Oat cakes are a Scottish cracker or biscuit with oats as their primary ingredient. In Scotland, where they can replace toast for breakfast, they were traditionally cooked on a griddle and have been documented to exist since Roman times. These days, oat cakes are often baked in the oven. The size, shape, thickness and texture of oatcakes are all variable according to taste. These were made with whole oats and lots of texture.
Preheat your oven to 180ºC (350ºF). Place 300g (10½ oz) of rolled oats, 80g (2¾ oz) of butter and 1 teaspoon of salt (less if you have used salted butter) in a food processor and blitz until the oats are finer (some whole oats add to the texture) and the butter is distributed throughout. Add ½ a cup of very warm water and continue to process until the mixture forms a soft dough. Flour a working surface (or use oatmeal) and roll the dough out to a thickness of approximately 5mm (¼”). Cut into rounds with a cookie cutter or glass and place onto a lined baking sheet. Bake for approximately 20 minutes, turning halfway through. Remove from the baking sheet and place on a rack to cool before storing in an air-tight container. Delicious with cheese or butter and jam.
michelle picker cooks 