How to Make Oat Flour at Home for Delicious Gluten-Free Baking
While most baking recipes call for the usual baking flour—bread flour, all-purpose flour, whole-wheat flour—the are some alternative flours that are a great substitute. One of which is oat flour, which is surprisingly easy to make.
There are a lot of benefits to eating oats, or in this case, oat flour. Oats are a whole-grain nutritious food, and a great source of carbs and fiber for your diet. The USDA says 1/2 a cup of oats contains 51 grams of carbs, around 8 grams of dietary fiber, and around 14 grams of protein. That's a lot of nutritional goodness in such a small amount of oatmeal!
Adding oat flour will give you the same health benefits, and a great source of whole grains, in your favorite baked goods. Because oats don't have gluten in them, oat flour isn't the best for making bread that would require rising. But for other baked goods—like cookies or pancakes—oat flour is a great option!
To make oat flour, you simply have to blend up oats. We're not kidding, it's that easy! But for those of you who need a visual, here's a step-by-step guide on how to make oat flour.
Makes 4 cups
Ingredients
5 cups of old-fashioned rolled oats
How to Make It
Measure out 5 cups of old-fashioned rolled oats.
This recipe will make around 4 cups of oat flour. To make one single cup, you would measure out 1 1/4 cup of old-fashioned rolled oats. The measurement discrepancy is to account for the density of the powder versus a normal cup of oats (which will naturally leave more air/room).
Blend the oats in a high-speed blender or food processor, stirring occasionally.
I personally like to use my Nutribullet to blend up oat flour, because the blade is sharp and it can break up the oats to a nice, fine powder in just a few seconds. This can work in a food processor as well, but it may take some more time. Make sure to scrape the sides with a rubber spatula to ensure you've blended up all the oats before using the flour.
Store in an airtight container or jar up to one month.
Oat flour can be stored in the pantry for up to a month. However, keep a close eye on it when the full month gets closer. Oats have a high fat content, which can cause the flour to go sour. If it starts to have a funky smell, compost it. If you need the flour to last you longer than a month, store it in the fridge.
Oat Flour Full Recipe
- Place the oats in a blender (the higher the speed, the better). Blend the oats until a fine powder has formed.
- Make sure to scoop around the edges to make sure all of the oats are blended.
- Store the oat flour in a jar or container for up to one month in the pantry.
