Don’t use oats that have been flavored in any way, as this flavor will work into your final dish. Plain oats are best. If you’re going to be using your oat flour in a recipe immediately, measure out more oats than the recipe calls for. Once you turn them into flour, they’ll settle and take up a smaller volume. You’ll generally end up with about 3/4 of the volume of oats you started with.
No blender? There are a variety of ways to make manual flour, but you need to know they will take a while. You could try: Mincing: Using your sharpest knife, rock it back and forth over a small pile of oats to quickly chop them up. They will be a little bigger than a real flour, but will still work. Grinding: Using a mortar and pestle, grind the oats into a powder. Mashing: A last-ditch effort, put the oats in a resealable plastic bag, squeeze the air out, and start crushing as if washing clothing by hand. Note that this will likely take a long time.
These are only estimates, and oat flour will never keep as long as whole oats. Only make as much as you can use in the next few weeks. Hot and humid environments will lower the shelf life of your flour. Cold and dry areas may be able to store their oat flour a little longer without problems. [4] X Research source
The classic example, Oatmeal Raisin Cookies, are taken to the next level with oat flour. In most recipes, you only need 3/4 cup flour for every 1 cup of plain flour. If a cookie recipe calls for 2 cups normal flour, you should use 1 1/2 cup oat flour. [5] X Research source except in raised yeast breads that need gluten to give them structure. If you’re unsure how a baked good will respond, mix and match the flours. Instead of 1 cup of plain flour, try 3/4 oats and 1/4 wheat to get the textural benefits of gluten (it gives loaves of bread shape) without eating too much of it.
Note: The rolled oats you can buy at the store aren’t always 100% gluten free. Small amounts of wheat can get mixed into the oats (usually, because the equipment used to process them is also used to process wheat). This can make a difference for people with Celiac disease or gluten intolerance, so be sure to use oats that are advertised as gluten-free to fully protect friends with Celiac disease.
You don’t need to substitute all of the flour to get this effect. To add lightness without losing the taste or consistency of plain flour, use a half-and-half mixture. Try using oat flour in our scone recipe for a lighter version of this delicious breakfast treat.
Another excellent idea is to use oat flour when kneading bread dough to keep it from sticking to your work surface. Because of its lighter texture, it won’t make the dough stiff if you incorporate too much.
Oat flour has high levels of magnesium, making it very helpful for women going through menopause or menstruation. Magnesium deficiencies are a common cause of profuse menstrual bleeding.
