Stottie Cake

Welcome to another step-by-step recipe from BreadClub20. Why not drop by our main Facebook page by clicking here... If you like what you see and enjoy the recipe, we hope you join us by 'Liking' and 'Subscribing'. 

I first came across "Stottie Cake" as a university student when I shared a house with a Geordie from Shiney Row, near Houghton-Le-Spring in the North-East of England. His "mam" always made sure she had them in the bread bin when he came back home, and they are very much an iconic bread bake from the North-East. 

19th century miners and shipbuilders needed a wholesome and hearty lunch to sustain them through a hard days work. The stottie could be sliced, filled and taken to work. 

Cut horizontally, they are often filled with ham and pease pudding, bacon, sausage, mushrooms or fried egg. 

Sometimes spelt 'stotty', the 'cake' is, in fact, a bread. It's an uneven circle, usually about 8 inches in diameter. It's usually baked fairly pale but has patches of brown.  It has a tight but soft crumb, ideal for sandwiches.  It should also be fluffy, crusty and light....while at the same time being substantial. 

Legend has it that the name derives from the dialect word 'stott' or 'stot',  an Anglo-Saxon word meaning 'to bounce'. Supposedly, stottie cakes were thrown onto the bottom of the oven at the end of a baking session. to use up any excess dough. If this is true, then it's a similar product to the Lancashire Oven Bottom Muffin or the Yorkshire Scuffler, the Northumberland Fadge or the many hearth breads that exist in France and Northern Europe. 

Cut horizontally, they are often filled with ham and pease pudding, bacon, sausage, mushrooms or fried egg. 

During my research, I knew I needed a recipe that has firm foundations in the area. There are some that have been adapted to include a touch of pepper and a smidgeon of lard. 

This one comes from a genuine Geordie professional cook and baker, John Kirkwood. I hope you like it. 

INGREDIENTS

453 gms of strong white bread flour (at least 12% protein)

145 gms milk

110 gms water

7 gms dried yeast 

6 gms white sugar

6 gms crushed sea salt

15 gms vegetable oil

METHOD

Activate the yeast by adding it to the warm milk, water, sugar and oil mixture. 

Add the flour to a large bowl and mix in the salt. 

When the yeast mixture has activated, add it to the flour and mix thoroughly. 

Knead well until you have a soft and silky dough. It will take at least 10 minutes to build up the right consistency. Don't rush this stage. 

Tip into a lightly oiled bowl, cover and leave in a warm place until it doubles in size. 

Tip the dough out onto a floured board and de-gas (knock back) to remove all the air. 

Divide into two. 

Make each portion into a ball and then roll out until the dough circle is 8 inches in diameter. 

Place on a prepared baking sheet. Cover and let them rise for about 30 minutes at room temperature. (In a cold or cool room, give them a little longer)

Preheat the oven to 180⁰C (355⁰F).

When the bread is ready, prick the top of the stottie all over with a fork. This is a traditional marking. Some people will tell you there should be an indentation in the middle. So, here we go courtesy of a wooden spoon handle. 

Bake for 10 minutes, then turn them around to give them even colour and continue to bake for a further 5 minutes. 

If the bread is still a little light in colour, give it a further couple of minutes. Unlike a Lancashire Oven Bottom Muffin...these are quite a light bake. 

Cool on a wire rack. 

A light crumb - you can see the air holes

Just waiting for that filling....everything from tuna to egg, from beef to pulled pork...limited only by you imagination. 

Here's a tribute to the Stottie.

https://www.facebook.com/RowanMcCabePoet/posts/yesterday-i-did-a-poem-about-stotties-while-standing-next-to-a-man-dressed-in-a-/894773439325161/

Happy Baking.