Derbyshire Oatcakes
Derbyshire oatcakes are the perfect accompaniment to a classic cooked breakfast. The oaty pancakes go on the bottom of the plate so they can soak up the delicious juices from beans, bacon and egg.
We haven't lived in the UK for over 20 years and there are few things we miss from the UK, but this is one of them. BTB is originally from Derbyshire and so has fond memories of these breakfast treats. They are very localised so I had not heard of them, but was intrigued to try them out. I can assure you they are great!
It's best to make these oatcakes in advance as they are cooked twice - once when making the pancake and a second time in butter to crisp up the crust just before serving. Serve with a full breakfast of bacon, eggs, baked beans, grilled mushrooms, grilled tomato, and some toast. And of course, wash it all down with a mug of steaming strong tea!
This recipe makes 8 oatcakes and you only need 1 per person.
- 250 ml warm milk
- 250 ml warm water
- 7 g dried yeast (1 packet)
- 1 tsp sugar
- 120 g oat flour
- 120 g all purpose flour
- 1 tsp salt (or to taste)
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- knob of butter
Add 1 tsp sugar and one packet of dried yeast to a jug of warm milk and water. Leave to bloom for 5 minutes.
Add 120g of oat flour and plain flour to a bowl. Add about 1 tsp of salt and stir into the flour.
Add the milk/yeast mixture and whisk to form a thin-ish batter (the consistency should be similar to pancake batter). Leave to rise for at least 2 hours or up to overnight.
Once the batter has risen a little and bubbles have formed on the surface it is time to cook.
Heat a frying pan to a medium heat. Add a little vegetable oil and brush around the pan with a heatproof pastry brush.
Pour a ladle of the batter into the pan and use the back of the ladle to smear the batter into a rough circle. It doesn't matter if it's not perfectly circular but try not break the batter.
Cook for 3-4 minutes until bubbles form on the surface and the bottom starts to brown. Flip the oatcake and cook for another 3-4 minutes on the other side.
Once both sides are browned remove from the frying pan onto a plate covered with kitchen roll. Cook all of the batter - it should make about 8 pancakes.
When the cooked breakfast is ready it's time to reheat and crisp the oatcake.
Heat a knob of butter in a frying pan over a medium heat.
When the butter has melted, add an oatcake and cook for 1-2 minutes until the bottom starts to crisp. Flip the oatcake and cook for another 1-2 minutes.
Place the oatcake on the dinner plate and put all the breakfast items on top so the juices can soak into the pancake. Enjoy with a cup of tea.