Oat powder, also known as oat flour, is a nutritious, protein-packed ingredient that can be used to make all kinds of delicious baked goods.
From cookies and muffins to breads and pancakes, oat powder adds great texture and flavor to recipes.
The best part is that oat powder is incredibly easy to make at home. All you need is a blender or food processor and some rolled or steel-cut oats.
Benefits of Oat Powder
Before learning how to make oat powder, let’s look at why it makes a great addition to your pantry and baked goods:
Nutrient-Dense: Oats are packed with important vitamins and minerals like manganese, phosphorus, magnesium, iron, zinc, potassium, and B vitamins. Oat powder retains all these nutrients from whole oats, making it more nutritious than all-purpose or other grain flours.
High Fiber: The fiber in oats has been shown to help lower cholesterol levels and regulate blood sugar. Using oat powder allows you to increase the fiber content of cookies, muffins, and other baked treats easily.
Gluten-Free: Oats are naturally gluten-free, meaning oat powder works perfectly in recipes for those with gluten intolerance or sensitivity. Just be sure to use certified gluten-free oats.
Adds Great Texture: In baking, oat powder imparts a delightful hearty, dense texture that complements both sweet and savory applications.
Budget-Friendly: Because you make it yourself using simple rolled or steel-cut oats, oat powder costs just a fraction of what you’d pay for store-bought oat flour. It’s an inexpensive way to expand your baking options!
Key Takeaway: Oat powder offers an list of benefits from its rich nutritional profile to gluten-free status. It also brings great texture and flavor to all kinds of baked goods.
How to Make Oat Powder
Oat Powder Recipe
Ingredients
- Rolled oats or steel-cut oats
- Blender or food processor
Instructions
- Add oats to a high-speed blender or food processor. Use roughly 2 cups oats to start.
- Blend the oats on high speed for 20-30 seconds, stopping to stir or shake periodically. They should grind down into a fine, flour-like powder.
- Keep blending in short 5-second bursts and shaking the blender to get the oats as fine as possible. It should feel smooth like regular flour when done.
- For storage, transfer the freshly made oat powder to an airtight container. Enjoy in baked goods or store for later use.
Notes
Let’s look at some specific tips for working with different oat varieties when making powder:
Rolled oats: These oats have been steamed and flattened, making them easy to grind into powder. They produce oat powder with a smoother consistency.
Steel-cut oats: Since steel-cut oats are less processed and dense, they take longer to grind down. But the end result is worth it – steel-cut oat powder has a delightful hearty texture.
No matter which you use, you can’t go wrong crafting homemade oat powder!
How to Use & Store Oat Powder in Baking
Now comes the fun part: putting your fresh oat powder to use in delicious baked treats! Here are some tips:
- Start by using oat powder to replace 25% of the all-purpose or white flour called for in a recipe. This will allow you to keep the texture while adding nutrition.
- Cookies, muffins, quick breads like banana and zucchini, and even pancakes are all great places to use oat powder.
- To replace all the normal flour in a recipe, use a blend of roughly half oat powder and half almond flour or other gluten-free flour instead.
- Allow thick batters and doughs to rest for 5-10 minutes after mixing to let the oat powder fully hydrate for best results.
- Get creative and come up with your own recipes highlighting oat powder! It brings great flavor and texture to bars, donuts, breads, scones, and more.
Here’s a handy table outlining substitution ratios when using oat powder in baking:
| When substituting for... | Use this much oat powder... |
|---|---|
| 1 cup all-purpose flour | 3/4 cup oat powder |
| 1 cup whole wheat flour | 1 cup oat powder |
| Gluten-free flour blend | Equal parts oat powder and almond flour |
Oat powder is fantastic in its own right but also shines when combined with ingredients like nuts, dried fruit, chocolate chips, cinnamon, nutmeg, and more. Feel free to get creative with recipes!
Like any freshly milled flour, proper storage is key to preserving the taste and shelf life of your homemade oat powder. Here are some tips:
- Store oat powder in an airtight container in a cool, dark place like your pantry for everyday use. A large mason jar works great.
- To maximize freshness, keep oat powder in the refrigerator for up to 4 months.
- For long term storage, put oat powder in a freezer bag or freezer-safe container. It will keep for up to 1 year in the freezer.
- No matter where you keep it, make sure oat powder stays in an airtight container to prevent moisture exposure.
Taking a little time to store your oat powder properly ensures it stays fresh so you can enjoy using it for months to come!
Key Takeaway: Making your own oat powder takes just minutes. Simply blend rolled or steel-cut oats in your blender. Then use the oat powder to amplify the nutrition, fiber and texture in all kinds of delicious baked treats!
FAQs
Is making oat powder hard?
No, not at all! As you read above, it just takes 1-2 minutes to make oat powder using a simple blender and rolled or steel-cut oats. Super easy.
Can I use quick oats instead of old-fashioned?
You sure can. Quick oats will grind down easily into fresh oat powder. The texture may be a bit finer than rolled oats.
Is oat powder the same as oat flour?
Yes, oat powder and oat flour are different names for the same ingredient – finely ground oats used for baking.
Can I use oat powder 1:1 for all-purpose flour?
Unfortunately oat powder can’t directly replace traditional flours cup for cup, but see the substitutions above for how to mix it with other flours.
Why use oat powder versus flour?
As outlined earlier, oat powder offers many benefits over traditional white flour including higher nutrition, fiber, and protein. Its hearty texture also enhances baked goods. Give it a try!
Conclusion
We hope this has shown how easy it is to make nutritious, protein-packed oat powder at home to use in all your baking recipes.
The simple process takes mere minutes, requires just one ingredient, and allows you to avoid costly store-bought oat flour.
Resources:
- Minimalist Baker - This website provides a step-by-step tutorial on how to make oat flour with just one ingredient. It's perfect for use in wholesome or gluten-free baking recipes and beyond.
- Arrowhead Mills - Arrowhead Mills Organic Oat Flour is a whole grain flour that adds chewiness and moisture to your pancakes, waffles, and muffins recipes. It's also a natural source of soluble fiber and protein.
- Mountain Rose Herbs - Oatstraw Powder is a highly beneficial nervine and nutritive. It's prized amongst herbalists for its gentle and supportive nature.
- Compostwerks - Oat Flour 45 Pound Bag is an excellent and cost-effective fungal food resource. It can be used both as a compost tea ingredient and also as a preactivation substrate for compost.
- Iowa Girl Eats - This website provides a recipe for High Protein Overnight Oats that doesn't require protein powder. It's a fresh breakfast recipe that has nearly 30g of protein.