Irish Molly's 2011 Diary

[irish molly]

I'm sure you gave an equivalent to oatcake in Sweden. Oatcakes are small crackers made only of oats, hence they are a good choice for a low GL snack. Rye crackers will do too.
Nairns are a company that do a range of oatcakes and biscuits made from oats.
Nakd bars are a range of raw food bars made from nuts, fruit, oats etc. They are all natural with no added sugars ir additives so are a good GL choice if you want a sweet treat. They have a lovely website too. I'm sure you can get a similar bar in your healthfood shops. Check the ingredients listing and choose something with no added sugars.

 

[clarri]

I cant eat oatcakes. They trigger severe cravings for me. Its awful... And even worse that they come in packs of 6!!
x

 

[irish molly]

Gosh Clarri, how strange the oatcakes do that to you. Does porridge do the same thing to you? How are you with wheat then?
Oats is lower GL than wheat and they definitely suit me better than wheat.

 

[clarri]

Yes I can eat porridge, but I would have to have it mid morning and would still be hungry for lunch. Ive tried and tried with oatcakes but each time I have them, I just want to eat and eat, anything i can.
xx

 

[irish molly]

Obviously porridge doesn't do it for you. Some people don't find it filling at all or if they do have it, they need to have some protein like yoghurt or something with it.

 

[CaliSweden]

Thank you Molly, okay so they're biscuits(crackers). I was imagining a cake as in like spongey. I was like goodness they can eat that much cake wow:gimi:, I want it. Haahaha. We have knäckerbröd (crispbread) but according to the Swedish GI chart it's ranked 95 to 115 depending to the texture. So I avoid it like the plague.

I will have to look at the bars, I'm sure they probably have something like that here. When I go to the stores now I feel completely silly, because everything I grab I look at the nutrition information and ingredients. So shopping takes a little longer now.

 

[irish molly]

Lol yeah I wish it was cake!! Oatcakes are very small, round like a biscuit and thin.
I still read labels like mad. Even a lot of the so called healthy options have a lot of hidden ingredients that are sugar. I guess this is why the GL gurus recommend simple foods as fresh and unprocessed as possible.

 

[ruth frances]

Bumping this diary to the top (got a bit confused with your old one up there earlier)
You know its weird but oatcakes don't seem to exist in Aus- I've looked in a few different shops with no success. There are plenty of scots about- you'd think they'd have found their way out here by now...

 

[CaliSweden]

I can't find any oat crackers here either. I've been searching like crazy every time I'm at the grocery store. But we've got a HUGE selection of rye crackers (knäckebröd).

 

[ruth frances]

I've found us a recipe Cali:
Crunchy Rough Scottish Oatcakes

Makes 20 small oatcakes
Preparation: 15 mins – Cooking: 20 minutes
Can freeze raw dough

Ingredients

• 225g (8 oz) medium oatmeal, plus extra for dusting
• 1.25ml (¼ tsp) bicarbonate of soda
• 1.25ml (¼ tsp) salt
• 15ml (1 tbsp) unsalted butter

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/fan 160°C/350°F/gas mark 4. Put the oatmeal, bicarbonate of soda and salt into a bowl and mix well. Heat the butter and 150ml (5 oz) water in a small pan until the butter melts.
2. Make a well in the centre of the oatmeal mix, pour in the liquid and use a palette knife to mix everything together. The mixture will initially seem a bit wet, but the oatmeal will gradually absorb all the liquid to give a soft dough.
3. Lightly dust a clean work surface with oatmeal. Tip out the dough, then roll out to about 5mm thick. Use a small round cutter to stamp out the oatcakes or use your favourite shapes. Re-roll any trimmings and continue to cut out the biscuits. (Cut biscuits can be frozen uncooked, for up to a month. Freeze flat before packing into bags or boxes.)
4. Brush off any excess oatmeal, then space the oatcakes over 2 baking sheets. Bake for about 20 minutes, carefully turning the oatcakes every 5 minutes or so to stop them from steaming and going stodgy. When cooked they should be crisp and lightly golden. Lift onto a wire rack and leave to cool. (Will keep in an airtight container for up to 5 days.)

Serving Suggestion

• Serve with your favourite after-dinner cheese or any preferred topping, for example Smoked Salmon Pâté.

Notes

• Don’t be afraid to experiment by adding 25g (1 oz) of roughly chopped dried fruit like cranberries or apricots to the dough. A downside to using the fruit though is at times it can make the dough sticky. Add small amount of oatmeal to the dough until the stickiness goes away and proceed with the recipe.
• For a more savoury oatcake, coarsely grind 10ml (2 tsp) black peppercorns and tip into a sieve. Shake and discard any fine dust, then add the remaining coarse grinds to the oatmeal mix.
• You could also try adding poppy seeds or finely chopped herbs like rosemary and thyme.

 

[ruth frances]

Do you think by oatmeal they just mean rolled oats, or actual ground-up oats?

 

[Plumfoodie]

Mm that looks good! I think I'd try with steelcut oats (think this is sometimes called pinhead oatmeal?) if I could get some. Oatcakes don't have identifiable rolled oat flakes in them that I've been able to discern. but hard to know for sure!

 

[irish molly]

That recipe would use rolled oats. The oats goes to a mush in the making.
Steelcut or pinhead might not make great oatcakes. I've used them in wholemeal bread and they stay crunchy. Enjoy the oatcakes.

 

[CaliSweden]

Ohhh nice must try it one day. Does anyone know which types of oats to use? I'd have to figure out what the Swedish equivalent is.

 

[Plumfoodie]

Ahhh it all makes sense! Thank you Molly! Although I can buy them here, I think I'll make some to try so I can put in the flavourings I want.

 

[Plumfoodie]

Ohhh nice must try it one day. Does anyone know which types of oats to use? I'd have to figure out what the Swedish equivalent is.

Can you get plain Quaker oats (not instant) Cali? From what Molly says those should work.

 

[ruth frances]

I knew you'd know which type Molly!

 

[ruth frances]

Having said that, reading through the recipe again, it says
"225g (8 oz) medium oatmeal, plus extra for dusting "
which would imply it would have to be ground oats (as you couldn't 'dust' with rolled oats)
??

 

[kered]

Its a shame you couldn't purchase them online, it would be so much easier

 

[irish molly]

Having said that, reading through the recipe again, it says
"225g (8 oz) medium oatmeal, plus extra for dusting "
which would imply it would have to be ground oats (as you couldn't 'dust' with rolled oats)
??

If you bung regular oatmeal in a food processor it will grind it to whatever consistency you like, fine, medium or rough.