I made the honey oat flour bread version first, then after huge demand for a version without so much, well, honey, I made a savory version.
Both have extremely positive reviews on the posts themselves as well as on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest. I love seeing people making the recipes into muffins and even bagels! It’s so fun to see, seriously you guys, you don’t know what a kick I get out of seeing you make one of my recipes.
Like, a ton a ton. I’ve actually been using oat flour for years and love using it in desserts, so I thought I’d do a little tutorial on how to make homemade oat flour and answer all the questions I’ve gotten over the years. So here we go! If you have some time, you can watch me make oat flour on YouTube below! (Have you subscribed to the HH channel yet? You can do that now by clicking here!)
What Is Oat Flour?
Oat flour is finely ground oats. It’s considered a nutritious whole grain flour.
Where Can You Purchase Oat Flour?
You can purchase oat flour already made on both Amazon and Thrive Market. They also have it at select grocery stores such as Whole Foods and Sprouts Farmers Market.
Can I Use Oat Flour Instead of All-purpose Flour?
Oat flour is very very absorbent, much more so than all-purpose flour. I would not recommend attempting to substitute oat flour for all-purpose flour.
Some sources say you can substitute up to 25% of all-purpose flour as oat flour, but I wouldn’t recommend it. Personally, I hate food fails but because I’m a recipe developer I put up with them. Don’t put yourself through that food fail if you don’t need to!
Instead, I would look for a recipe that is formulated to use oat flour. Have a request for a recipe?!?! I’d love to hear it! Shoot me a DM on Instagram, email me at kelli(at)hungryhobby(dot)net, or leave a comment here!
Can You Use Steel-Cut Oats To Make Oat Flour?
You can use any type of oats (steel cut oats, rolled oats, instant oats) to make oat flour if you have the right equipment.
What Can You Substitute For Oat Flour?
Since oat flour is very absorbent, you need an equally absorbent flour to substitute for it. I typically find the best luck with chickpea flour (I get mine from Thrive Market.) You can also substitute 1.25 cups of oats.
Can You Eat Oat Flour Raw?
I get this question a lot! People often comment on overnight oats recipes, energy ball recipes, and my famous oat flour bread recipe about eating the oat flour “raw.”
First, if you are using rolled oats, they are steamed in processing so they aren’t actually raw. Chemical change “cooking” is happening with the oats or oat flour absorb liquid, so again, not raw. That being said, you can eat raw oats, it will not hurt you.
Are Oats Good For You?
Oats (and therefore oat flour) are rich in a specific type of fiber called beta-glucan which can lower cholesterol, improve insulin sensitivity. Oats are rich in manganese, phosphorus, copper, B vitamins, iron, selenium, magnesium, and zinc.
This question was also answered in my post titled: Are Oats Inflammatory? The answer is yes, they are good for you unless you happen to be sensitive to components in them.
Are Oats Gluten-Free?
I get this question, a TON!
Gluten is a protein found in wheat, rye, barley, and other grains, but not oats. In theory, yes oats are naturally gluten-free. The problem becomes when oats are processed in a facility with other gluten-containing grains and become cross-contaminated.
If you need to avoid gluten you’ll need to avoid purchasing oats in the bulk bin in stores. You’ll also need to purchase oats or oat flour (if you aren’t making your own) that is certified gluten-free. My favorite is here.
Oats to Oat Flour Conversion
I find that the conversion is so very close to 1:1, but not quite there. UGH, I know, why couldn’t it just be easy? For every 1 cup of oats, you’ll get a tablespoon less of oat flour.
How to Store Homemade Oat Flour
Whole grain flours like oat flour and whole wheat flour spoil faster than processed flour such as all-purpose flour. You can make big batches and keep oat flour in the fridge in an airtight container like a mason jar or ziplock bag for up to a month or in the freezer for 6 months.
PRO TIP:If you’ve kept your flour in the fridge or freezer, it will clump together so it’s best to sift it before using it in a recipe.
