We’re all about oats right now. Here’s why.
More protein, fewer carbon emissions, and better baking overall.
It's my personal opinion that oats are unfairly maligned. Oatmeal is considered practical but boring. Oatmeal raisin cookies (though they have their defenders!) dubbed the lesser cousin to their chocolate chip counterparts. And even we here at King Arthur have taken to calling oatmeal bread old-fashioned in the past.
Sure, oats are comforting and cozy, but like every rom-com love interest, there’s more under the surface than you think.
That’s especially true when it comes to our new Oat Flour and Rolled Oats. They’re good for you, great for the planet, and also one of the most exciting ingredients you can bake with.
More protein, fewer emissions
Part of the appeal of oats is that they’re a nutritional powerhouse, packed with fiber and protein. But our rolled oats and oat flour improve on that — they actually have more protein than standard oats. They’re milled from conventionally bred oat varieties that have 40% more protein, a whopping 11g per 1/2 cup serving.
In the case of protein, more is more. But when it comes to carbon emissions, less is more. Because these are a unique oat variety that naturally shed their hulls during harvest, it eliminates the need for the energy-intensive processing steps of hulling and steaming necessary for other varieties. This means that processing these special oats requires 50% fewer carbon emissions than conventional oats.
But what about baking with oats?
And of course, we wouldn’t be rolling out (pun fully intended) these oats and oat flour if they weren’t great for baking, too.
First up, there’s their flavor. In her cookbook Flavor Flours, baker Alice Medrich dedicates an entire chapter to baking with oat flour, which she values for its butterscotch-like flavor that pairs well with ingredients like brown sugar, nuts, caramel, blueberries, and of course, raisins. Los Angeles-based pastry chef Roxana Jullapat, a champion of alternative grains, celebrates oats in her cookbook Mother Grains for their “subtle, sweet cereal flavor”; to take advantage, she pairs them with dates in cookies, blackberries and nectarines in a crisp, and even, unexpectedly, tangerines in a creamy chilled pie.
Beyond flavor, oats and oat flour can also contribute dynamic texture to baked goods. Use rolled oats to add hearty chew to bars, cookies, and breads. Or sprinkle them on top of muffins or quick bread for added crunch and a little toasted, nutty flavor. Finely ground oat flour, meanwhile, gives baked goods an especially tender texture, and because it’s naturally gluten-free, it can be mixed into batters without any accompanying gluten development; it also absorbs moisture well, without any grittiness. Use it in recipes where you want a soft texture and delicate crumb, such as muffins, cookies, and particularly pancakes, in conjunction with wheat or gluten-free flour.
Recipes to bake with oats
Morning Glory Breakfast Bread: Instead of oatmeal, eat your morning oats in a different form. This subtly sweet bread is packed full of mix-ins like carrots, apples, coconut, and dried cranberries, and it’s all held together by a nutty batter made with a combination of Golden Wheat Flour and Oat Flour.
Blueberry Oat Breakfast Muffins: More of a muffins-in-the-morning type of person? Try these blueberry oat muffins, which retain a delightfully tender texture from the oat flour. They’re a more nutrition-dense way to start the day while still enjoying a freshly baked treat, and the subtle flavor of the oat flour pairs well with blueberries.
Miso Oatmeal Scotchies: These soft, chewy cookies pair rolled oats with a surprising partner: white miso. The miso provides a salty umami-ness that balances the whole grain depth of the oats and the rounded sweetness of the butterscotch chips folded into the batter.
Oatmeal Sandwich Bread: For those who want to try these new oats in their old favorite recipes, this beloved Oatmeal Sandwich Bread is here for you. A dash of brown sugar and honey complement the flavor of the oats, yielding a moist, flavorful sandwich bread perfect for toast or PB&J’s.
Fruity-Nutty Oat Cookies: Jam-packed with dried fruit and nuts, these cookies also contain two forms of oats for even more texture and flavor. Oat flour lends tenderness and a natural nutty sweetness, while King Arthur Rolled Oats make the cookies hearty but not too toothsome.
Oat and Yogurt Pancakes: One of my personal favorite ways to bake with oat flour, these wholesome pancakes are packed with fiber and protein but don’t taste virtuous. Instead, they have a soft, fluffy interior and crispy edges, as well as toasty flavor from the oats that goes nicely with maple syrup and fruit.
Try our new Oat Flour and Rolled Oats and start baking today.
Cover photo (Miso Oatmeal Scotchies) and food styling by Liz Neily.
Recipes in this post
