Staffordshire Oatcake
Notes
Today is Chandeleur or pancake day here in France which is always celebrated 40 days after Christmas. I decided that I wanted to go a little off piste this year and avoid making the usual gallettes and crepes, but instead draw on the amazing diversity of pancakes around the world. Inspired though I am by classics like Ethiopean Injera or Indian Dosa, I wanted to make a Staffordshire oatcake which comes from near where we used to live in the UK. They're little known outside the area they come from, but I reckon at some point they'll be discovered and go viral.
The origins of Staffordshire Oatcakes are lost in the mists of time but we know that the early ones, similar to their French counterparts were made simply with water and oatmeal and by the poor. By the 18th century they had evolved into something more elaborate including wholemeal flour, white flour and milk, briefly fermented to give a thicker pancake which is slightly bread like. They're really easy to veganise because they don't contain eggs and work well with plant milk. They're also delicious, healthy and really easy to make so what's not to like?