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Staffordshire oatcakes
Soft, lacy oat pancakes from the Potteries
BritishIn Stoke-on-Trent and the Potteries towns, oatcakes are not crisp biscuits but large, soft, holey pancakes made from a yeasted oat and wheat batter, sold warm from shop hatches in the morning. They are rolled around fillings of melted cheese, tomato and mushroom, or folded up with beans. Chef's tip: the batter should be thin like single cream; if it is thick the oatcakes come out stodgy instead of lacy.
- Total time
- 40 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
- 8 oz fine oatmeal
- 3 ⅞ oz wholemeal flour
- ¼ oz instant dried yeast
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 ¾ cups milkwarm
- 1 ¾ cups warm water
- 1 tbsp vegetable oilfor frying
- 4 oz grated cheddar (vegetarian) (optional)to fill
- 7 oz fried mushrooms (optional)to fill
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Mix the 8 oz fine oatmeal, 3 ⅞ oz wholemeal flour, ¼ oz instant dried yeast, 1 tsp sugar and 1 tsp salt in a big jug or bowl. Whisk in the 1 ¾ cups milk and 1 ¾ cups warm water to a smooth, thin batter.
4 minStep 2: Cover and leave in a warm place for 1 hour, until bubbly on top.
60 minStep 3: Heat a large non-stick frying pan over a medium heat and wipe it with a little 1 tbsp vegetable oil. Stir the batter and pour in a ladleful, swirling to cover the base thinly.
2 minStep 4: Cook for 2–3 minutes, until the top is covered in holes and looks dry, then flip and cook 1–2 minutes more. A common mistake is turning too early, while the top is still wet.
4 minStep 5: Repeat with the rest, stacking under a cloth. To serve, warm an oatcake in the pan, scatter 4 oz grated cheddar (vegetarian) and 7 oz fried mushrooms on one half, fold and cook until the cheese melts.
15 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 200 kcal
- Protein
- 8 g
- Carbs
- 32 g
- Fat
- 4 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does staffordshire oatcakes take?
- About 40 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 25 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- What can I use instead of sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
- What can I use instead of milk?
- Oat, soy or almond milk, same amount (use unsweetened for savoury dishes).
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