Caraway oatcakes

Method

• step 1

  Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4 and line a large baking tray with baking parchment. Toast the caraway seeds in a dry frying pan over a medium heat for 1-2 mins until they release their aroma. Grind half of the seeds to a rough powder using a pestle and mortar or spice grinder.

• step 2

  Mix the caraway, oats, flour and thyme together in a large heatproof bowl until well-combined. Use your fingertips to rub the butter into the mixture until evenly distributed. Pour in 100ml boiling water and beat roughly with a wooden spoon until the mixture comes together and there are no visible clumps of butter remaining. Add a little more water if needed to bring the dough together – you don’t want the dough to be too wet, as this will result in a tough oatcake.

• step 3

  Roll the dough out on a lightly dusted work surface to a 5mm thickness. Using a crinkle-edged cookie cutter, stamp out 25 x 6cm oatcakes. Alternatively, cut into 5cm squares. Re-roll the off-cuts to make more, if you can.

• step 4

  Transfer to the prepared tray and bake for 15-20 mins until crisp and there are no patches of wet dough visible. Leave to cool on the tray for 5 mins, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Will keep in an airtight container for up to two weeks. Refresh in a hot oven for 2-3 mins to crisp before serving, if needed.