Dating back to the 19th century, Staffordshire oatcakes are the OG pancake. Not to be confused with Scottish oatcakes, these delicious little beauties use yeast as their leavening agent and are the perfect addition to your pancake day.
While they used to be made very simply with just ground oats, yeast, and water, the recipe has changed gradually over the years to include milk and wheat flour to make them more tender , and less likely to break. This recipe is easy enough to adapt for our needs – all you need to do is swap out the dairy milk for your favourite plant based alternative. The flour was added for the stretch so I’ve instead added tapioca starch to make it gluten free without loosing any of that texture.
What should I have with it?
Traditionally, oatcakes are a savoury dish and will pair well with some cheese melted over the top in the final stage of cooking, as a wrap alternative, or even as an edible plate for your next fry up. Diehard fans may look down on sweet fillings but I also love treating oatcakes just like a regular pancake and serving them with lemon and sugar, or even a drizzle of maple syrup.
Are oats gluten free?
This is one of those questions where the answer can be a little complicated depending on why you need to know. Oats are gluten free however, there are two caveats to this. They are often processed and packaged in the same factory as other grains so are often subject to cross contamination. If you have a gluten allergy, make sure you buy oats that are certified gluten free to avoid this. If you have celiac disease then we hit the other snag – while oats are gluten free they do contain a protein called avenin. For a number of coeliacs this protein is similar enough to gluten that is can cause a reaction. If this is a problem for you, then I’m afraid these oatcakes won’t be for you.
What do I do if I can’t find Oat flour?
I know that oat flour isn’t the easiest ingredient to find (I use this one). However, there is a very easy and cheap alternative – just buy a bag of oats! Weigh out the same weight of oats, pour into a blender and grind until you get bored. You’ll be left with some homemade oat flour that’s perfect for oatcakes, even if it’s a little course.
Staffordshire Oatcakes
Ingredients
- 450 ml Plant Based Milk
- 450 ml Water
- 330 grams Oat Flour*
- 120 grams Tapioca Starch
- 1 tsp sugar (optional)
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Active dry Yeast
Instructions
- Warm the milk and water in a small pan to 38° (if you don't have a thermometer, you're looking for lukewarm).450 ml Plant Based Milk, 450 ml Water
- Whisk together all the ingredients with the warm milk before covering. Set to one side in a warm place for at least an hour, or in the fridge overnight, to allow the yeast to develop.330 grams Oat Flour*, 120 grams Tapioca Starch, 1 tsp sugar, 1 tsp Salt, 1 tsp Active dry Yeast
- Place your favourite frying pan on a medium heat and brush with a little oil. After resting, the mix should be frothy. when the pan is fully preheated, gently mix the batter before adding a ladleful to the pan. Swirl to spread out the batter into an even pancake. Cook until dry on top and edges just start to pull away from the pan, then flip. Cook until golden brown on the bottom.
- Serve immediately with your preferred toppings or allow to cool before wrapping and storing the fridge till you're ready to eat.
Notes
