Monday 6 July 2015

Spice 'n' Cheesy Scottish Oatcakes

spicy cheese oatcakes

If you aren't from the UK, or maybe even Scotland then you may be unfamiliar with oatcakes. I had some lovely ones in a restaurant in Kincardine, called The Unicorn (highly recommended) recently and I wanted to give making them a bash.

Oatcakes or Bannocks as they are also called, hail from Scotland since the time of the Roman invasion. They are a hard cracker type affair, made from the oats which were plentiful back then in Scotland, cooked on a girdle – Scottish for a griddle (not the undergarment).

They have evolved over the years and you can add flour to them, along with some fat. They are neither sweet nor savoury and you can top them with anything really. You get English and Welsh versions which are very different, so don’t be confused.

spicy cheese oatcakes

You also get other additions to the basic oatcake recipe, including cheese, which I have used here. I have made them spicy with the addition of a Mexican cheese which contains chillies. I have also added a bit of hot chilli powder, so these oatcakes really do have a pleasing kick to them.

For my oatcakes, I didn’t make them on my girdle as a) I don’t have one and b) an oven does the job just as well and you can do them all in one go! Also circle shaped one are traditional, or large circles cut into quarters, or farls, but I have made oblongs as you can see. 

The oats shouldn’t be too big. If the ones you have are not a medium grain, pop them in the blender and give them a couple of pulses which will make them a better size for oatcakes.

spicy cheese oatcakes

If you don’t like spice, then you can omit the chilli powder and go with a plain cheddar. When serving these up, I like to have some condiments for dipping them into. I have some houmous, salsa and sour cream. A simple spread of butter would be nice too!

Here's how I made them...

Spice 'n' Cheesy Scottish Oatcakes


Thumbnail Url Traditional Scottish Oatcakes
with spicy cheese and chilli powder
(adapted from mumsnet cheese oatcake recipe)
Cuisine: Scottish Category: Snack Yields: 32 approx.
Prep Time: Cook Time: Total Time:
 


Ingredients
  • 225 grams porridge oats
  • 1 tablespoon plain flour
  • 1 teaspoon chilli powder
  • 100 grams Mexican cheese, grated
  • 1 tablespoon cooking oil (any, I used olive)
  • 100 ml water
 
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 200C. Line a couple of baking trays with greaseproof paper.
  2. If your oats are needing pulsed, do that now.
  3. In a large bowl mix the oats, flour and chilli powder. Add the grated cheese and stir through.
  4. Drizzle the oil over and lastly the water and mix until a dough is formed.
  5. Roll the dough out, to about an eighth of an inch thick. Cut into any shape you choose.
  6. Transfer the oatcakes to the baking trays and bake in the oven for around 12 minutes or until they are golden on the edges.
  7. Remove from the oven and allow to cool fully.
  8. Serve your oatcakes with more cheese or any condiment you choose.

7 comments:

  1. I don't believe you don't have a girdle! ;-)

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    Replies
    1. Well, I have a thing that goes over two burners - might count!

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  2. Oat cakes are delicious...... AND This recipe is almost GF! It will be so easy to adapt I am smiling from ear to ear.... Thanks for the share. I will definitely be giving them a go xx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Cheers Kate, let me know how they turn out x

      Delete
  3. This is the sort of thing i can eat a lot of....a shocking amount!

    ReplyDelete
  4. This is such a great recipe, thank you! I made these with double the cheese, chipotle chilli flakes and pinhead oatmeal and a little extra olive oil - they were banging thank you! At the end I rolled chilli flakes, salt and cracked black pepper into the top of the oatcake dough before slicing and it worked pretty well, if you're interested!!!

    ReplyDelete

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