Fuel for the March- Oatcakes

What ever your sport, mission or purpose you need the fuel to get the maximum output from the Human body you have been blessed with.  As part of this blog I will from time to time post a recipe, snack or a meal that has made it into my repertoire of culinary cuisine, I am going to start with "Oatcakes" (thanks Kelownagirl for asking the question).

What are Oatcakes?    

Wikipedia says : An oatcake is a type of cracker or pancake, made from oatmeal, and sometimes flour as well. Oatcakes are cooked on a griddle.

Oatcakes may be more familiar to Americans in the form of their cousin, the Johnnycake, made of cornmeal, often cooked on a board, shovel, or even stones, just as the Scottish did in the past.

Oatcakes are widely considered to be the national bread of Scotland, and have held that position for many centuries. They are made almost entirely of oats, the only cereal to flourish in northern Scotland. Traditionally, each community had its own mill to grind oats from local crofts and supply oatmeal for every household. These oats formed the Highlanders' staple diet of porridge and oatcakes.

Scottish soldiers in the 14th Century carried a metal plate and a sack of oatmeal. According to contemporary accounts, one would heat the plate over fire, moisten a bit of oatmeal and make a cake to"comfort his stomach. Hence it is no marvel that the Scots should be able to make longer marches than other men."

We also have some other types of Oatcake here in the UK but personally I dont bother with these, I just like the Scottish type. My Favorite are the ready made type by a company called Nairns and if you can buy a pack I would recommend you do so their link is nairns-oatcakes.com. If you cant gethold of these dont fear I have dug up this old Scottish Recipe, its apparently the same used  to keep the soldiers moving whilst marching in the Scottish Highlands (...serves two Soldiers).

Ingredients:

» 60g/2oz/one quarter cup medium oatmeal, plus extra for sprinkling in step 6. 
» 60g//2oz/one quarter cup wholemeal (whole wheat) flour.
» ½ teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda.
» A pinch of salt.
» A tablespoon of lard.
» 5 tablespoons of boiling water.

Method: 

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C or 400°F or Gas Mark 6.

2. Grease a baking tray and line with greaseproof paper.

3. Melt a tablespoon of lard over a medium heat until it has completely melted.

4. Place all the dry ingredients into a bowl and add a tablespoon of melted lard and five tablespoons of boiling water.

5. Mix together using a round bladed knife until a dough forms.

6. Sprinkle a surface with oatmeal and place the dough on it.

7. Cut the dough in two and place one piece aside.

8. Shape the half into a round and roll it out using a rolling pin until it is about half a centimetre thick.

9. Cut as many oatcakes as the shape allows and place them on the baking tray.

10. Place the offcuts aside and repeat steps 8 and 9 with the other half.

11. Mould all the offcuts into a ball and repeat steps 8 and 9 once more.

12. Place the oatcakes into the hot oven for 10 minutes or until the edges are golden brown.

13. Remove the oatcakes from the oven and place them on a cooling rack.

Thats it; quite simple really, you can top them with what ever topping you want or eat them naked, its up to you.