Traditional Scottish Vegan Oatcakes

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Scottish oatcakes are a traditional bake that are crunchy, savoury and satisfying.

Perfect for snacks, lunch or as an accompaniment to a steaming bowl of tasty soup or stew.

Course Breakfast, Side Dish, Snack

Cuisine Scottish

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 25

Total Time 55

Servings Oatcakes

Calories 90

Author Jacq

Equipment

Baking trays
Biscuit/cookie cutter about 6-7cm diameter for smaller oatcakes and about 8-9 cm for larger oatcakes.
Rolling pin

Ingredients

620 grams Medium-cut/pinhead/coarse/Irish oatmeal (not rolled or porridge oats) plus extra for sprinkling during rolling out
1 teaspoon Baking powder
1 teaspoon Caster sugar or granulated, date or coconut sugar, or an alternative sweetener.
1 teaspoon Salt
300 millilitres Boiling water use a little extra as required
4 tablespoon Vegetable oil

Metric - US Customary

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 170 Fan/ 190 Celsius/ 375 Fahrenheit/ Gas 5.
Mix the oatmeal, salt, sugar, and baking powder together in a bowl.
620 grams Medium-cut/pinhead/coarse/Irish oatmeal (not rolled or porridge oats), 1 teaspoon Baking powder, 1 teaspoon Caster sugar, 1 teaspoon Salt
Pour the boiling water into a jug.
300 millilitres Boiling water
Add the oil to the oatmeal and mix.
4 tablespoon Vegetable oil
Pour the boiling water into the oatmeal mix.
Mix everything together.
Bring the mixture together into a firm dough.
Knead gently but firmly to bring it all together.
Sprinkle oatmeal on your worktop and place the oatmeal dough on top.
Pat down the warm oatmeal dough with your hands.
Squeeze together any cracked bits. It should easily mould back together. A little water dabbed and smoothed over the cracks with your fingertip can help bring the dough back together.
(To make rolling easier the dough can be halved and one part rolled/patted out at a time).
If your dough is too sticky just sprinkle more oatmeal over.
Roll out gently.
This part can take a little time.
Roll out until very thin to about half a cm.
I usually use a 6 cm biscuit cutter to gently stamp out circles. I have also used an 8 cm cutter as I love large oatcakes.But any size will do.
Just give the cutter a little shoogle to remove the oatcake or you may need to use a spatula to carefully scoop up the oatcake.
Once all the oatcakes have been cut out and the ends of dough are left, squish it all back together and roll out.
Sprinkle more oatmeal over your worktop.
Repeat until all the dough has been used.
Place the oatcakes in the oven until lightly golden at the edges and the top is firm to touch.
Don't bake till dark golden.
You can bake your oatcakes on any shelf in your oven as you may need to add several trays at once. Just check each tray as the top tray may be done before the ones under it.
Smaller oatcakes should be ready between 18-22 minutes. Check after 18 minutes especially if your using a fan oven.
Larger oatcakes may need 23-25 minutes. Or a few minutes longer depending on your oven.
Leave the oatcakes for a few minutes on the baking tray before removing on to a wire rack to cool completely.

Notes

Nutritional information is provided for guidance only and is not a strict calculation as ingredients vary.
Do check out the recipe notes and FAQS section for top tips on preparing Scottish oatcakes.
Oatcakes will keep fresh wrapped in kitchen foil, and/or an airtight container for up to 7-10 days. Possibly longer if well wrapped and kept in a cool, dry place.
Oatcakes can be frozen, well wrapped to avoid freezer burn, for up to 3 months. Place a piece of kitchen paper between each oatcake or a small pile, so its more easy to remove a few from the freezer. Defrost at room temperature and if necessary pop back in the oven (at the cooking temperature) for 5-10 minutes to re-fresh and re-crisp.
Oatcakes are a delicious sub for bread to serve with stews and soups.
Or have a few oatcakes for lunch with slices of tomatoes, cucumber and vegan cheese. A scoop of pickle is also tasty as is a pat of vegan cream cheese.
Oatcakes are a wonderful starter for a special meal especially served with some tasty vegan pate, hummus or refried beans.

Nutrition