Cooking with oatmeal is easy and delicious!

Table of contents:

1. How to cook oatmeal?
2. Why use oatmeal?
3. How is oat flour different from wheat flour?
4. Everything you need to know about oatmeal

Healthy oatmeal cookies

Oatmeal is suitable for making very diverse, unusual pastries. It’s gluten-free, which means it’s great for celiac disease or if you’re on a gluten-free diet. Unfortunately, it is not always possible to cook successful pastries with oatmeal the first time. Sometimes pancakes fall apart or overly dense muffins turn out … And this is not surprising. Oatmeal is an unusual ingredient for many housewives. It is different from the usual wheat flour, which means that the dough from it will be different. Let’s get acquainted together with all its features, subtleties and learn how to avoid possible mistakes associated with the use of oatmeal in dishes. There are many differences from wheat flour, but everything is not as difficult as it might seem!

1. How to make oatmeal? ⇑

Oatmeal can be made at home if you want to save money. To do this, you will need whole grain oats or raw oats. To grind oatmeal into flour, use a coffee grinder or a powerful stationary blender (submersible will not work). Remember that not every blender will be able to grind oatmeal finely enough. You may need to sift it and grind again. If, despite all efforts, the flour turns out to be too coarse, then it is better to use it for oatmeal cookies or other baked goods where a heterogeneous flour is required. Most dishes are still cooked with fine flour so that they get a uniform consistency.

Important: To avoid making too much coarse flour, use a small, “trial” amount of oatmeal the first time you try making oatmeal.

Don’t be discouraged if your oatmeal doesn’t work out. All equipment is different and sometimes it is easier to purchase ready-made flour.

Also made from oatmeal excitement, but it takes a little longer. To prepare, soak natural grains overnight or at least a few hours. After that, the swollen grains should be steamed in a double boiler or slow cooker for an hour. It remains to dry them in the oven at 100 degrees to a light brown color (usually it takes + – 5 hours, but everything is individual, do not forget to check the cereal from time to time during the drying process). Dried grains are ground in a coffee grinder or blender, and sometimes with a pusher.

2. Why use oatmeal? ⇑

Oatmeal flourless apple cookies

With oatmeal, you can make a lot of pastries. Flour is great for cookies, pies, muffins, pancakes, bread, pancakes, cheesecakes. It will be difficult with oatmeal to cook those types of pastries where dough rolling is necessary. This is due to the fact that oatmeal does not contain gluten. The dough with it practically does not stretch, so it will be very difficult to cook dumplings or dumplings with oatmeal.

Tip: Some housewives add xanthan or guar gum to gluten-free dough to help it stretch better. However, these ingredients should be added in very small portions so as not to spoil the consistency and taste of the finished dish.

Due to the fact that oatmeal does not contain gluten, it is practically not prepared with yeast baked goods. Such dough simply does not rise. However, there are also recipes that mix wheat flour with oatmeal.

Oatmeal is used for baking much less frequently than oatmeal. It is usually added to bread or cookie dough. Basically, kissels and cereals are prepared with oatmeal.

3. How is oat flour different from wheat flour? ⇑

Oat flour products are different from wheat flour products. It’s not just about taste (baking with oatmeal has its own special flavor, while baking with wheat flour is neutral and better absorbs the aromas of spices, additives) also products with oatmeal have a special texture. They turn out much more crumbly. This is especially felt in cookies.

As mentioned earlier, it is difficult to make yeast baked goods with oatmeal, so baking powder and soda are usually used in the dough with it. Most often, these ingredients are required more than when working with wheat flour. This is due to the density of baking with oatmeal.

Remember: You can’t just substitute wheat flour for oatmeal in a recipe. These types of flour are very different. Look for specialized recipes for oatmeal so you don’t ruin your dish. If you’re not allergic to gluten, you can simply substitute ⅓ of the wheat flour in your dough for oatmeal to give your baked goods an unusual texture and flavor.

Oat flour has a low glycemic index, unlike wheat flour. Because of this, products with it saturate much better and are suitable for dietary nutrition.

Important: Oatmeal itself does not contain gluten, but manufacturers often warn on packaging that it may contain traces of it. This is due to the fact that oatmeal is produced in a factory with wheat products. If you or someone close to you has celiac disease, opt for specialty gluten-free oatmeal.

4. Everything you need to know about oatmeal ⇑

Oatmeal fritters

Dishes with oatmeal are not only tasty, but also healthy. Let’s remember the most important details related to the preparation of oatmeal baking:

• Oat flour can be easily prepared at home with a coffee grinder or a stationary blender, just like oatmeal.
• Oatmeal is most often used to make jelly and cereals, occasionally added to baked goods. Oatmeal is suitable for pancakes, pancakes, cheesecakes, bread, muffins, cookies.
• Products made from oatmeal are especially crumbly.
• For celiac disease, it is preferable to buy special gluten-free oatmeal.
• Oatmeal is rarely used in yeast-leavened pastries, but there are recipes that mix wheat flour with oatmeal so that the dough can rise.
• The dough with oatmeal does not stretch well, so it will be difficult to cook dumplings, dumplings or other pastries with a specific shape.

Now it’s time to put the knowledge about oatmeal into practice! What will you cook? Fragrant bread, or maybe crispy cookies? Experiment! Think of each new recipe as a field for creativity, try it in small portions and change any recipe for yourself.

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