Tuesday, March 29, 2011

The Flaked Oats Are Flyin'

I've been pulling out recipes that use oat flakes so we can enjoy the fresh flaked oats from our new roller/flaker. (The electric one that is. The manual hand crank unit has been sent back for a refund, but more of that in a later post.)

Seems to me I posted my recipe for Bannocks a couple of years back, but do you think I can find a post in which I did so? So I'm just going to go ahead and post it here again today. Forgive me if you clearly remember it from before . . . and pray for my brain cells that seem to be getting a little frayed lately.

But before the Bannock recipe . . . I recently mentioned I made Oatmeal Pancakes for breakfast with the home-flaked oats.

M-m-m-m, good! If you're interested, you can find the recipe in a post from last year about this time.

Okay, back to the Bannocks. I went through a period a few years back when I had to eliminate all wheat from my diet. I found this recipe using only oat flakes and oat flour and I used the Bannocks as my substitute for bread.

Bannocks, also known as oatcakes, originated in Scotland centuries ago. So this recipe, in one form or another, has been used for a long, long time. I happen to love the flavor of oats so this version has become a favorite of mine.

BANNOCKS

1 cup rolled oats
1 cup oat flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup cold butter
1/2 cup water

(I make my own oat flour by putting oat groats through my flour mill. Some whole foods stores will have it on their shelves.)

In a mixing bowl, combine oat flakes, flour and salt.

With a pastry blender, cut in the 1/4 cup butter. When thoroughly and evenly combined, stir in the water and mix. Dump the dough onto a board that has been lightly dusted with oat flour. (If your mixture seems too moist and gooey, don't hesitate to mix in some more flour.)

Knead the dough about 6 times and then divide it in half. Pat each half into a circle about 1/4" thick and cut into 4-6 wedges.

Place the wedges on a greased baking sheet about 1/2" apart. Bake approximately 20 minutes at 400 degrees until lightly colored.

Cool on a wire rack and store in a tightly covered container. These freeze well also.

The Bannocks can be eaten in place of toast. I've spread them with peanut butter and jam and piled sandwich fixings on top for an open-faced sandwich. Egg salad is especially good.

I'll post a couple of recipes soon for meat substitutes using oat flakes in the mixture.

13 comments:

Sparkless said...

Ohh those two recipes look good. I should eat oats instead of wheat because the naturopath found I was sensitive to wheat. I'll be adding those to my recipe file.

Jane @ Hard Work Homestead said...

Yum on the recipes! Sad, on the manual roller :( can't wait to see that post. The bannock recipe would also make a nice horse cookie. I have an old blind mare I used to work with in Equestrian Therapy and she is retired now, and I bake her horse treats when I go to visit. She has very dull teeth and loves soft treats. She thanks you and so do I as these will be tasty for breakfast.

Erin said...

I've heard of these but have never had them, they look great! I too, love the taste of oats and should eat them more often, they are so heart-healthy!

Mama Pea said...

Sparkless - Lots of people are allergic to wheat . . . but it's sure not easy to find baked products without it!!

Jane - Oh, your old horse would LOVE bannock cookies. My hubby told me he read where horse breeders are flaking the oats fed to their horses because they've found so many more nutrients are assimilated that way.

Erin - These bannocks are kind of a cross between a biscuit and a cracker. I think you'd like the taste of them.

Jenyfer Matthews said...

I tried the oat pancakes last year and they were great :)

LindaCO said...

Looks yummy! I want to try more stuff like this.

The Apple Pie Gal said...

I've never even heard of these! Cool, now I surely have to have one of those roller thinamajigs...thanks alot!

Kelly said...

I hav only had oat cakes once or twice, but they were very good. The ones I had were very crispy and hard.

fiona@fionacampbell.ca said...

Being a good Scot, I love bannock! I also love oats (we're on a big oat kick right now). I think I'll try this today for the kids' after-school snack. Thanks!

Mama Pea said...

Jen - Thank you, ma'am!

LindaCO - Doesn't hurt any of us to explore "alternative" ways of cooking. :o}

APG - I think if you like the flavor of oats you'd appreciate the Bannocks . . . for me, they're addictive!

Kelly - These aren't hard or crisp, but not soft like a biscuit either. Kind of difficult to describe. (Or maybe it's just my brain not functioning really well at the moment!)

Fiona - I think with just a l-i-d-d-l-e bit of jam on top, they will like them!

Leigh said...

Yum, yum, yum, yum, yum, yum, yum!

Jo said...

We have started baking bannocks on Halloween to leave outside for the spirits when they roam the countryside. I read this is how trick-or-treating came about, and felt the need to connect to our Gaelic roots. Not sure who gets them first, the spirits or the outdoor cats.

Mama Pea said...

Leigh - Aha! I detect another oat lover, right?

Jo - How delightful! Each fall, I can just imagine the cats asking one another, "How long do you think it is until Halloween?" "Is it Halloween yet? That's when we get those yummy oatcakes, ya know."