Stottie or Flat Cake: Northeast England's Best Bread · PrimedTable
British🍞 Bread & bakery
Stottie or Flat Cake: Northeast England's Best Bread
⏱ 116 min🍽 Serves 2
A classic round, flat bread from Northeast England traditionally featuring a hole in the center. Dense and flavorful, this iconic bread makes delicious sandwiches.
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Adapted from a video by John Kirkwood
Stottie or Flat cake, Northeast UK bread at it’s very best
instant yeastor quick action yeast; alternatively use 7g active dried yeast or 20g fresh yeast dissolved in warm liquid~7 gest.
olive oil~2 tbspest.
white bread flour~500 gest.
salt~10 gest.
lard, butter, or solid vegetable fatfor greasing the baking sheet~50 gest.
flourfor dusting~2 tbspest.
Steps
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1
Pour lukewarm milk and water into a bowl and add sugar to activate the yeast. Stir in the instant yeast and let sit for 10 minutes until visibly activated. If no signs of life appear, the yeast is dead and needs replacing.
2
Add olive oil to a bowl, then the activated yeast mixture, followed by white bread flour and salt. Mix all ingredients together until combined. If kneading by hand, mix roughly in the bowl, then turn out onto the countertop and knead for 10 minutes.
3
Using a stand mixer with the dough hook, knead for 10 minutes until the dough becomes smooth and silky. While mixing, prepare a medium bowl by lightly coating the inside with oil.
4
Remove the kneaded dough from the mixer and fold it a few times on the work surface. Shape it into a ball by dragging it across the bench to tighten the outer skin.
5
Place the dough ball in the oiled bowl and roll it around to coat evenly with a thin layer of oil. This prevents drying and aids release after proofing. Cover the bowl with a lid or shower cap.
6
Let the dough proof in a warm spot for 1 hour until it rises noticeably.
7
Turn the proofed dough out onto the work surface using a dough scraper—it should release easily due to the oil. Bring it together, fold it a few times, and shape into a ball. Weigh it—it should be around 720g (25½ oz). If you don't have scales, eyeball it to roughly equal halves.
8
Divide the dough in half and shape each piece into a ball. Flatten each ball into a disc shape. Dust the bench with flour, place the discs on it, dust them lightly, and cover with a lightweight cloth. Rest for 5 minutes so the gluten strands relax completely.
9
Prepare a large baking sheet by greasing it lightly with lard, butter, or solid vegetable fat.
10
Once the rest is complete, dust the bench again with flour. Place one dough disc on it and dust lightly. Using an adjustable rolling pin set to 6mm (¼ in) thickness, roll out into a circle approximately 23cm (9 in) in diameter.
11
Place the rolled-out circles on the prepared baking sheet. Cover with the lightweight proofing cloth and let proof for 30 minutes.
12
When there are only 10 minutes remaining of the final proof, preheat the oven to 170°C (340°F, gas mark 3).
13
Once proofed, traditionally you would poke a hole in the middle of each bread with your finger, though this can impact oven spring on smaller 9-inch loaves. You may choose to skip this step. Bake for 20 minutes.
14
After 20 minutes, remove the bread from the oven. It will look slightly puffed but will flatten as it cools. Place on a wire rack to cool completely.
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