How to Bake Soft Staffordshire Oatcakes on a Home Griddle

Staffordshire oatcakes are a different creature from their crisp Scottish cousins. They are soft, slightly spongy, and designed to be folded around a filling, which makes them closer to a savoury pancake than a biscuit. If you have only ever had the thin, snappy kind, these will be a revelation. The good news is that they are easy to make at home, and you do not need a traditional black-lead griddle to do it. A heavy frying pan or a flat cast-iron skillet will serve you perfectly well.

The traditional recipe uses a mix of fine oatmeal and flour, with yeast or a raising agent to give the batter a little lift. Some versions use only oatmeal, but the addition of plain flour makes the cakes more pliable and easier to fold. The batter is thin, more like double cream than dough, and it needs to rest so the oats can absorb the liquid and soften. This resting step is not optional if you want a tender oatcake rather than a gritty one.

The Basic Method

Begin with a batter of fine or medium oatmeal, plain flour, a pinch of salt, a little sugar to help the yeast along, and a sachet of dried yeast. Whisk in warm milk and water, roughly half and half, until you have a smooth, pourable consistency. Cover the bowl and leave it somewhere warm for an hour or so, until it is bubbly and slightly thickened. If you prefer a quicker version, you can use bicarbonate of soda and a squeeze of lemon juice instead of yeast, though the flavour will be a little different.

When the batter is ready, heat your pan over a medium flame and wipe it with a little oil or a knob of lard. Ladle in just enough batter to swirl thinly across the base, the way you would a crepe. Cook for a minute or two, until the surface is set and the underside is lightly speckled, then flip and cook briefly on the other side. Do not let them brown too deeply; Staffordshire oatcakes should be pale and soft, not crisp. Stack them under a clean tea towel as you go, which keeps them warm and steamy.

Filling and Serving Ideas

The classic filling is bacon and cheese, with the oatcake folded over and returned to the pan briefly so the cheese melts. But there is plenty of room to play. Try them with mushrooms and a little thyme, with wilted spinach and a poached egg, or with a spoonful of leftover roast and a splash of gravy. A sweet version, spread with butter and jam and rolled up, is a fine thing for breakfast.

Leftover oatcakes freeze well. Layer them with greaseproof paper between each one, wrap the stack tightly, and freeze for up to a couple of months. Reheat them in a dry pan or a low oven, and they will come back soft and fresh. Once you have made a batch, you will find yourself making them regularly. They are cheap, quick, and endlessly adaptable, which is exactly what a good everyday bread should be.