Photo by Judith Hausman
Serve these oatcakes with cheese , tomato hole or marmalade .
I ’ve always wish the satisfying crunch of food with dry texture : rice cakes , crackers , matzoh , and muffins and goner without butter . So the ubiquitous oatcakes of Scotland , a commonwealth famous for fancying oats in porridge and haggis , were right up my alley . At first I bought the Walker brand in a conversant , red plaid package , which I assort with their widely exported Scottish shortbread . But I was shortly comparing - savor the many local brands all over the state — Nairn ’s , Stockan , Moran , J. Donald and others . Some were somewhat saltier , some sweeter , some geld in thin triangles and others in thick circle . Traditionally , they are served with either high mallow or with pickle and butter . But I liked them all , spare and crumbly .
Like the baguettes of France , citizenry seldom make oatcakes at base any longer . Still , I require to try . In a vintage cookbook already on my ledge , I detect Mrs. David Donald ’s formula . In 1939 , she did n’t have a food for thought CPU so she suggests couch the undulate oats through a meat grinder . Luckily , our modern tool worked really well to reduce the rolled oats to a finer texture .
I do n’t know whether the Indian meal in her recipe is veritable , but it tally more texture to the oatcake . I also suspect that lard or shortening is more common than the yummy butter I used . I had to assume that she intended me to undulate out the lolly on a flour surface and that I should essay to avoid greasing the baking tabloid . Again our modern tool , silicone pan ocean liner , made that easy , but lambskin paper would work as well .
The oatcakes came out utterly : toasty and ragged - stinging , neither too sweet nor too salty , addictively crunchy and staring with a thin piece of Isle of Mull or New York State cheddar , my owntomato jamor Dundee marmalade . Mrs. Donald knew her stuff and nonsense .
oatcake
Adapted from Adventures in Good Eating by Duncan Hines , 1939“Famous Recipes”Mrs . David Donald , Pittsfield MA
INGREDIENTS
PREPARATION
heat up the oven to 350 degress Fahrenheit . Whirr the oats in a food processor into a rough meal , not as fine as flour though . unite the other wry ingredients right in the processor bowl and then cut in the butter with the steel blade until it is altogether part of the mixing with no large pieces at all .
Add the hot water footling by little just until the dinero have got together when pressed . part the cabbage into three dowry and roll it out on a lightly floured board to less than ¼-inches thick . Cut into triangle or medium - sized circles . Transfer the oatcake cautiously with a metal spatula onto a atomic number 14 weather sheet - lined cookie mainsheet , or utilise lambskin paper instead .
Bake for 30 to 40 minutes until just scarcely browned at the edges . Serve either with cheese or with jam .
Yield : about two XII triangles .
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