You Ask, I Answer: Oat Flour

2 Comments November 7th, 2009 | You Ask/I Answer, baking, calories, fiber, insoluble fiber, magnesium, manganese, oat flour, oatmeal, oats, potassium, protein, selenium, soluble fiber

You Ask, I Answer: Oat Flour

I have a question [in regards to your recent post] about oat flour.

I can tolerate wheat just fine, but if I were to replace whole wheat flour with oat flour in my baking, would I end up with a more nutritious product?

– Nicole Clanham
(City withheld), CO

Let’s first do a simple comparison.

One cup of whole wheat flour contains:

407 calories
15 grams fiber
16 grams protein
121% Daily Value of selenium
228% Daily Value of manganese
14% Daily Value of potassium
41% of manganese

A cup of oat flour, meanwhile, provides:

444 calories
12 grams fiber
15 grams protein
57% Daily Value of selenium
258% Daily Value of manganese
12% Daily Value of potassium
81% Daily Value of manganese

Alas, no mind-blowing differences.

There are, however, some added bonuses to oat flour (especially if you make your own by grinding rolled oats in a food processor).

More soluble fiber than any other grain. Remember, soluble fiber helps lower cholesterol levels and triggers fullness more quickly. Insoluble fiber — which whole wheat flour contains lots of — helps keep things moving through our digestive system.
Exclusive antioxidants and polyphenols believed to promote heart health and lower diabetes risk.

As great as that is, you can not fully replace the whole wheat flour in a recipe with oat flour.

Since oat flour does not contain gluten, a baked good made entirely with it will not rise.

“Wait a minute,” you may be saying. “I thought you said oats were not safe for people on gluten-free diets! What do you mean it doesn’t have gluten?”

Allow me to explain. Oats are intrinsically gluten-free. However, many are cross-contamined in factories that also process wheat. While the minimal contamination is significant enough to cause problems for an individual with celiac, it is not enough to have an effect on the baking process.

Feel free to substitute half the wheat flour in a recipe with oat flour, though.

As I always like to say, keep nutritional context in mind. Oat flour in an otherwise unhealthy recipe (loads of sugar and calories) is a moot point.

The best way to get oat’s health benefits is by preparing unsweetened oatmeal (and adding your own fruit and nut toppings) or adding quick-cooking oats to yogurt or a smoothie.