PACT Food group

West Midland Oatcake recipe

West Midlands Oatcake
West Midlands Oatcake

A traditional recipe from Peter Dicken

  • 250g fine or medium oatmeal. (Porridge oats will not work)
  • 1.1 pint warm water
  • Tsp salt
  • Heaped tsp dried yeast.

Place oatmeal and salt into mixing bowl, add warm water and whisk or beat to remove lumps. Add yeast and whisk in. Leave covered in a warm place to develop. It’ll take up to half an hour to bubble and thicken. Stir occasionally with a large ladle and as you pour it you should see air holes in the mixture;  if not leave it until they do form.

Have a girdlestone or thick based frying pan on a gentle to medium heat, grease lightly. Pour out a ladleful onto the pan/girdlestone and watch the surface gradually dry out, the surface becoming covered with burst air bubbles. When the sides of the oatcake are easily lifted without breaking the ‘cake’ turn it over with a spatula.

Dry out for a couple of minutes then transfer to a wire rack. Continue until mixture used, placing each baked cake separately on the rack. They can be stacked when cool & dry.

To eat, re-heat under grill or preferably fry in bacon fat until browned a little.

Enjoy with bacon & eggs, cheese, jam, etc.

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