to hear for 30 seconds or so, when securely wrapped in a pre-crisped oatcake.
Chocolate, Hazelnut & Marshmallow Oatcake
This is an indulgent combination bordering on sickly-sweet, and therefore popular with children. Nutella or a similar chocolate/hazelnut spread can be used. A snippet of a Jumbo Flump (that cylindrical spiral of squishy delight) is the perfect filling – or concoct a carriage of mallows of less than one inch diameter. It’s important to soften mallows at the perimeter, rather than let them fully melt – while ensuring the oatcake has a slightly crisp external shell. Alternatively, replace Nutella with combination of dry-roasted peanuts and Biscoff (or other crushed biscuit and caramel) sauce – pairing the gooey sweetness with crunchy texture and a salty tang.
Raspberry Chambord Oatcake
Chambord-steeped raspberries with clotted cream, raspberry coulis and toasted almonds.
Blueberry, Gin & Lemon Oatcake
Blueberry oatcakes work just as well as blueberry muffins or clafouti, and can simply be served with a smear of whipped cream or yoghurt, but adding flavours of gin and lemon will help stand up to the relatively strong flavour of oats and malt. Try soaking some blueberries in a berry-infused gin for 2-3 days, and studding them in a 15-20mm wide baton of crème patisserie. Alternatively, lightly pan-fry (don’t allow the filling to get nuclear-hot) three or four blueberry pierogi and use clotted cream and gin-soaked blueberries. Take a cooked and cooled oatcake and sit it in a hot pan or flat griddle for about 60 seconds, until the heated side starts to crisp slightly. Add a thin layer of lemon curd, and set the blueberry crème patisserie in the centre. Immediately roll, in the pan, and heat for another 15-20 seconds on each side but don’t allow the contents to run. Serve and eat immediately.
Banana & Salted Caramel or Rum-Infused Biscoff
A banana is the perfect size to fill an oatcake. Pre-cook the banana with brown sugar until soft, and add to a cooked, crisping oatcake in a hot pan or griddle. Dress with plenty of salted caramel sauce – too little, and it will vanish into the oatcake’s sponge. if you can get it, use Caramel Vodka for the sauce for a welcome kick of alcohol that steers this combination away from sickly-sweetness. Alternatively, add a dash of rum to Biscoff spread and use instead of salted caramale sauce.
Strawberry Vanilla
Strawberry purée, vanilla crème patisserie and flaked almonds or pine nuts (both lightly browned)
PRESERVED OATCAKE RECIPES
Lancashire Stew & Hard
Slice a cooked oatcake into strips approximately 50mm wide and coole on a flat surface – on a flat plate in the fridge is fine – for 4 days. Keep covered to avoid cross contamination. If the oatcakes have been made in clean conditions, they should be free of mould or any other signs of deterioration, but check before serving. Meanwhile, make potted meat. Traditionally, offal and other offcuts of meat were slow cooked with pigs trotters to create a gelatinous and generously seasoned terrine, but beef shin and any other inexpensive animal protein can be used. Serve portions of terrine on the hardened oatcake with thin slices or fine cubes of onion that have been pickled in vinegar. Accompany with a strong beer of your choice – ideally something from a Belgian monastery.