Oatcakes, just oatcakes ma'am.

Simple, quick and better by a country mile than the shop bought pieces of cardboard you get.

Recipe 1.  Courtesy of, well actually stolen from, Colin at Bread in Fife.  This makes 9 oatcakes about 3" in diameter.

• 215g medium oatmeal
• 10g coarse or pinhead oatmeal
• 25g butter at room temperature or 20g olive oil (or sunflower oil)
• 4g salt
• 4g soft brown sugar, optional
• 100g of boiling water

Preheat your oven to 160degC and have a rack on the middle shelf.

Mix together all the dry ingredients, rub in the butter and then add the water and mix well.  If the mixture is very wet and sticky, leave to stand for a minute and then get to work.  The mixture should be wet but firm enough to make into balls without sticking to your hands.  However, if it is too dry you will have problems shaping your oatcakes.

100g of boiling water and the dry mix.

Take a large walnut sized ball of mixture (about 40g) and roll into a ball, then press flat.  Put it onto a dry, clean part of the worktop (no flour) and either roll out with a rolling pin, flatten with you hand or do as I do and place the dough scraper (the red thingy) on top and press flat while spinning the scraper.  The actual shape is far less important than an even thickness.  Use the side of the scraper to tidy up the edges and get rid of the 'raggedness' as these will just burn first and fall off if you don't.

Flatten and shape your oatcake.

 The oatcake WILL have stuck to the worktop so use the scraper to slide under and lift it off and place it on your baking tray.  The baking tray should be cold and not floured or greased.

Slide it off with the scraper.

Make all 9 oatcakes and once the tray is full, put them into the preheated oven for 40 minutes at 160degC.

Ready to bake.

DO NOT let them burn as they will taste horrible.  They are ready when they are firm and do not bend when you try to lift them.  To test if they are fully done, turn them over and if there is any 'softness' in the middle or you see what is obvious damp patches, then put those ones back in the oven for a couple more minutes, bottom side up.

Let them cool on a wire rack until cold and then tuck in either plain or with chunks of cheese, pickle and/or mustard.

Cool on a wire rack

The darker looking ones are my take on Colin's Cheesy Chilli ones.  Make and bake in the same way as for the plain oatcakes and here is my recipe (makes 6)

• 100g of medium oatmeal.
• 10g of olive oil
• 4g of salt
• 1 tsp of hot chilli powder (or smoked paprika I used this time)
• 1/2 tsp of onion powder
• 1/4 tsp of white pepper
• 4g of soft brown sugar
• 20g of very finely grated strong Scottish Cheddar
• 45g of boiling water

Mix all the dry ingredients, add the oil and mix through well.  Add the cheese and mix well then add the boiling water and mix very well.  Then continue as for first recipe.

Enjoy.