Staffordshire oatcakes – soft oat pancakes with cheese and bacon

Warm the milk and 275 g water together in a saucepan until just lukewarm and comfortable to the touch. The liquid must not be hot. Set aside the remaining 50 g water to thin the batter after rising if needed. Have ready a large bowl and a nonstick frying pan about 22 cm in diameter.

Combine the finely ground oats, both flours, yeast, sugar and salt in the bowl. The oats should already be finely ground, without whole flakes. Gradually pour in the lukewarm milk and water, whisking by hand until you have an even, pourable batter without dry lumps. Leave room in the bowl for rising.

Cover the bowl and leave in a warm place without drafts for about 90–120 minutes. The surface should become visibly bubbly and the batter increase slightly in volume; it may need longer in a cool kitchen. Stir briefly before cooking. If the oats have absorbed a lot of liquid, add the reserved water a little at a time until the batter flows freely from a ladle and spreads thinly. Leave any unused water out of the dish.

Lay the bacon in a separate, initially dry pan and fry over medium heat for about 8–12 minutes, turning, until fully cooked and browned with crisp edges. Work in batches if needed. Transfer to paper towels and leave the rendered fat out of the dish. Cut or break up the bacon and divide into eight portions.

Heat the pancake pan over medium heat and brush very lightly with some of the weighed oil. Pour in about one eighth of the batter and quickly spread it with the bottom of the ladle into a thin round about 20–22 cm across. Cook for 2–3 minutes until holes appear across the surface, the top is no longer wet and the underside is lightly golden. Carefully turn with a wide spatula and cook for about another minute. The oatcake should be cooked through but soft, not dried out until crisp.

Stack the cooked oatcakes on a plate and cover with a clean kitchen towel. Cook all the batter this way, stirring it gently before each portion. Brush the pan only with a thin film of as much of the prepared oil as needed; leave unused oil out of the dish. You should have about eight soft oatcakes.

Put 25 g cheddar and one eighth of the cooked bacon on half of each warm oatcake. Fold in half. Heat the folded oatcakes two at a time in the pan over low heat, covered, for about 2–3 minutes until the cheese melts, turning gently halfway through. Do not add any fat. Transfer the finished portions to warm plates and serve without delay.

Allow two filled oatcakes for each of the four servings. Serve hot while the cheddar is melted and the oat batter is still soft and flexible. Divide all the cheese and every cooked piece of bacon among the oatcakes.