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Scottish Oatcakes

By Andrea Geary

Published on April 3, 2023

Time

45 minutes, plus 20 minutes cooling

Yield

Makes 20 oatcakes

Scottish Oatcakes

Ingredients

1 cup (5 ounces/142 grams) Scottish oatmeal ½ cup (2½ ounces/71 grams) all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon sugar ¼ teaspoon table salt ¼ teaspoon baking powder 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted3 tablespoons hot water

Before You Begin

You'll need a sharp-edged 2½-inch biscuit cutter for this recipe; a glass will not cut through the dough. We developed this recipe with Bob's Red Mill Scottish Oatmeal, a stone-ground oatmeal with a texture between that of steel-cut oats and oat flour, which is available at well-stocked supermarkets and online. If Scottish oatmeal is unavailable, process ¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons (5 ounces) steel-cut oats in a food processor until they're about half oat flour and half oat pieces, about 2 minutes, or blend in a blender for about 15 seconds. Serve with cheese and honey or salted butter and jam or marmalade.

Instructions

  1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Line rimmed baking sheet with parchment.
  2. Whisk together oatmeal, flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder in bowl. Stir in butter and water until all ingredients are moistened. Transfer mixture to lightly floured work surface and press and knead until mixture comes together into dough. Press to ½-inch thickness. Using rolling pin, roll dough to 12-inch round of about ⅛-inch thickness. Using 2½-inch biscuit cutter, cut out rounds. Using thin metal spatula, transfer to prepared baking sheet. Scraps may be rerolled and cut until all dough is used.
  3. Bake until oatcakes are firm to touch, 24 to 27 minutes, rotating sheet halfway through baking. Transfer oatcakes to wire rack to cool completely, about 20 minutes. Serve. (Oatcakes may be stored for up to 3 weeks; if they soften, recrisp in 325 degree oven for 5 to 7 minutes.)
Scottish Oatcakes
Photography by Beth Fuller. Styling by Catrine Kelty.

Scottish Oatcakes

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Time

45 minutes, plus 20 minutes cooling

Yield

Makes 20 oatcakes

Ingredients

1 cup (5 ounces/142 grams) Scottish oatmeal
½ cup (2½ ounces/71 grams) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon sugar
¼ teaspoon table salt
¼ teaspoon baking powder
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
3 tablespoons hot water

Ingredients

1 cup (5 ounces/142 grams) Scottish oatmeal
½ cup (2½ ounces/71 grams) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon sugar
¼ teaspoon table salt
¼ teaspoon baking powder
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
3 tablespoons hot water

Ingredients

1 cup (5 ounces/142 grams) Scottish oatmeal
½ cup (2½ ounces/71 grams) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon sugar
¼ teaspoon table salt
¼ teaspoon baking powder
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
3 tablespoons hot water

Why This Recipe Works

Scottish oatcakes should be crisp and wholesome, their mild oat flavor serving as the perfect base for butter or cheese. Scottish oatmeal forms the foundation of the cakes with the small pieces of oats helping to hold the dough together. All-purpose flour, while not traditional, is now widely used in oatcakes and helps to make the dough even more cohesive. Four tablespoons of butter lent the cakes just enough richness, and a low and slow bake ensured the finished cakes were evenly crisp and brown.

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Before You Begin

You'll need a sharp-edged 2½-inch biscuit cutter for this recipe; a glass will not cut through the dough. We developed this recipe with Bob's Red Mill Scottish Oatmeal, a stone-ground oatmeal with a texture between that of steel-cut oats and oat flour, which is available at well-stocked supermarkets and online. If Scottish oatmeal is unavailable, process ¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons (5 ounces) steel-cut oats in a food processor until they're about half oat flour and half oat pieces, about 2 minutes, or blend in a blender for about 15 seconds. Serve with cheese and honey or salted butter and jam or marmalade.

Instructions

  1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Line rimmed baking sheet with parchment.
  2. Whisk together oatmeal, flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder in bowl. Stir in butter and water until all ingredients are moistened. Transfer mixture to lightly floured work surface and press and knead until mixture comes together into dough. Press to ½-inch thickness. Using rolling pin, roll dough to 12-inch round of about ⅛-inch thickness. Using 2½-inch biscuit cutter, cut out rounds. Using thin metal spatula, transfer to prepared baking sheet. Scraps may be rerolled and cut until all dough is used.
  3. Bake until oatcakes are firm to touch, 24 to 27 minutes, rotating sheet halfway through baking. Transfer oatcakes to wire rack to cool completely, about 20 minutes. Serve. (Oatcakes may be stored for up to 3 weeks; if they soften, recrisp in 325 degree oven for 5 to 7 minutes.)

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