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Staffordshire Oatcakes Recipe


Staffordshire Oatcakes are a yeasted pancake that tastes good with honey, but even better with a savoury filling. 



I have a pancake recipe with a difference today.  They are called Staffordshire oatcakes and they are savoury pancakes. They are made with yeast and are perfect for a savoury breakfast or instead of a sandwich at lunchtime.

I learned how to make these yeasted pancakes at the breadmaking course I was on recently with tutor Colin Lindsay at Bread in Fife.

Staffordshire Oatcakes




Decades ago in Staffordshire entrepreneurial housewives set up small bakeries in their homes to bring in a bit of extra money.

Their customers were the mill workers, who would buy the Staffordshire oatcakes from the 'holes in the wall' to eat on their way home at the end of their shift.

Unfortunately, the last home bakery and shop recently shut down.

So lets pass this recipe on and make sure these wonderful oatcakes are not forgotten.



pin it for later



Derbyshire Oatcakes


One of my readers, Father Peter Weatherby (see comments below) tells us that these were also very very popular in North Staffordshire.  

They could also to be found in Cheshire (where he grew up) and in Derbyshire, where they are often called "Derbyshire Oatcakes" and are exactly the same as these Stafforshire oatcakes. 

They are generally called "North Staffordshire Oatkcakes" when described to those who are unfamiliar.

Thanks for the info Peter!



yeasted pancake, savoury pancake, savory pancakes, yeasted flapjack, savory pancakes, staffordshire oatcakes, savoury oatcakes
breakfast, lunch
English
Yield: 8 large pancakes

Staffordshire Oatcakes

Staffordshire Oatcakes are a yeasted pancake that tastes good with honey, but even better with a savoury filling.
prep time: 10 minscook time: 25 minstotal time: 35 mins

ingredients

225g fine oatmeal

225g strong wholewheat flour

1 tsp salt

10g dried yeast

1 to 1½ pints warm milk (dairy or vegan) and water

1 tsp sugar

instructions


  1. In a large bowl add the salt to the flour and oatmeal.
  2. In a small bowl mix the yeast with a little of the warm liquid and add the sugar. Allow the mixture to become frothy. 
  3. Mix the dry ingredients with the yeast liquid to make a batter. 
  4. Cover the batter with a clean cloth and leave in a dry place for an hour. 
  5. Bake the oatcake on a well-greased griddle or large frying pan. 
  6. Add enough batter to make an oatcake about 8-9 inches across. It will gradually become covered in holes as it cooks and the surface will change from wet and shiny to dull when it is ready to turn, after about 3 minutes. Turn the oatcake and cook for another 2-3 minutes. 

NOTES:

1. The time does not include resting time.
2. These freeze well. Defrost them enough to unfold them then pop them under the grill.
calories
190
fat (grams)
2.6
sat. fat (grams)
0.3
carbs (grams)
31.6
protein (grams)
9
sugar (grams)
0.7
Created using The Recipes Generator


We enjoyed a taste of these oatcakes with honey, which was rather nice against the savoury flavour of the oatcake, but well all loved it filled with cheese and tomato.


Bread in Fife


If you would like to attend a breadmaking course at Bread in Fife, here are the details.

UPDATE: Since I posted this in 2011, Colin has moved his business to Edinburgh. His details are below.

Colin Lindsay
5 Lochinvar Drive 
Edinburgh
EH5 1GJ

Telephone:

07840 258550

Email:

edinburghbaking@breadinfife.co.uk

Website: Bread In Fife


LOOKING FOR A SWEET PANCAKE? 
TRY THESE

Scotch or Scottish Pancakes

Scotch or Scottish Pancakes

An easy recipe for traditional Scotch pancakes. These are also called drop scones and are very similar to American pancakes, but smaller. Serve them for breakfast, lunch or to celebrate Pancake Day.

43 comments

  1. oh! i didn't realise that there was yeast in them! i think i would prefer savoury...can't go wrong with cheese and tomato! yum yum

    ReplyDelete
  2. Oooh yum. I've made oatcakes before and was brought up on proper oatmeal porridge, but I've never used them in pancakes before. I've just been reading Chele's account of your day which sounds great and am just off to read yours now.

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  3. HOW weird! I VERY nearly posted my Staffordshire Oatcakes recipe today but decided to use my baked red peppers with fennel and goat's cheese instead! I LOVE these, and they are so much better home-made, yours look just amazing! I also love mine with honey!
    Loved this!
    Karen @ Lavender and Lovage

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  4. Oh, interesting!! This is really unexpected, completely different than what I thought the oatcakes you'd made would be!

    They look like yummy ... pancakes. Occasionally we make them yeasted, but usually they're just quick grill breads. I'll have to check this out! And if the rain EVER lets up, it'd be lovely to do a course up there in Fife. As soon as this ($#)($&(% move is behind us...

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  5. I am so glad you posted this recipe - straight to my bookmarks - shame I have already had my dinner - they looked so good in your baking day - will have to have my own little mini day

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  6. A really nice take on pancakes and nice to be reminded of a savoury take on them. I often do a savoury oat porridge for breakfast so I'll definitely be trying this in the very near future.

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  7. Savoury pancakes remind me of a recipe I have boomarked for buckwheat. All I need is buckwheat and I can get started!

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  8. Great idea stuffing them with savory items. The picture looks really good.

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  9. Oooooooooooh, I can taste them from here!! They were rather good and yours have worked out perfectly!

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  10. Since i made some crumpets at home, I've been meaning to make these - then I forgot - you've reminded me and given us all a recipe too. Exceelent. Question is when will I make these, or will the waffle weekend continue?!

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  11. They look lovely, and I like the idea of them with savoury fillings rolled up for dinner. I wonder whether they'd be good rolled with cheese melted on top of them...

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  12. Now you know I would never disagree for the sake of it, but when I read this recipe I was struck by the fact that it is exactly the same as a VERY SCOTTISH recipe called 'Sauty Bannocks' Bugger Staffordshire, reclaim these for 'oor ain folk!' tee hee!

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  13. I love them Victoria, but my hubby prefers a sweet pancake. He has a sweet tooth :)

    We had a great day Choclette :)

    We are obviously on the same wavelength Karen :)

    Yes, once the move is over Tanita, you have enough on your plate at the moment. Let me know when you are thinking of going and I may come along :)

    I think you will really like them Johanna :)

    Let me know what you think when you do Adam & Theresa :)

    Do you know I have never used buckwheat Val, I wonder why I haven't.

    Thanks TB :)

    They were great with the parmesan on them, weren't they Chele?

    Hi Shaheen, You have just reminded me that I really need to get my waffle iron out and have another go.

    Yes, Colin actually suggested that they would be good used as savoury pancakes with filling and sauce. I am interested to see what you would do with them C :)

    Really Janice? I wonder where they came from first. I haven't heard of 'Sauty Bannocks' before, but love the sound of them. What a great name. Must google them!

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  14. These sound great. I love the change from a traditional pancake. I think I'll try them making them. Thanks!

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  15. That's ok Mary, hope you enjoy them :)

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  16. my favourite savoury filling comes from pancake houses in The Netherlands: Appel, spek en gember ie finely sliced apple, bacon and finely chopped syrupy stem ginger.

    Give it a go!

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  17. Those look rustic and delicious. Bet they would be great with some spicy chutney.

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  18. I might try that without the bacon Colin :)

    You are so right TP, they would be great with spicy chutney. Mmmmmmm, my mouth is watering.

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  19. Oh now they sound rather tempting, my cooking skills are lets say something to be worked upon but I may just have to give these a try ..

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    Replies
    1. They are quite easy to make, so you should be ok :)

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  20. Oh my word, I'm so glad I found your blog. I'm addicted to these from Neal's Yard, but would love to make my own. I love them best with goat's cheese and pear.

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  21. This is a fantastic post, Jac. Just what I was looking for. Ages ago Sainsburys used to stock Staffordshire oatcakes and I was quite addicted to them (lovely with soft cheese, salad and tapenade). I was gutted when they stopped stocking them, but took it as an omen that I shouldn't be eating them. All that's going to change now however. These look just how I remember, but I know they will be vastly tastier and healthier too. Thanks!

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  22. PS I have medium oatmeal in the house: do you think I could pulse it to make my own fine oatmeal?

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  23. I am from Staffordshire (stoke on trent) and these are our local delicacy....we only eat them with savoury fillings though and usually for breakfast / brunch. My favourite filling is bacon with melted cheese +/- mushrooms/tinned tomatoes......delicious but not too good for the waistline!!!

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  24. I am also from Stoke-on-Trent, the home of the Staffordshire oatcake. I think there are some inaccuracies in the history given here. Stoke towns were not mill towns but pottery towns and the workers buying oatcakes would overwhelmingly have worked in the pottery industry (the 'potbanks'). Oatcakes were originally sold via windows in homes - 'hole in the wall' outcake shops - but later became shops and today are mostly like take-away sandwich shops offering both plain oatcakes (and pikelets) by the half dozen and single 'filled oatcakes'. Although the last 'hole in the wall' oatcake shop closed most communities still have a local outcake shop and the habit of eating oatcakes is alive and well in the area. Some oatcake shops sell oatcakes and oatcake mixes by mail order too.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks for helping out with the correct info. I probably remembered the story wrong. I have a shocking memory :)

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    2. I lived in Staffordshire for a while and became addicted to them. Found this blog when looking for alterative fillings.
      Not only can you buy the oatcake mixes on line but you can actually buy the prepared item along with pikelets. Have a look on www.StaffordshireOatcakes.com
      Postage is a bit high because of the weight so I buy 4 or 5 dozen at a time and freeze them. x

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  25. Another Stokie who loves his oatcakes! I'd love it if you corrected the original post to make it accurate. Oatcakes are very very popular in North Staffordshire and are also to be found in Cheshire (where I grew up) and in Derbyshire, where they are often called "Derbyshire Oatcakes" and are exactly the same. They are generally called "North Staffordshire Oatkcakes" when trying to describe them to those who are unfamiliar. I now live in South Staffordshire where they are not so well known, though they are available in the larger supermarkets. As someone who has lived in different parts of England, I continue to be astonished that they have not become more widely known and consumed.

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    Replies
    1. Here in Macclesfield, Cheshire, we grew up on Dales's oatcakes, as their oatcake business stayed intact until about 10 years ago. They had a stall on the indoor market where we'd buy a dozen or two dozen a time (they keep well in the freezer), as they were such a local staple.

      Nowadays, we rely either on Povey's oatcakes from Staffordshire, which are sold in the local Aldi. I did have a recipe purporting to be Dales's own, which worked well, but have since lost it.

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    2. I disagree that Derbyshire oatcakes are identical to North Staffordshire's, I've found Derbyshire oatcakes to be thicker.
      I grew up in Stoke (Tunstall) and just a few weeks ago found a North Staffordshire oatcake sold in a big supermarket in Bedfordshire, they're becoming national!

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    3. I'm originally a Potteries lad and grew up on oatcakes. I now reside in Western Australia and luckily there's a kind gentleman in Perth who (with his brother) bought the original recipe from the last surviving oatcake shop in Staffordshire before it closed. They trade by the name of Hole in the Wall Oatcakes both in the UK and Australia, selling mixes and freshly made. We buy our mixes from him so that we can continue to get our "fix" 🙂.

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    4. It's lovely to hear these stories and to keep the recipe and memories alive. Let me know if I can add your comment to my actual post.

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  26. What temperature should you heat up the pan/griddle to cook them? It did I just miss that?

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  27. One more question. My career turned out REALLY thick. I think I misunderstood your liquid measurements. Should it have been 1.5 c milk AND 1.5 c water? I only used 1.5 c combined...

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    Replies
    1. Hi Allison, A griddle should always be hot for pancakes and the recipe states 1 to 1 1/2 pints which equates to 2 to 3 cups, so yes too little liquid.

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  28. Hi, I’m from stoke on trent where Staffordshire oatcakes are a staple in stokies diets. I don’t know where you get the idea that all the oatcake shops are closed down, there are quite a few very good oatcake bakers operating in the city still.

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    Replies
    1. That's good to know. I was told all the hole-in-the-wall bakeries in people's hones were closed now.

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    2. Homes even. Can't type on my phone

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    3. The oatcake shop called the hole in the wall did close. When I was a kid there was a shop on every corner it seemed. Sadly lots of oatcakes are now commercially made and sold to supermarkets but they are a far cry from the beautiful delicate lacey oatcakes from proper oatcake shops. As the previous poster said there are still a number of traditional shops are still around (thankfully). I no longer live in Stoke but the first thing I do when I go home is buy oatcakes!🥰
      Potters are very particular about their oatcakes and would probably never eat them with honey….too fancy that. They were meant to be wrapped round the likes of sausages and bacon and cheese….never folded

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    4. Thanks for sharing your memories. It's always interesting to hear what people remember about the oatcakes. And yes you are probably right about the original fillings.

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I love reading comments, so thank you for taking the time to leave one. Unfortunately, I'm bombarded with spam, so I've turned on comment moderation. I'll publish your comments as soon as I can and respond to them. Don't panic, they will disappear when you hit publish. Jac x