Puck-shaped cafe-style oat cake: I am your maker.
WAIT WHAT!? There might be trace milk products in commercial oatcakes!
Yes, this is true. I took the ‘must be 100% vegan’ plug out of my asshole a long time ago. During that time I also gave up on my western Philosophy degree shy of a few courses (in retrospect, this was me continuing to take myself too seriously). Not to mention chilling out my activist streak. Balance, since then, is what I strive for.
So you’ve had to have had one. Soft, delicious, and dense, the elusive cafe-style Oat Cake. Hopefully it was a good one, ’cause I’ve been acquainted with its dry, crusty cousin, too. The one I particularly love is sold at Second Cup coffee house in St. John’s, Newfoundland. They even used to sell them in bulk at Costco. Since moving to a borough just outside Philadelphia, I’ve once again become desolate. LIFE WITHOUT OATCAKES IS NO LIFE AT ALL.
Until now. Fueled by a fit of oatcakeless despair, I give you THE oat cake recipe. Our delicious friends can now be made in the comfort of your own home, wheat-free, using organic, unrefined ingredients.
And yes, you’re welcome.
The Renaissance Oatcake
Recipe makes about 9 small or 4 large oatcakes. See notes if doubling recipe.
MIX DRY:
3/4 c. oat flour
1/2 c. quick oats
1/2 c. ground rolled oats*
1/2 c. millet flour**
dash to 1/4 tsp. salt***
1 1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/3 c. blond sugar
CUT IN BUTT’R:
1/2 c. earth balance
COMBINE WET & ADD TO DOUGH:
3-4 tbsp. non-dairy milk
1 tsp. vanilla
PROCEDURE
- Preheat oven to 325 f.
- Pour rolled oats into a food processor and pulse ’til roughly chopped.
- Combine with quick oats, flour, salt, and baking powder.
- Cut in Earth Balance butter with hands.
- Mix milk and vanilla, add to batter.
- Roll out onto floured surface with rolling pin or hands (yes! love it!), and cut into 2.5-3.5 inch round, 1/2-1.5 inch thick, discs.****
- These can bake straight from the freezer, so freeze what you don’t need and put the rest on a baking sheet.
- Bake at 325 f for 18 minutes (1/2-inch thick, 2.5-inch round) or 20 minutes (1-inch thick/3.5 round).
- They shouldn’t really brown at all, which means they are slightly under-baked and need to be left on the baking sheet 5-10 minutes before setting on a cooling rack. Get antsy and they may fall apart before setting. The key to the perfect oatcake is under-baking it so it remains soft.
RECIPE NOTES
*use all quick oats if you can’t be bothered with the extra step.
**sub spelt or barley if no millet.
***use himalayan salt for boosted mineral-awesome.
****RE: SIZE OF OATCAKE: Cafes typically serve 1-inch thick, 3.5-inch round oatcakes. The smaller size makes them more like the cookies, so it depends what you’re going for.
*****RE: Doubling recipe: This recipe doubles easily, but increase the salt and baking powder 1.5x, not 2x… so 1/4 tsp. salt and 1.5 tsp. baking powder.
OOO ! STEP-BY-STEP PHOTO-GUIDE !
Put 1/2 cup rolled oats in a food processor and pulse until roughly chopped, like in the above picture.
Combine 1/2 cup each millet, roughly ground rolled oats, and quick oats. Add 3/4 cup oat flour.
Add a dash up to 1/4 tsp. salt and 1 tsp. baking powder.
Add 1/3 cup organic cane sugar.
Add 1/2 cup Earth Balance margarine. Next? Fun:
Get your hands in it! Pastry cutters are for wussbags. Smoosh the EB into the dry mix until thoroughly distributed.
This is how it should sorta look when you’re finished smooshing.
- Combine 3 tbsp. soymilk with 1 tsp. vanilla, Add to your batter and it should form a ball, like this.
Roll out the dough onto a floured surface. Make them at least 1/2 inch thick, up to 1 inch if you want them truly cafe-style.
Hooray! This recipe will make about nine 1/2-inch oatcakes. However, this is not the thickness they make at cafes, so go for at least 1-inch if you like them like true pucks.
Pop them in the oven for 18 minutes at 325 f. I don’t like to make them all at once—and they bake perfect straight from the freezer, so do the same if you can’t help eating them all at once. I had a little dough leftover, hence the lonely oat-ball outcast at left. ***Note: If you made them 1-inch or thicker allow 2-3 more minutes baking time.
