A stottie cake or stotty (

Northumbrian dialect The Northumbrian dialect refers to any of several English language varieties spoken in the traditional English region of Northumbria, which includes most of the North East England government region. The traditional Northumbrian dialect is a ...

: ''stottie kyek'',

IPA IPA commonly refers to: * India pale ale, a style of beer * International Phonetic Alphabet, a system of phonetic notation * Isopropyl alcohol, a chemical compound IPA may also refer to: Organizations International * Insolvency Practitioners A ...

: ) is a type of

bread Bread is a staple food prepared from a dough of flour (usually wheat) and water, usually by baking. Throughout recorded history and around the world, it has been an important part of many cultures' diet. It is one of the oldest human-made f ...

that originated in

North East England North East England is one of nine official regions of England at the first level of ITL for statistical purposes. The region has three current administrative levels below the region level in the region; combined authority, unitary author ...

. It is a flat and round loaf, usually about in diameter and deep, with an indent in the middle produced by the baker. Elsewhere in the world, bread considered similar to the stottie is known as "oven bottom bread", though this term is a relative newcomer, given that, prior to the widespread use of cast iron ovens with shelves, ovens were built of brick and had only the bottom available to bake on. One chief characteristic is the heavy and

dough Dough is a thick, malleable, sometimes elastic paste made from grains or from leguminous or chestnut crops. Dough is typically made by mixing flour with a small amount of water or other liquid and sometimes includes yeast or other leavenin ...

-like texture of the bread. Though

leavened Bread is a staple food prepared from a dough of flour (usually wheat) and water, usually by baking. Throughout recorded history and around the world, it has been an important part of many cultures' diet. It is one of the oldest human-made ...

, its taste and mouth-feel is heavy and very reminiscent of dough. It is heavy and dense because it has only been allowed to prove once rather than the usual twice. This indicates that its origins lie in the breads used to "test" ovens, and that it may be related to similar breads baked elsewhere in Europe for the same reason. Anecdotal evidence also suggests that some stotties were made with the offcuts of dough when all of the required loaves had been baked. Stotties tend to be eaten split and filled. Common fillings include

ham Ham is pork from a leg cut that has been preserved by wet or dry curing, with or without smoking."Bacon: Bacon and Ham Curing" in ''Chambers's Encyclopædia''. London: George Newnes, 1961, Vol. 2, p. 39. As a processed meat, the term "ham ...

and

pease pudding Pease pudding, also known as pease porridge, is a savoury pudding dish made of boiled legumes, typically split yellow peas, with water, salt and spices, and often cooked with a bacon or ham joint. A common dish in the north-east of England, ...

, but also

bacon Bacon is a type of salt-cured pork made from various cuts, typically the belly or less fatty parts of the back. It is eaten as a side dish (particularly in breakfasts), used as a central ingredient (e.g., the bacon, lettuce, and tomato sand ...

, egg and

sausage A sausage is a type of meat product usually made from ground meat—often pork, beef, or poultry—along with salt, spices and other flavourings. Other ingredients, such as grains or breadcrumbs may be included as fillers or extenders. ...

. The heavy texture of the bread gives it its name. To "stott" means "to bounce" in Northumbrian, because if dropped it would (in theory) bounce (this could also refer to the fact that it was merely thrown upon the oven floor).

Stotting Stotting (also called pronking or pronging) is a behavior of quadrupeds, particularly gazelles, in which they spring into the air, lifting all four feet off the ground simultaneously. Usually, the legs are held in a relatively stiff position. M ...

is also used by biologists to describe the jumping behaviour of

antelopes The term antelope is used to refer to many species of even-toed ruminant that are indigenous to various regions in Africa and Eurasia. Antelope comprise a wastebasket taxon defined as any of numerous Old World grazing and browsing hoofed mammal ...

in response to predators. ''Tufty buns'' are smaller versions of stotties, also sold in bakeries across North East England.Griffiths, B., ''A Dictionary of North East Dialect'', 2nd edition., (

Northumbria University Press , mottoeng = A lifetime of learning , established = 1877 - Rutherford College of Technology1969 - Newcastle Polytechnic1992 - gained university status , type = Public , budget = � ...

: Newcastle, UK) Another version of the bread, the fadgie, is found in

Teesside Teesside () is a built-up area around the River Tees in the north of England, split between County Durham and North Yorkshire. The name was initially used as a county borough in the North Riding of Yorkshire. Historically a hub for heavy manu ...

. It is made much like a stottie but longer and thicker with a rectangular shape.

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Brief description and recipe
CooksInfo.com British breads Geordie cuisine Northumberland cuisine Tyne and Wear cuisine {{Bread-stub

See also

References

External links