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Stottie Cake

Recipe

Originating from Newcastle in the North East of England and first published in the Daily Mirror in 1949, with no recipe. They quite simply said: just roll bread dough out until it is 2.5 cm (1-inch) thick, then make a dimple in the centre and bake. ‘Greggs’. Have been making Stottie’s for almost 50 years. They stopped in 2015 only to recently return to making and selling Stottie due to popular demand and simply to revive the age old tradition.  Other cities around the U.K. have similar recipes called ‘Oven Cakes.’ Bakers call them bread cakes or oven bottom cakes because they bake them in the lower part of the oven. This bread undergoes two rises (proofs). The first rise doubles its size. During the second rise, you roll it out flat, so it doesn’t gain much volume—exactly what you want. You don’t want it to rise too much because it must keep its distinctive flat shape.

Ingredients

  • 800g - 1lb 12oz Strong Flour
  • 15g salt
  • 35g - 1oz Olive Oil
  • 7 g sugar
  • 15g milk powder
  • 2 pkts (11g each) quick acting yeast
  • 500ml - 17 fl ozs of equal amounts milk/water (Luke Warm]

Method

  1. Add the quick action yeast and sugar to the luke warm water/milk mixture cover with cling film and place somewhere warm to activate. when ready it should have a good head of froth on top.
  2. Sieve together in a large bowl the flour, salt and milk powder and sprinkle over the Olive Oil.
  3. When the milk/water yeast mixture is ready, pour into the well in the centre of the dry ingredients and oil then mix together thoroughly to form a ball of dough.
  4. Knead the dough until smooth and shiny and when you press it, it springs back.(in a mixer  with the dough attachment it takes 10 - 15mins)
  5. Place in a floured bowl covered with cling film and put somewhere warm to rise until twice its original size.
  6. Dependent on the temperature this could take up to an hour.
  7. Once risen "knock back" to take out the air and then roll out the dough to about 3/4 of an inch.
  8. Cut out into rounds about 5 ins in diameter.
  9. Put onto floured baking sheets, prick with a fork twice , dust with flour, and place somewhere warm to prove and rise to about twice their size.
  10. Place in a preheated oven gas 7 220c (fan assisted 200c gas 6) for 12 to 15 mins
  11. Once cooked (test by knocking the bottom of a roll they shouldn't be too brown on top) remove and place on a wire cooling rack and allow to cool thoroughly before slicing.

This bread is great for things like with bacon rolls, or fired egg sandwiches as the texture help soak up any liquid from the sauces or cooking juices.