Derbyshire Oatcakes

Have you heard of Derbyshire oatcakes? For a start, they are definitely not cakes and they are speciality of the East Midlands region of the UK.

These fluffy pancakes are perfect for breakfast, served with fruit and syrup or in place of bread with a proper full English breakfast.

They even make great wraps for lunch too.

These protein pancakes with oats are made with oatbran and wholemeal flour, they are healthy for your heart and are great for keeping hearty appetites satisfied too.

Enjoy!

Jump to:

• ❤️ Why you will love this recipe
• 🥘 Ingredients
• 🍽 Equipment
• 🔪 Instructions
• ⏲️ Cooking Time
• 🥗 Serve with
• 🥙 Substitutions
• 🍣 Storage
• 🍱 Prepare in Advance
• 🤔 FAQs
• 📋 Recipe
• 💬 Comments

Oats have traditionally been grown in Derbyshire as they are a hardy crop that could survive in the area of the Pennines.

If you haven't been to Derbyshire, it's a stunning county, full of dramatic hills and streams, the Peak Distict and lots of quaint villages and towns like Bakewell, home of the bakewell tart.

Derbyshire oatcakes have been eaten since the 17th century and are a cross between a crumpet and a pancake with a soft and moist texture studded with holes.

These holes are perfect for butter or honey to melt into or for dipping in an egg too.

They are traditionally made with oatmeal, but I've made the recipe healthier by using oatbran and wholewheat flour. The result is a nutty taste that is delicious!

❤️ Why you will love this recipe

• Delicious as a sweet or savoury breakfast.
• Keeps hunger at bay.
• Store cupboard ingredients.
• Great for lunch wraps.

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🥘 Ingredients

• Yeast - quick yeast, which is usually sold in 7g sachets.
• Flour - strong wholemeal flour
• Oil - vegetable oil or another neutral oil for frying.
• Sugar - granulated sugar whih helps the yeast to start working.
• Salt - cooking or kosher salt.
• Water - lukewarm water.
• Milk - semi skimmed milk or milk of your choice.
• Oats - oatbran. This is normally found in the breakfast cereal section by the oats.

The recipe card with ingredient quantities and detailed instructions can be found at the bottom of the post.

🍽 Equipment

• non stick frying pan or skillet
• mixing bowl
• wooden spoon
• greaseproof paper / baking parchment
• measuring jug
• clean tea towel
• spatula
• foil

🔪 Instructions

Put the flour, oatbran and salt in a bowl and mix together.

Measure out the milk into the jug and half the water.

Add the remaining water from a recently boiled kettle so that it is tepid.

Put the yeast and sugar in a small bowl and about 3 tablespoons of the milk mix.

Stir the mixture and leave for a few minutes.

💭 Top Tip

• The yeast should activate from the warmth of the liquid and sugar. It will bubble up and become frothy on the top.

Mix the yeast with the remaining milk and stir into the dry ingredients.

Cover the bowl with a clean tea towel and leave to activate for an hour.

⏲️ Cooking Time

Put the oil in a frying pan over a medium heat.

Pour in about half a mug or a cup of the mixture and swirl the pan so that the base is evenly coated.

The mixture is very thick and doesn't behave like a normal pancake.

Cook for about 2 to 3 minutes and bubbles start to appear on the surface.

Loosen the base with a spatula and flip the pancake over for a further 2 minutes.

💭 Top Tip

• If you find it difficult to flip the oatcake, have a second pan ready warmed with oil and turn the pan upside down into the new pan.

Slide the oatcake onto a plate and cover with parchment to stop the next one from sticking.

Cover loosely with foil to keep warm.

Repeat the process for the remaining oatcakes.

🥗 Serve with

Make it a sweet breakfast with:

• maple syrup
• honey
• golden syrup
• butter
• apple curd
• jam
• chocolate spread

Make it a savoury breakfast with:

• fried or poached eggs
• bacon
• sausage
• mushrooms
• grilled tomatoes
• fried potatoes
• baked beans
• black pudding

Of course, you can also treat the oatcakes as a hot or cold wrap and fill with cold chicken and salad or naything else you fancy!

🥙 Substitutions

• oatbran - use oatmeal or grind porridge oats in a blender or food processer to get oatmeal.
• strong wholewheat flour - use wholewheat flour, plain flour or strong bread flour.

🍣 Storage

• Refrigerator - keep cooked oatcakes in a sealed bag and they will keep for at least a week.
• Freezer - freeze in a bag with cling film or parchment to separate each one. Freeze for up to a month.
• To reheat - heat in a frying pan or wrap in foil and heat in the oven at 180 C / 350 F / 160 FAN / Gas 4.

🍱 Prepare in Advance

• Make the batter the night before and store in the fridge to cook the next morning.

🤔 FAQs

More breakfast and lunch ideas

Or, take a look at the brunch page.

• Corned Beef Fritters
• Courgette and Sweetcorn Fritters
• Egg Mayonnaise Sandwich
• Coronation Chicken Sandwich
• Creamy Mushrooms on Toast
• Breakfast Bread and Butter Pudding
• Afternoon Tea Sandwiches
• Cranberry and Turkey Sausage Rolls
• Lincolnshire Haslet
• Smoked Haddock Kedgeree

📋 Recipe

More light bites

Food Safety

• Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat.
• Wash hands after touching raw meat.
• Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods.
• Never leave cooking food unattended.
• Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds.
• Always have good ventilation when using gas.

Do you have a question or did you make the recipe?

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