Crisp Highland Oatcakes with Butter & Flaky Salt

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

Toasty, nutty, sandy-crisp oat crackers built the old Scottish way: coarse oatmeal, a little butter, and boiling water worked into a warm dough that rolls out thin and bakes to a shattering snap. You grind your own oatmeal in a food processor, so the texture is coarse and craggy rather than dusty — the kind of cracker that stands up to sharp cheddar, smoked salmon, or nothing but a smear of good butter. One bowl, no yeast, no rest time, and they keep for two weeks in a tin.

Ingredients

• 2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats (200 g)
• 1/2 cup additional old-fashioned rolled oats, left whole
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour (65 g)
• 1 tsp fine sea salt
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 5 tbsp unsalted butter, cut into cubes (70 g)
• 1 tsp honey (optional, for color)
• 2/3 cup boiling water, plus more as needed

• 2 tsp flaky sea salt
• 2 tbsp rolled oats, for rolling out
• Freshly cracked black pepper (optional)

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C) with racks in the upper-middle and lower-middle positions. Line two rimmed baking sheets with parchment.
2. Put the 2 cups of rolled oats in a food processor and pulse in 1-second bursts, 15 to 20 times, until you have a coarse meal with the texture of fine breadcrumbs — some flour, some visible flecks of oat. Do not run it continuously into powder; the grit is what makes an oatcake taste like an oatcake.
3. Transfer the ground oats to a large heatproof bowl and stir in the 1/2 cup whole rolled oats, whole wheat flour, fine sea salt, and baking soda.
4. Melt the butter with the honey and the 2/3 cup boiling water in a small saucepan or in the microwave (about 60 seconds) until the butter is fully liquid and the mixture is steaming hot.
5. Pour the hot butter-water over the oat mixture all at once and stir hard with a sturdy spoon for 30 seconds. Let it sit 5 minutes — the oats drink up the water and the dough firms noticeably. It should come together into a soft, moldable dough that holds a squeezed shape without cracking; if it still crumbles, add boiling water 1 tablespoon at a time (up to 3 tablespoons).
6. Scatter the 2 tablespoons of rolling oats on a work surface. Divide the dough in half. Working while it is still warm, press one half into a disc, then roll to a scant 1/8 inch (3 mm) thick, patching any cracked edges with your fingers as you go. Rolling between two sheets of parchment makes this easier and keeps the dough from sticking.
7. Cut out 2 1/2-inch rounds with a cookie cutter or a glass and lift them onto a prepared sheet with a thin spatula, spacing them 1/2 inch apart — they barely spread. Gather scraps, press together, and re-roll once. Repeat with the second half of the dough. You should get 22 to 26 oatcakes.
8. Sprinkle the tops lightly with flaky salt and black pepper if using, pressing it in with your fingertips so it sticks.
9. Bake 24 to 28 minutes, swapping and rotating the pans at the 14-minute mark, until the oatcakes are dry to the touch, sandy-firm, and speckled golden at the edges. The centers should be pale gold, not brown; a thin oatcake that looks barely done will still be leathery, so give the thickest ones an extra 2 to 3 minutes.
10. Slide the parchment onto a wire rack and cool completely, at least 20 minutes. They crisp dramatically as they cool — test one only after it is fully at room temperature. If any are still bendy, return them to a 300°F oven for 5 to 8 minutes.
11. Serve with cold butter, a wedge of sharp aged cheddar, or smoked salmon and a squeeze of lemon. Store airtight at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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