How to Make Oat Flour
And how to use this versatile, wholesome alternative flour.
a_namenko/Getty Images
By Layla Khoury-Hanold for Food Network Kitchen
Layla Khoury-Hanold is a contributor at Food Network.
Perhaps you’ve seen oat flour listed as an ingredient in whole grain baking recipes or have sought it out as a gluten-free flour alternative. But what exactly is oat flour? For more info, and to learn how to make oat flour at home, we consulted Sarena Shasteen, Culinary Content Specialist and Marketing Strategist at Bob’s Red Mill.
vonEisenstein/Getty Images
What Is Oat Flour?
Oat flour is a whole grain flour made from finely milled rolled oats that has a subtly sweet, whole-grain flavor.
Oat flour can be added to recipes for pancakes, pie crusts, muffins, biscuits or breads to impart a wholesome oat flavor and nutrients. Shasteen says that oat flour can replace up to 20 percent of the flour in your recipe, so you can easily experiment with adding oat flour to your favorite baked goods or use it in recipes that call for a flour dredge.
How to Make Oat Flour
Making oat flour at home is easy.
YelenaYemchuk/Getty Images
Step one: Place old-fashioned rolled oats or quick oats in a blender.
Step two: Blend for 15-20 seconds until they form a powder.
Step three: Store in an airtight container at room temperature.
Is Oat Flour Gluten-Free?
baibaz/Getty Images
Oats are naturally gluten-free, but there’s a caveat. “Although many oats are safe for gluten intolerant individuals, cross-contamination can occur in facilities or even in fields where wheat, rye or barley are also present,” Shasteen says. If you are gluten-intolerant or have concerns, seek out oat flour or oats that are labelled as certified gluten-free.
How Long Does Oat Flour Last?
Once opened, oat flour will last up to 18 months when properly stored. Shasteen recommends storing oat flour in an airtight container or tightly sealed jar in a cool, dry place, ideally in the refrigerator or freezer.
Oat Flour Substitutes
Oat flour substitutes include other flours such as brown rice, buckwheat, sorghum and millet flours. To get the best results for your baked goods, Shasteen recommends replacing the oat flour with any of these flours weight for weight, rather than cup for cup. “Keep in mind that oat flour has a mild nutty flavor, so when you substitute it in any recipe the end product will have a different flavor. This goes for sweet and savory dishes,” she says.
Oat Flour Recipes
Renee Comet
Using old-fashioned rolled oats to make oat flour at home creates a gluten-free alternative that yields tender, nutty pancakes. This pancake batter is on the thinner side to ensure that the pancakes cook up light and fluffy.
This bread recipe proves that oat flour plays well in savory recipes too. It teams up with whole wheat flour and flaxseed meal and a flurry of fresh rosemary, thyme and garlic to create a wholesome, irresistibly fluffy take on focaccia.
Oat flour and coconut flour are responsible for the delicate, cakelike texture in these protein-powder-spiked donuts. They’re bolstered with applesauce, cider and apple pie spice to create a tasty, nutritious treat that practically screams autumn.
Tara Donne, FOOD NETWORK : 2012, Television Food Network, G.P.
Try swapping out up to 20 percent of the called-for whole wheat pastry flour for oat flour to add a nutty, lightly sweet quality to complement the rolled oats. These hearty blueberry muffins make an ideal grab-and-go breakfast or an afternoon pick-me-up with a cup of tea.
Marcus Tullis
These cookies get their wonderful texture from old fashioned rolled oats that have been pulsed in a food processor to achieve a mix of finely ground and coarse oats. The nutty, wholesome oat flavor pairs perfectly with bittersweet chocolate chips and flaky sea salt.
These waffles are packed with a trio of grains, including whole wheat pastry flour, corn meal and old-fashioned rolled oats. Try pulsing an additional quantity of rolled oats in a food processor to make your own oat flour, then use it to replace up to 20 percent of the whole wheat pastry flour for an added nutty-sweet flavor boost.
Related Links:
